ADMINISTRATIVE NOTES Newsletter of the Federal Depository Library Program --------------------------------------------------------------------- November 15, 1999 GP 3.16/3-2:20/17 (Vol. 20, no. 17) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Cataloging Branch Update Remarks by Thomas A. Downing Chief, Cataloging Branch Before the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer Kansas City, MO Monday, October 18, 1999 Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you to provide an account of recent activities within the Cataloging Branch. This presentation will include information concerning cataloging operations, the new policy concerning availability records, serials cataloging, PURLs and URLs, our interests in OCLC's CORC project, and the Monthly Catalog products and records. Cataloging Operations The transition to a more electronic Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) continues to produce a complex assortment of interrelated works in all media. At the conclusion of Fiscal Year 1999, approximately 29,000 works in various media were received for cataloging. Approximately 33,600 of these works were processed, leaving a balance of approximately 9,400 works to be processed. Most works in the backlog are serials that remain from prior years. This serials backlog is related to the electronic transition. In recent years two serials catalogers have devoted full time and part time efforts, respectively, towards assisting with electronic transition related activities. Recently, we were advised by contract specialists at the Federal Library and Information Center Committee to set aside, for the present, a recent initiative to seek commercial CONSER cataloging services. Although this is disappointing, we are attacking this backlog in several ways. First, one serials cataloger is working nearly full time on backlogged materials. Second, we have just recruited a serials cataloger to fill a position that had been vacant for nearly three years. And third, we are about to institute procedural changes in which non-serials catalogers will review incoming serials and will check serial issues against bibliographic records to identify those issues that require a change to serial records. Previously, this work was done by serials catalogers. This change should be useful in eliminating work from the workflow that does not require the services of serials catalogers. We anticipate that, in many instances, work will be counted out soon after it has been received. We also expect that this change will free serials catalogers to concentrate their efforts on maintaining serials records and in creating new records, as appropriate. As in the past, most works in paper and CD-ROM and those available via the Internet are cataloged within one or two weeks of receipt. A backlog of approximately 145 Browse Electronic Titles (BET) entries remain to be cataloged. Most works in this backlog are serials. Production of Availability Records Ceased October 1, 1999 In response to a recommendation from the Depository Library Council during the Spring 1999 meeting, catalogers ceased producing availability records on October 1, 1999. Previously, staff produced records that represented specific annual, semi-annual publications, or multi-part works. Based upon Council's recommendation, catalogers now maintain, update, and create, as appropriate, records that represent serials irrespective of the frequency of issue. This change should eliminate confusion caused by the production of piece level records for serials issued semi-annually and less frequently but not for those issued three or more times per year. Application of a uniform standard for bibliographic control of all serials will be most noticeable in the year 2001 when all serials will be represented within the Serials Supplement, the successor to the Periodicals Supplement. The last issue of the Periodicals Supplement, to be published in the year 2000, will include only titles issued three or more times per year. A uniform practice for bibliographic control of serials has been established in consultation with the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, the Cataloging Distribution Service of the Library of Congress, the Cataloging Committee of the Government Documents Round Table, American Library Association, and commercial tape vendors. Serials Cataloging As you know, in addition to cataloging monographs and maps, much of the work performed by Cataloging Branch staff concerns identification, cataloging, and authenticating serial records for the many serials published by Federal agencies for inclusion within the CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials) database. Serials publishing within the U.S. Government continues to increase as does the number of electronic serials available at Federal agency Web sites. At the present time, approximately 50% of BET entries cataloged by the Branch are serials. Our most recent annual report to CONSER indicates that LPS catalogers produced 613 original CONSER level records, authenticated 427 records, added 1040 records to the CONSER database, and performed 2,073 CONSER database transactions. At present, approximately 1,100 GPO serial records contain PURLs/URLs. Recruitment of Serials Cataloger After a lengthy nation-wide recruitment effort, I am pleased to announce that Ms. Esther Simpson, of the University of Maryland, McKeldin Library, has recently joined our staff of four other full time serials catalogers. Esther will contribute to efforts to represent and provide access to electronic texts of the increasing number of serials that are available from agency Web sites. PURLs/URLs As of late September, approximately 3,400 Persistent Uniform Resource Locators (PURLs) have been assigned to electronic works available via BET and the Web Catalog application. Over the years, an estimated 6,000 URLs have been assigned to various resources. Long term access to most works is maintained via PURLs. Given our policy of transcribing the URL that provided effective access to the publication when a work is cataloged, many of the recently input URLs may, for a time, also provide access. Although URLs are input for their potential information value, access is maintained via PURLs. Cataloging Branch personnel now provide centralized access to electronic works made available via LPS. Personnel assign PURLs to electronic works chosen for the collection and maintain access by updating addresses within the LPS PURLs server. At present, we estimate that such efforts require approximately 30 hours per week. Reports from the library community regarding broken and new links are encouraged. Such information may be reported to askLPS or to Theodore Defosse . In addition, people who are interested in searching for links associated with a particular PURL or URL may do so. PURLS or URLs may be input for searching within the LPS PURLs server by using the PURL search form, which is now located between the Monthly Catalog application and List of Classes and Related Files in the tools portion of the FDLP Administration pages. Cataloging Branch Personnel and OCLC's CORC Project I am pleased to note that Ms. Shirley Hyatt, Manager, Product Marketing Department, OCLC, Ms. Carolyn Kohler, Head, Government Publications, University of Iowa, and Ms. Cassandra Hartnett, U.S. Documents Librarian, University of Washington, will present information and perspectives concerning OCLC's CORC, or Cooperative Online Resource Catalog Project, at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow in the Phillips Room. OCLC's CORC project is of increasing interest to both public services and technical services librarians. This project has been of interest to us from its inception. We are members of the CORC listserv and are involved, in an advisory capacity, in efforts of the Federal Library and Information Center Committee, or FLICC, to investigate the potential the CORC project may have for providing access to works published via the Internet. We understand that CORC is an OCLC research project to investigate the feasibility of producing brief bibliographic records to provide access to Internet related titles. We appreciate that OCLC has seeded the CORC database with several loads of thousands of GPO-produced OCLC records with PURLs and related Internet data. We continue to be the leading institution for cataloging Government publications published at Federal Internet sites and are pleased to know that additional access is provided to these works through extracted Monthly Catalog data in the CORC database. As you know, our efforts are focused on providing cataloging records for as many Federal publications as possible for public access within the centralized online public access catalogs OPACs) of as many institutions as possible. With current technologies, and the opportunities they present for direct online access to the texts of thousands of U.S. Government publications, tasks associated with this mission become increasingly important. Given this context, we hope that OCLC will develop CORC applications that will optimize opportunities for providing free permanent public online access to the Federal Depository Library Program's electronic collections. Applications that would support this objective should provide several important options. One option would be the ability to archive electronic texts as an intrinsic part of creating CORC records. Another would be to select and assign persistent uniform resource locators, PURLs, or successor technologies to assist with assuring access. Yet another option would be the adoption or development of commonly recognized uniform cataloging standards and authority controls that would assure that CORC records meet the needs of library OPACs. It is clear that OCLC's CORC project benefits from the insights and interests of librarians from various communities. We look forward to tomorrow's presentations, are eager to hear about current and future CORC related initiatives, and hope that you will express your interests in how this project may evolve. With a good dialog among conference participants, it is possible that the CORC project may evolve in ways that are supportive of the interests of an increasingly electronic Federal Depository Library Program. Monthly Catalog Products, Tapes, and the Catalog Application I would like to take this opportunity to provide some explanation as to why various editions of the Monthly Catalog have not yet been distributed. By now, we are all weary of hearing about Y2K related issues. Nonetheless, Y2K has dominated much of data processing related activities within all of our respective institutions. Within GPO, concerns relating to compliance with Y2K requirements understandably assume a high priority. In this regard, I must add that this priority among the technical organizations that support the production of Monthly Catalog products has accounted for many of the delays associated with their distribution. At present, the top priority accorded by technical support elements of GPO to assure Y2K compliance for the Office have contributed to an approximate four month delay in distributing CD-ROM and paper editions of the Monthly Catalog. Distribution of the Congressional Serial Set Catalog also has been delayed. Fortunately, circumstances that have delayed distribution of products have not affected the timeliness of dissemination of Monthly Catalog records to the Cataloging Distribution Service (CDS) of the Library of Congress. Monthly data sets of GPO records compiled by CDS personnel for dissemination to vendors are made available to CDS, via FTP, from the Federal Bulletin Board in accordance with schedules. Similarly, records produced in OCLC are passed to the Web Catalog application within twenty-four hours after production. As of mid-September, we estimate that more than 132,000 records are available at the Catalog. Nearly 10,000 of these records provide hot-linked access to electronic works published at GPO and other Web sites. Ins and Outs of LPS Processing I would like to conclude this presentation by inviting you to attend a presentation on the Ins and Outs of LPS Processing, to be held at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow, in the Crystal Room. Vicki Barber, Chief, Depository Distribution Division, Robin Haun-Mohamed, Chief, Depository Administration Branch, and I will be available to answer your questions on the internal workings of LPS and how they affect the products and services we provide to our FDLP community. If you have ever wondered how messy life can be, this is your opportunity to hear all about it. We really do work in a complex Library Programs Service environment that requires much interaction and joint problem solving. In recent years, as we continue to migrate to a more electronic environment, some of the more traditional distinctions that had existed between organizations within LPS have become increasingly indistinct. We would like to share information and experiences with you and expect that this program will provide good opportunities for an open exchange of information and ideas.