Re: [IUG] Mountain biking was: Cataloging for Encore

["D. Brooking" <dbrookin at u dot washington dot edu>]

There is a way libraries can propose updates and new terms to LCSH. It is 
the SACO program. Please see:

http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/saco/saco.html

(SACO covers both LCSH and LC Classification. Libraries can apply to be a 
"member" which I think takes a commitment of doing 10-12 proposals per 
year.)

We (UW) will go ahead and make a change request to change "All terrain 
cycling" to "Mountain biking" based on the overwhelming literary warrant 
for the latter term.

LC does retain ultimate editorial control over LCSH, so this is just a 
proposal, but we have lots of experience in SACO and we are pretty sure 
this will fly. LC is pretty backlogged so it may take 4-6 months for this 
to work its way through the editorial process. And this workload at LC is 
another reason that LC isn't initiating many changes themselves.

So--change proposals have to come from the grass roots. Go for it. 
Consider joining SACO, or find a library that is aleady in it that is 
willing to help. Controlled vocabularies must be maintained in order to 
remain useful and ultimately tagging individual bib records is not a 
scalable solution.



************
Diana Brooking             (206) 685-0389
Cataloging Librarian       (206) 685-8782 fax
Suzzallo Library           dbrookin at u dot washington dot edu
University of Washington
Box 352900
Seattle WA  98195-2900

---------- Forwarded message ----------
> On Mon, 17 Dec 2007, Wynn, Stephen wrote:
>
> > I spoke last week about III's next-generation interface Encore, with
an
> > III rep who told me that whenever they do a demo, the catalogers
present
> > get very excited about the idea of adding tags in Encore.  "They
just
> > can't wait to add 'mountain biking' to all of those records that
have
> > 'All-terrain cycling,'" the rep said.  In previous demos I had
gotten
> > the idea that tagging was a feature for the user, but this rep
> > specifically said that catalogers like the feature.
> >
> > (For those who haven't seen a demo, this last refers to III's claim
that
> > users can't find books about mountain biking because the LCSH is
> > "All-terrain cycling."  I've heard this example from three different
> > reps so it must be a house standard.)
> >
> > As a cataloger I find this response baffling.  The thought of
creating
> > and maintaining a nonstandard vocabulary ... well, it doesn't
exactly
> > fill me with joyful anticipation.
> >
> > But I must be missing something.  For those catalogers who anxiously
> > await the opportunity to tag your records in Encore (or who already
do
> > so),
> >
> > What sorts of tags do you add?
> >
> > Why do you prefer an Encore tag to an uncontrolled MARC tag?
> >
> > Since "Mountain biking" is a SEE reference in the authority record
for
> > "All-terrain cycling," why do you need to add it as an Encore tag?
> >
> > Do you plan to review all of your authority records for SEE
references
> > that could be usefully added as Encore tags?
> >
> > Have you considered any automated methods of adding SEE references
as
> > Encore tags, in order to avoid the tedious and redundant manual work
> > that Encore reps advocate?
> >
> > Stephen Wynn
> > Head of Technical Services and Systems
> > Pickler Memorial Library
> > Truman State University
> > Kirksville, MO 63501
> > (660) 785-4535
> >
> >
> > --
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