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November/December 2003 vol.9 no.6 issn 1082-4383
Highlights in this Issue
NEBASE Annual Meeting East 2003
September 18th was the date of this year's NEBASE Annual
Meeting East. Eighty-six library staff attended the meeting held at the
Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln.
Online Courses Available Through WebJunction
Did you
know you can take a number of online courses at no cost through WebJunction?
All you need to do to take advantage of the online courses is register at the
WebJunction site.
Update on Fall 2003 Database Trials
This fall the Nebraska Library Commission Network Services Department has
sponsored trials of several databases/services.
Take a Look at the Power and Reach of Libraries
"Libraries: How they stack up" provides a snapshot of the impact of libraries
and some comparisons of library activities to other sectors, professions and
destinations in the worldwide economy.
Table
of Contents
Past issues of
N3
NEBASE ANNUAL MEETING EAST 2003
|
Eighty-six library staff attended the meeting held at the Cornhusker Hotel
in Lincoln. |
September 18th was the date of this year's NEBASE Annual Meeting East.
Eighty-six library staff attended the meeting held at the Cornhusker Hotel in
Lincoln. Marilyn Mason, Program Director Gates Portal Project, OCLC presented
"WebJunction Your place on the Internet." WebJunction is a newly released web
portal for the library community to share knowledge about information
technology. The portal
grew out of the technical support needs of libraries across the
country that received grants from the Gates Foundation for library technology.
In its first year, WebJunction is providing a forum for library staff to share
expertise and questions regarding public access to information technology. A
wealth of information is already available at WebJunction. At this time library
staff can register for online classes, download helpful guides, follow web
forums, learn best practices, and more. Be sure to visit WebJunction and read
the two other articles in this month's N3
about WebJunction.
|
Shannon Behrhorst (right), NEBASE Director, talks with
librarians at the NEBASE Annual Meeting |
The morning also provided a time for members to hear an update on OCLC
activities from Paul Cappuzzello. Paul provided attendees with a wealth of
information on new OCLC services and products now available for libraries,
including updates on Connexion and Digital Resources and Preservation.
After our lunch and an update on the NEBASE Advisory Council from Chair, Pat
Hughes of Hastings College, those attending had a chance to pick two of eight
afternoon sessions to attend.
One of the afternoon highlights was a presentation on new OCLC venture recently
made available called Services for Groups. The presentation introduced NEBASE
members to new customized and integrated solutions, including the new OCLC Group
Catalog. Services for Groups includes customized services integrated for
library consortia including a branded group catalog, unlimited subscription
based resource sharing and metadata cataloging, as well as add-ons such as ILLiad, DPR, and Question Point.
Other afternoon sessions included: AACR2, ILL Policies Directory - Getting
Started, ILL - What is it and how can I do it?, Finding Answers Online - Basic
Tips to Improve Your Searching, Connexion Windows Client Update, Web Dewey
Overview, and WorldCat Library Access Cooperative
Next year's meeting is already scheduled so mark your calendars for November 5,
2004 and we will see you in Lincoln.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
|
Julie Pinnell (left) instructs librarians on how their
library can participate in interlibrary lending services through the
Nebraska Library Commission and the OCLC ILL Web Interface. |
|
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(l to r) Rod Wagner, Nebraska Library Commission Director,
Paul Cappuzzello and Lew Maurer of OCLC |
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Back to Contents
NOVEMBER IS OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE MONTH ON WEBJUNCTION!
Is the cost of proprietary software getting you down? Want to learn more about
open source alternatives? If so, stop by WebJunction at <www.webjunction.org>
during November to learn more.
During November, WebJunction will focus attention on this hot topic by pointing
visitors to introductory articles on open source software and firsthand accounts
from librarians who have used it. Starting on November 10, WebJunction also
sponsored a week-long discussion of "Open Source Software for Libraries," guest
moderated by Art Rhyno, Systems Librarian at the University of Windsor in
Ontario. To read postings from this discussion, go to the All Aboard area of the
Community Center, and choose the Software forum.
After November, information on open source software for librarians will continue
to be available on WebJunction's Open Source Software page. The path to this
page is Home > Technology Resources > Software > Open Source Software.
WebJunction is a free service designed to help libraries share knowledge and
experience. It is being developed by OCLC in conjunction with several partners
and is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Anyone can visit WebJunction and read most of the content, but to
participate actively in the ongoing conversation, you need to register. Everyone
is welcome to join.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Network Services
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ONLINE COURSES AVAILABLE THROUGH WEBJUNCTION
WebJunction, the portal launched last summer to help libraries with their
technology needs, provides a wealth of information for library staff. Did you
know you can take a number of online courses at no cost through WebJunction?
All you need to do to take advantage of the online courses is register at the
WebJunction site.
Four series of courses are available at this time:
- Using the Internet Series
- Managing Public Access Computers Series
- Basic Computing Series
- Application Series
Some of the WebJunction course topics included in the four
series include:
- Internet Fundamentals
- Evaluating Web Sites
- HTML
- XML
- Troubleshooting Computer Problems
- Microsoft Office 2000
- Networking Essentials
- And a number of courses on Microsoft applications such as Word, PowerPoint, Front Page and more…
Not only can you take online courses, but there is much more available at WebJunction. You can also find downloadable Computer Companion
lessons which you can print and use on your own for instruction in web page creation, marketing your library, designing a presentation, and more.
To find out more about the online courses and other valuable learning tools
available visit WebJunction at <www.webjunction.org>
and click on the Learning Center.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
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NEBASE WORKSHOP CALENDAR
NEBASE workshops have been scheduled for Lincoln, Norfolk,
Omaha, Hastings and Kearney.
For a quick glance at what workshops are scheduled and where, see the NEBASE
Training Calendar at </netserv/TrainingCal.html>.
The location and date, as well as a description of each of the
workshops below, can be found at </netserv/nebase/oclcworkshopsdesc.html>.
To register for any of the workshops, please complete the online registration
form at </netserv/nebase/oclcworkshops.html#reg>.
The workshop fee for NEBASE libraries is $10. If you are not a NEBASE library*,
please check the registration form for your workshop fee. If you have any
questions, please contact Jeannette Powell at 402-471-7740 or 800-307-2665 or
e-mail Jeannette Powell
for registration fee.
*NEBASE libraries are Nebraska libraries who use OCLC
cataloging or interlibrary loan services or who subscribe to FirstSearch.
Although libraries who subscribe only to FirstSearch are eligible to pay the $10
workshop fee, they must pay by check.
- OCLC Cataloging Micro Enhancer: An Alternative to Passport
- OCLC Connexion: Browser Interface for Cataloging
- OCLC Connexion: Client Interface for Cataloging
- OCLC ILL Web Interface Basics
Back to Contents
DATABASE
TIPS & TRICKS
TURNING DATABASE ACCESS ON/OFF IN FIRSTSEARCH
Don't forget! It's easy to turn off access to FirstSearch databases that don't
meet your patrons' information needs using the FirstSearch Administrative
Module. If at a later date you change your mind and decide you do want to
provide access to a database that you previously turned off, it's just as easy
to turn access back on. To turn database access on/off, just follow these simple
steps:
-
Go to the FirstSearch Administrative Module Login Screen,
located at <http://firstsearch.oclc.org/admin>.
-
Login with your nine-digit FirstSearch authorization number and
your administrative module password. (If you don't remember what your
administrative module password is, e-mail Network Services
to request it.)
-
Click on the Authentication/Access tab at the top of the screen.
This should take you to the Database Access page.
-
If a check appears in the access column for a database, it means
the database is available for users to search. To turn OFF access
to a database that is currently available, click on the box in the access column
for the database to remove the check. To turn ON access to a
database that is currently unavailable, click on the box in the access column
for the database to add a check. (Note: Unless your library pays extra money to
OCLC to access full-text articles through the Electronic Collections Online
service, leave the box in the access column for the ECO_FT database UNCHECKED.)
-
Click on the Save Changes button at the top or bottom of the
screen.
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Click on Exit in the upper right corner of the screen.
If you have questions about using your FirstSearch
Administrative Module to customize your FirstSearch account, or you would like
assistance, please don't hesitate to contact me or any other member of the
Nebraska Library Commission Network Services Department. You can reach us by
phone at 800-307-2665 or 402-471-2045 or e-mail Network Services.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
CLASEPERIODICA DATABASE ADDED TO
FIRSTSEARCH BASE PACKAGE
On Sunday, November 2, 2003, OCLC added the ClasePeriodica database to the OCLC
Base Package in FirstSearch. The Nebraska Library Commission currently pays for
access to the OCLC Base Package in FirstSearch on behalf of all Nebraska
libraries. This means that all registered Nebraska libraries now have access to
the ClasePeriodica database through their FirstSearch Base Package account. This
brings the total number of databases available through the FirstSearch Base
Package to eleven.
Database Description: The FirstSearch ClasePeriodica database
includes the combined contents of the CLASE (Citas Latinoamericanas en Ciencias
Sociales y Humanidades) and PERIODICA (Índice de Revistas Latinoamericanas en
Ciencias) databases, which have been produced by The Universidad Nacional
Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM) since the mid-1970s. CLASE indexes documents published
in Latin American and Caribbean journals specializing in the social sciences and
humanities while PERIÓDICA covers journals specializing in science and
technology. ClasePeriodica offers access to more than 300,000 bibliographic
citations from documents published in 2,600 scholarly journals published in the
Spanish, Portuguese, French and English languages. It contains information from
articles, essays, book reviews, monographs, conference proceedings, technical
reports, interviews and brief notes published in journals edited in 24 different
countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as from publications that
focus on Pan-American issues.
The ClasePeriodica database will appeal primarily to academic libraries that
have Latin American Studies programs. ClasePeriodica is an index and contains
bibliographic citations only; it does not contain abstracts or full text.
Note: If this database doesn't meet the needs of your patrons, you
can turn off access to it using your FirstSearch Administrative Module. For
instructions on how to do this, see the article titled Turning
Database Access On/Off in FirstSearch in this issue of N3.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
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CINAHL AVAILABILITY ON FIRSTSEARCH DISCONTINUED
EBSCO has informed OCLC of its intention to terminate its contract to
distribute the CINAHL database on OCLC FirstSearch following its recent
acquisition of CINAHL Information Systems. Consequently, per-search access to
the CINAHL database will be discontinued effective from Wednesday, December 10,
2003.
Sales of new subscriptions to the CINAHL database through OCLC FirstSearch
have ceased as of Friday, October 31, 2003. All current subscriptions will be
honored until their expiration date and will not be renewed.
For more information see Advance Notice of Discontinuation of the CINAHL
Database in the OCLC Reference section of this newsletter.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
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AUTUMN UPDATE FROM OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
The Oxford Reference Online: Core Collection update program continues to ensure
that you are getting access to the most reliable ready-reference resources
available from Oxford University Press.
This latest update to The Core Collection includes:
Two New Titles
Dynasties of the World, by John E. Morby
From Horus Aha, first king of Egypt, to Abd Allah II, present king of Jordan,
this book charts five millennia of kings, queens, emperors, empresses, regencies,
joint reigns, abdications, depositions, interregna, foreign rule, mandates,
protectorates, and dynastic unions. This online edition includes over 50
previously unpublished tables.
Pocket Oxford Latin Dictionary, edited by James Morwood
With over 60,000 entries, this practical dictionary is designed specifically to
meet the needs of students in their first years of studying Latin, as well as
those with an interest in the Latin language or the classical world.
The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Quotations, edited by Elizabeth Knowles
This new revised fourth edition replaces the previously available Oxford
Essential Quotations Dictionary and provides extensive coverage of literary and
historical quotations and new material on slogans, catchphrases, film lines, and
popular misquotations.
Three New Editions
World Encyclopedia
Major annual update, revised to reflect events and issues from the previous
12 months.
Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, by Iain Mclean and Alistair
Mcmillan
Brought up to date with new and revised entries on the people, places, and
events that have shaped the political world since publication of the first
edition in 1996.
A Dictionary of Astronomy, by Ian Ridpath
This revised edition contains entries on current space exploration,
astrophysics, and cosmology.
MARC records are now available! We are pleased to now provide MARC records for
the titles available in The Core Collection. The list is available at: <http://www.oxfordreference.com/pages/marcrecords.html>.
And Coming Soon - Oxford Reference Online: Premium Collection!
For users looking for a more extensive in-depth reference resource, Oxford
Reference Online: Premium Collection will be released at the end of November
2003. The Premium Collection will enhance a subscription to Core with fully
integrated cross-researchable access to nearly 50,000 entries from the engaging
and authoritative Oxford Companions and an additional 20,000 entries from The
Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. And exclusive to Premium subscribers,
improved search functions for quick and easy retrieval of short and long subject
reference entries, bilingual dictionaries, English dictionaries, and quotations
and proverbs. For a complete title listing, go to
<http://www.oxfordreference.com/pages/premium.html#premium_title_list>.
All subscribers will be contacted soon and offered a free trial to this new
exciting online product!
For More Information
For information about all of the Oxford Online Products, visit <http://www.oxfordonline.com>.
For pricing visit: </netserv/pricing/oxford.html>.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
NEW OXFORD RESOURCE: OXFORD SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE (OSO)
The most important scholarly humanities and social sciences books
published by Oxford University Press are now available online <http://www.oup.com/online/oso>.
Oxford Scholarship Online (OSO) is offering a collection of 750 of
the best of OUP's monographs in Economics & Finance, Philosophy,
Religion & Theology, and Political Science, with an additional 200
new titles added each year. OSO has special features that
facilitate research for scholars and students and provide easier and
more relevant results:
-
Keyword and abstracts at both book and chapter level
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Reference linking from bibliographies and footnotes to
available online content, such as journals from a wide range of publishers
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Powerful Search options including full text, subject, keyword,
author, title, and publication date or range
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Digital Book Identifiers (DOIs) at book and chapter level
-
MARC21 and ONIX records will be available to aid cataloging
Libraries have the option of subscribing to the entire database
or to individual subject modules. A tour of the product is available at <http://www.oup.com/online/oso/>,
as well as a list of the titles for each subject. Thirty-day free trials are
available to institutions and organizations. To request a trial for your
institution, please go to <https://www.anb.org/ams/user/trial2003.pfm>.
Pricing and subscription information for the new Oxford Scholarship Online are
available at: </netserv/pricing/oxford.html>.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
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OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ANNOUNCES OED UPDATE
The latest quarterly update to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) Online,
including over 2,700 new and revised words, is now available at <http://www.oed.com>.
The latest alphabetical range to be revised is NECIAL to NIPISSING (see <http://dictionary.oed.com/publications/help/Dict/Quarterly/0309.htm>
for details). This latest update also covers a wide range of popular vocabulary,
everything from SOULSTER to LINE DANCER and CULTURATI, from CROSS-SELLING and
INCENTIVIZE to FAX-BACK. Check out the fascinating list of out-of-sequence new
entries at <http://www.oed.com/help/latest.htm>. For OED subscription information,
contact Network Services at 800-307-2665 or visit the Database Pricing page at:
</netserv/pricing/>.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
UPDATE ON FALL 2003 DATABASE TRIALS
This fall the Nebraska Library Commission Network Services Department has
sponsored trials of the following databases/services:
AccessMedicine - McGraw-Hill's AccessMedicine.com is an innovative
online resource that provides complete references and services for physicians,
students, and health professionals who need immediate access to authoritative
and current medical data. Trial access to this database is limited to Nebraska
academic libraries. This trial will remain active through November 30, 2003.
AccuNet/AP Multimedia Archive - Contains The Associated Press'
current year's photo library and a wide selection of images from their vast
negative and print library, dating from the 1840s. This trial ended on October
31, 2003.
CQ Electronic Library - In order to demonstrate new search
functionality, CQ Press is offering Nebraska libraries free trial access to the
following CQ Electronic Library databases through November 30, 2003:
- CQ Voting and Elections Collection
- CQ Congress Collection
- CQ Supreme Court Collection
- CQ Public Affairs Collection
- CQ Insider
- The CQ Researcher
CultureGrams Online Edition - Combines online
access to all World, Kids, and States CultureGrams editions. This trial ended on
November 8, 2003.
EBSCO Publishing is offering Nebraska libraries trial access to the following
databases through November 30, 2003:
- Auto Repair Reference Center
- NoveList and NoveList K-8
- Searchasaurus
- Primary Search
- Funk & Wagnall's New World Encyclopedia
- EBSCO Animals
H.W. Wilson is offering Nebraska libraries trial access to the
following databases through November 30, 2003:
- Applied Science & Technology Abstracts
- Art Abstracts
- Art Retrospective
- Bibliographic Index
- Book Review Digest Plus
- Education Abstracts
- Library Literature Full Text
- Humanities & Social Science Index Retrospective
- Readers' Guide Retrospective
Oxford University Press is offering Nebraska libraries trial access to the following databases through November 30, 2003:
- American National Biography Online
- Grove Art Online
- Grove Music Online
- Oxford English Dictionary Online
- Oxford Reference Online
For more information about active trials, see </netserv/trial.html>.
To see if a trial database is already part of our Discount Purchasing Program, see </netserv/pricing/>.
If you are interested in a trial database that is not currently included in the program, please let a member of the Nebraska Library Commission Network Services
staff know so that we may contact the vendor to discuss possible discounts. You can call us at 402-471-2045 or 800-307-2665 or e-mail Network Services.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
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WILSONWEB REVIEWS
New reviews of WilsonWeb can be found at:
Library Literature & Information Science FT: Library Journal, October 1, 2003
<http://www.hwwilson.com/reviews/liblitft_review.htm>.
Book Review Digest Plus: Online, July/August 2003
<http://www.hwwilson.com/reviews/brd_review.htm>
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
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PROJECT MUSE LAUNCHES "FOR LIBRARIANS" WEB PAGE
Project MUSE has added a new "For Librarians" page, <http://muse.jhu.edu/proj_descrip/librarian_resources/>,
to its web site. Features include downloadable subject guides, journal lists and
searching tips, a "Frequently Asked Questions" page, promotional materials
request form, and tool for generating MUSE usage statistics.
Shannon Behrhorst
Network Services/NEBASE Director
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
WILSON OFFERS DISCOUNTS ON SELECT DATABASES
The H.W. Wilson Company is offering year-end discounts on the following
databases to four-year Academic Libraries, two-year Community College Libraries,
Public Libraries, and K-12 Libraries:
- Bibliographic Index
- Biography Reference Bank
- Book Review Digest Plus
- Art Full Text (purchased with Art Retro at regular price)
- Humanities Full Text (purchased with Humanities Retro or Humanities/Social Sciences Retro at regular price)
- Readers' Guide Full Text Mega (purchased with Readers' Guide Retro at regular price)
- Social Sciences Full Text (purchased with Social Sciences Retro or Humanities/Social Sciences Retro at regular price)
Database descriptions and journal lists are available at: <http://www.hwwilson.com/Documentation/techdoc1.htm>.
Discount details are as follows:
- All products are discounted 30% during year one and 20% during year two.
- Orders must be placed through the Nebraska Library Commission to receive the full discount.
- This promotion only applies to product upgrades or new subscriptions.
- Pricing is available for a specified simultaneous user (SU) level or for a site license.
- A per branch fee applies to public libraries with branches.
To receive these discounts libraries must place their order
through the Nebraska Library Commission by March 8, 2004. To place an order:
- Contact Jeannette Powell for a price quote at 800-307-2665, 402-471-7740, or e-mail Jeannette Powell.
- Print out and complete the WilsonWeb order form located at </netserv/wilsonorder.html>.
- Mail the order form to Jeannette Powell, Nebraska Library Commission, The Atrium, 1200 N Street, Suite 120, Lincoln, NE 68508-2023 or Fax:
402-471-2083.
Susan Knisely
Online Services Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
Back to Contents
IT'S A MYSTERY:MARC TAG 655
What does the gsafd in MARC tag 655 subfield 2 mean? What is a MARC tag 655? Why
would a cataloger use this field? When would a cataloger use this field? Where
do catalogers find terms to use in this field? It's a mystery.
MARC catalogers tend to talk in tag numbers and abbreviations but there is a
method to our madness. The 655 tag was added to MARC bibliographic records for
describing an item's genre and/or form. Subfield 2 of the 655 field contains the
abbreviation code specifying the thesaurus that the term in subfield a came
from: gsafd is the code for Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of
Fiction, Drama, Etc. (GSAFD). A list of thesauri titles and codes is provided
within the MARC Code List and also at <http://www.loc.gov/marc/relators/relasour.html>.
A note on the codes: while lcsh (Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)) is
listed as a valid code and many libraries still use it in subfield 2, there has
been a change in MARC21 that allows some thesauri, including LCSH, to be
identified in indicator 2.
Because subject headings (tags 600-651) are generally used to describe what an
item's content is about, catalogers need the 655 field to describe what the item
is. While this article addresses LCSH and GSAFD, a number of other thesauri have
been developed to catalog specialized collections of materials and contain more
specific terminology to describe what their items are. These thesauri include:
Art & Architecture Thesaurus, Bioethics Thesaurus, GEM Controlled Vocabularies,
Index of Christian Art, Paper Terms: A Thesaurus for Use in Rare Book and
Special Collections Cataloging, and Thesaurus of Subject Headings for
Television.
LCSH topical terms are used to describe what the content of an item is about,
though there are occasions when a term may be used to describe the genre of a
collection of works in an item. LCSH terms are not generally used in the 650
field to describe the genre or form of an individual work; however, appropriate
terms may be used in 655 fields for individual works. When a book contains an
individual suspense story, a cataloger would not place the LSCH term "Suspense
in literature" in the 650 field, because that would mean the content of the book
is about suspense books. Nor would the subject heading "Suspense fiction" be
assigned to a 650 field, because that would mean the book contained a collection
of suspense stories. Instead, the cataloger uses the 655 field to specify the
genre of the item, in this case, "Suspense fiction" from LCSH or GSAFD. The 655
tag is also used to specify form; if the item to be cataloged is a suspense
movie, GSAFD offers the term "Suspense films," combining both genre and form.
The terms found in GSAFD are generally used for adult fiction to provide
additional access and offer readers' advisory work to some extent. While many of
the terms listed repeat LCSH terms, some differ to better reflect users'
terminology. For example, in place of the LCSH heading "Mystery and detective
stories," GSAFD supplies "Mystery stories." GSAFD also includes terms that are
not found in any form within LCSH, such as "Regency fiction."
For a time, OCLC and the Library of Congress along with eight other libraries
cooperated in the OCLC/LC Fiction Project to add subject and genre headings to
new works of adult fiction. This project has since been discontinued due to lack
of funds, but some individual libraries and vendors have continued to add 655
fields to MARC records that are shared or purchased by other libraries. While many libraries and their patrons find these
headings useful, adding them for each fiction work can be very time consuming.
Also, a perusal of records in OCLC's WorldCat database will demonstrate that
assigning genre headings is as subjective a task as assigning regular subject
headings. Take for example Linda Howard's new book, Cry No More: while the
British Library chose the genre term "Suspense fiction," (LCSH, GSAFD) a United
States library assigned the terms "Psychological fiction" (LCSH) and "Mystery
fiction" (GSAFD).
A subcommittee within the ALA Association for Library Collections & Technical
Services' Subject Analysis Committee spent two years reviewing LCSH, GSAFD, and
two other thesauri guidelines outlining the assignment of subject and genre
headings to individual works of fiction. GSAFD is an ALA publication. The "Final
Report of SAC Subcommittee on Fiction Guidelines, June 23, 2003" summarizes the
guidelines of each thesauri and concludes that while each has its audience,
"[t]he library cataloging community must come to consensus about how to
determine the subject and genre of an individual work of fiction." The complete
report may be downloaded from ALA's web site, <http://www.ala.org>, search for SAC
Fiction Guidelines Final Report.
Although it may be impossible to achieve consistency in application of genre or
form headings, it is possible to have some quality control. MARC allows for
genre/form heading authority records. Of course, usage of these records depends
on the capabilities of the local automation system. MARC21 authority records for GSAFD genre terms may be downloaded from Northwestern University,
<http://www.library.northwestern.edu/publications/gsafd/>.
A Library of Congress project to create authority records for X55 genre/form
terms has been under discussion for some time but no records are available.
For those interested in the technical side of MARC formats, there is currently a
Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information (MARBI) Committee discussion paper
posted regarding the possibility of defining subfield 2 for X55 tags in the
authority record. Currently the source of the term for the authority record is
specified in 008/11 or 040#f. The paper is available on the web <http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2003/2003-dp04.html>.
Responses were negative and the MARC Advisory Committee did not recommend the
suggestion as a proposal. All MARC21 format standards are outlined on the
Library of Congress web site <http://lcweb.loc.gov/marc/>.
Read a good mystery lately?
Devra Dragos
Cataloging Librarian
Nebraska Library Commission
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