Technical Services Special Interest Section

The Subject Analysis Committee met for five hours over two days. They formed a new task force to review and make recommendations on subject headings found in the 1999 ALA Council Resolution 37 (a resolution by Sandy Berman concerning subject headings relating to poverty). Chairs of the various subcommittees which met earlier in the convention gave reports on the status of their subcommittees. The Subcommittee to Promote Subject Relationships/Reference Structures met to plan a discussion forum for midwinter. During the year they will examine data base products and their use of subject reference structure. The Subcommittee on Form Headings/Subdivisions Implementation held a repeat forum on subfield v. They plan to prepare a recon checklist for subfield v so that catalogers can watch for certain topic/form subjects during recon projects and for their automatic authority projects. There was also some discussion of 655 genre indexes and how to display these indexes.

The two metadata subcommittees also gave reports. The Subcommittee on Metadata and Classification was disbanded upon acceptance of their final report which recommended the use of classification in internet sites composed of individual resources. The sites examined were listed in Gerry McKiernan's Beyond Bookmarks and used either LC, Dewey or National Library of Medicine classification schemes. Even though some of the sites were small, classification was found to be helpful in arranging resources. Further work on classification will be done by the Subcommittee on Metadata and Subject Analysis. The subcommittee has been studying the issues relating to subject data in metadata schemes, mainly Dublin Core. They have recommended using controlled and uncontrolled vocabularies and classification in metadata records.

The Library of Congress Cataloging Policy and Support Office liaison, Lynn El-Hoshy, reported on subject cataloging developments at LC. Most cataloging activities will be impacted by the implementation of LC ILS in August. Subject Headings Weekly Lists will be suspended until Sept. 8, 1999 due to the implementation. New headings will be proposed during that time and will appear on lists distributed after Sept. 8. LC started using subfield v earlier this year. For awhile distribution of the subdivision authority records was halted due to a programing oversight with the MARC tag 008/17. The problem has been solved and the records are being distributed.

MARC tag 781 linking fields to indicate the subdivision form of geographic heading are being included in new and revised subject authority records. There is planning for a project to add MARC tag 781's to existing subject authority records. However, plans have not been worked out for adding them to geographic name authority records. Be on the lookout for the change from Trade unions to Labor unions. A new free floating subdivision ­Labor unions will be authorized for use the headings for occupational groups, i.e. Agricultural laborers­Labor unions (May Subd. Geog.). The new free floating subdivision ­Reference books will be used under subjects and this will replace the heading Reference books­[subject].

Ms. El-Hoshy also gave a list of schedules (K, KF, KJV-KJW) sent to CDS for publication.

New editions of KDZ, KH-KH and KJ-KKZ are being proofread for probable publication later this year. The new K form tables have been published. Draft classification schedules for KB (comparative religious law), KBR (canon law history) and KBS (modern canon law) are being done and work on KBP (Islamic law) has begun.

This is my last SAC report. Thank you for the opportunity to represent the law cataloging community at ALA. I hope all of you take the time to go to ALA someday. There are panels, forums and committee meetings relevant to all catalogers, including law catalogers, at ALA.

Marie E. Whited
Lillian Goldman Library at Yale Law School
marie.whited@yale.edu