VENDOR-SUPPLIED RECORDS ADVISORY WORKING GROUP (VRAG)
Resources
- Annual Reports
- Electronic discussion list: ts-vrag@lists.ucla.edu
- Genre/Form Crosswalks
- Vendor Records for Digital Law Collections
Mission
- Assist and encourage vendors to use appropriate national cataloging standards.
- Provide outreach to vendors who wish to produce cataloging metadata by encouraging them to provide sample bibliographic records for evaluation, and by recommending changes and revisions as appropriate.
- Encourage vendors to use name, subject, and genre headings in accordance with established national and international authority files (e.g., LC/NACO authority file, Library of Congress Subject Headings, and genre/form terms from established thesauri). Encourage vendors to work with authority control vendors when appropriate.
- Review and evaluate supplied cataloging records, based on analysis conducted by members of the working group and/or input solicited from TS-SIS members. Publish and disseminate information about individual sets for use by the TS-SIS cataloging community.
- Facilitate communication between the TS-SIS community and vendors who provide bibliographic record sets. Give advice, as requested, to specific libraries on the use of specific vendor-supplied sets.
Reporting Responsibilities
- Submit an annual written report of the working group’s activities to the chair of the Metadata Management Standing Committee.
- Submit copies of the annual report to the TSLL newsletter editor and to the TS-SIS web manager.
- Give oral reports to general TS-SIS membership during the Metadata Management Standing Committee meeting and/or roundtable during AALL Annual Meeting.
- Prepare agenda for VRAG meeting during AALL Annual Meeting.
- Keep chair of the Metadata Management Standing Committee abreast of working group’s activities.
Structure
- Any members in good standing of TS-SIS may apply in writing to serve during a call for volunteers made by the chair of the Metadata Management Standing Committee.
- Members should include in their application a brief statement that includes their reasons for wanting to serve on this working group and how they can contribute to the group’s work.
- Members are selected and appointed by the current chair of the working group, in consultation with the chair of the Metadata Management Standing Committee.
Membership Responsibilities
- Actively contribute to the working group’s responses to vendors seeking feedback on the cataloging of specific record sets and cataloging practices.
- Actively contribute to the working group’s responses to members of the law library community requesting assistance in working with vendor records or with the vendors themselves.
- Actively engage in discussions initiated by any member of the working group, and contribute to the resolution of questions and concerns referred to the working group regarding vendor-supplied records.
Co-Chairs
(as of August 3, 2022)
Susanna French , co-chair (2021-2023)
University of Connecticut, School of Law Library
Rachel Decker, co-chair (2022-2024)
Chapman University, Hugh & Hazel Darling Law Library