FYI: Please be reminded to carefully read the cover memo accompanying
the recently issued "Blue pages" supplement to the USMARC (soon to be
MARC 21) Authority Format. This is especially important in regard to
variable field 781. This field is not to be used by NACO participants
until the subject-based guidelines are issued later this Spring.
With every expection that implementation of the newly available
fields would progress in a timely manner, it was decided that the
NACO/SACO guidelines for the individual fields would be written as
general as possible to avoid issuing blue page updates every month or
so. This makes the reading of the cover memo that much more important.
Below is the latest information on the 781 field from CPSO.
CATALOGING POLICY AND SUPPORT OFFICE
SUMMARY OF DECISIONS, EDITORIAL MEETING NUMBER 9
March 3, 1999
<snip>
> OTHER
>
> Subdivision authority records
> The Library of Congress has begun to create subdivision authority >records to control the more than 3,100 free-floating subdivisions of >all types in the Library of Congress subject headings system. The >initial batch of records was included in the regular weekly >distribution of subject authorities for February 23, 1999. Additional >records will be distributed as they are ready. Subdivision authority >records are being created in the following order: 1) form subdivision >records; 2) topical subdivision records for form subdivisions that can >function as either forms or topics; and 3) the remaining topical >subdivision records, proceeding generally alphabetically. Records for >the few chronological subdivisions that are free-floating on their own >will be created after LC implements its integrated library system later >this summer. LC will not routinely create subdivision records for >geographic headings. Instead the subdivision forms of geographic names >will be recorded in new 781 linking fields to be added to subject >authority records for geographic headings.
--
Ana Cristan
Acting BIBCO Coordinator
Cooperative Cataloging
Regional and Cooperative Cat. Div.
Library of Congress, LM537
Washington, DC 20540-4382
(202) 707-7921 (fax): (202) 707-2824
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
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