PCC Resources for
SACO proposals submitted to the Cooperative Programs (COOP) Section are processed by two distinct sections within LC: the COOP Section in the Cooperative and Instructional Programs Division (COIN) and the Data Integrity Section of the Policy and Standards Division (PSD). SACO proposals must go through the editorial process in order to be incorporated into the controlled vocabulary of Library of Congress Subject Headings.
Generally, all approved subject proposals are processed, the approved list is posted to the Web, and records are distributed to MARC Distribution Service: Subject Authorities subscribers within 9 to 10 weeks after initial receipt by the Library of Congress.
The following is a detailed description of the workflow.
SACO Processing
Week 1:
A SACO proposal is created in the SACO Proposal System
The proposal is assigned a control number in MARC 21 field 010; the control number begins with the prefix "sh" (for example, sh2012465727)
When the proposal is ready for processing, the creator notifies the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs (PTCP) Division at the Library of Congress by sending a message to [email protected]
Proposals are reviewed by a SACO specialist in PTCP to assure that basic Subject Headings Manual guidelines are correctly applied (for example, correct 008/06 coding for Geographic subdivision; correct MARC 21 tagging, correct coding of diacritics; adequate source citations are provided; and appropriate Broader Terms and/or Related Terms)
As proposals are completed in PTCP they are forwarded for editorial processing.
If a change needs ot be made on a subject proposal after PTCP notification, send an e-mail message to the SACO account, noting the specific changes needed. PTCP staff will make the changes to the online record.
Editorial Processing in PTCP
Weeks 2-4:
PTCP staff members process all incoming proposals and compile the tentative list.
Once work has been completed, tentative lists are posted to the Web.
Weeks 5-6:
LC employees, SACO participants, and other constituencies examine the tentative list and make comments or suggestions using the [email protected] address.
The Subject Policy specialist in charge of the list examines all the proposals in great depth for conformance to policies as stated in Subject Headings Manual H memos, and responds to comments submitted.
Weeks 7-8:
The editorial meeting is held. At the meeting, proposals are either approved, changed according to the subject heading policies, not approved, withdrawn, or marked resubmit. All proposals that were approved at the editorial meeting as submitted are added to the LCSH Master File. The MARC records for these approved headings are distributed to holders of the authoriy files. All other proposals on the tentative list that were not approved are held in PTCP until the issues are resolved.
Week 9-10:
After all the remaining proposals on the tentative list are corrected online by PTCP, the approved copy of the list is posted to the Web.
A Summary of Decisions from the weekly editorial meeting is posted on the SACO website.
Proposals that were not approved, or were marked resubmit, are included in this summary.
You should consult the Summary of Decisions - PTCP staff will not contact you directly regarding proposal status.
Remember: PTCP staff will not contact you regarding the status of proposals. You can monitor the progress and status of your proposal by:
- -- searching Library of Congress Authorities
- -- looking at the Subject Headings Approved Lists
- -- looking at the Summary of Decisions from the Weekly Editorial Meeting
Please do not use the SACO email address to inquire about the status of a proposal; instead, track the proposal as aforementioned.
Thank you for your cooperation! PTCP staff is committed to timely and efficient processing and review of all SACO proposals!
