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The Library of Congress > Cataloging, Acquisitions > PCC > SACO > Summary of Decisions > Editorial Meeting Number 1204

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April 16, 2012

PSD policy specialist responsible for this list: J. Young

CLASSIFICATION

[AG14.8] and related proposals

The language list in the span AG10.3-90 includes groupings for the Scandinavian, Slavic, and Spanish languages, under which specific languages are enumerated (e.g., the Slavic grouping includes Czech, Russian, etc.). The proposal sought to add cross-references from the main alphabetical list to each of the languages listed under Slavic (e.g., a cross-reference for Czech would fall between Chinese and Dutch, leading the cataloger to the Czech number in the Slavic grouping). The meeting does not see a need for such references since there is nothing unusual in the arrangement; instead, it is quite common in LC classification to subarrange lists of languages by language group. The proposal was not approved.
           
BR65.M46-.M466

Saint Methodius of Olympus has already been assigned BR1720.M5. BR1720.A-Z, Early Christian biography to ca. 600, A-Z, has the note, “Including Saints, Fathers of the Church, etc.” The work appears to be a criticism of Methodius’ works and can be classified in BR1720.M5 per CSM F 275. The proposal was not approved.

BX4705.P376855

The number being proposed is for biographies of Joseph Pascher. CSM F 350 sec. 2 indicates that personal names are generally not printed and do not need to be established. In this case, there is also a note at the beginning of BX4705.A-Z stating, “Cutter numbers listed below are provided as examples.” The proposal was not necessary.

DR279.92.A75

The work being cataloged appears to be a study of Armenians in Frumoasa, Romania, which should be classified with the local history of Frumoasa in DR281.A-Z. The proposal was not approved.

DR1954.R89

In LCSH, the heading Ruthenians includes a scope note indicating that the heading refers to “Ukrainians and Carpatho-Rusyns resident in the territory comprising the former Austro-Hungarian Empire. Works on their descendants after 1918 are entered under Ukrainians or Carpatho-Rusyns.” The work appears to be about present-day people, to which either Ukrainians or Carpatho-Rusyns should be assigned. If the work is indeed about pre-1918 Ruthenians, the proposal may be resubmitted with supporting information. If it is about one of the post-1918 groups, then a proposal for either Ukrainians or Carpatho-Rusyns in DR1954.A-Z may be resubmitted.

DS432.P2376

This proposal may be resubmitted along with the resubmission of the subject proposal. See below, under Parenga (Indic people), for further information.

GB822.A-Z

The caption “By region, etc., A-Z” is a standard LC classification caption. The meeting does not wish to begin revising such captions to make them specific to the political divisions of individual countries. The proposal was not approved.

PA8547.M657

It appears that Matthäus von Pappenheim was not a literary author, but was primarily a historian. Biographies should be classified with the area of his interest. For example, if he was a general or world historian, then biographies should be classified in D15.A-Z; if he was a historian of a particular place, with biographies of historians of that place (e.g., DD86.7.A-Z, Germany). The proposal was not approved.

PG3476.G612

According to the name authority record for Leon Gomolicki, he was born in 1903. He does not therefore seem to fall into one of the categories for which literary author numbers should be proposed (see CSM F 632). The proposal was not approved.

PG3933.H67

The work being cataloged is a collection of Ukrainian horror tales. Horror is not a special topic depicted in the stories. The work should be classified in PG3940. The proposal was not approved.

TD321.A6-Z

The caption “States, provinces, etc., A-Z” is a standard LC classification caption. The meeting does not wish to begin revising such captions to make them specific to the political divisions of individual countries. The proposal was not approved.

           
SUBJECT HEADINGS

Subdivisions to be added to lists of free-floating subdivisions:

H 1156, Literature

$x Finnish authors
$x Hungarian authors
$x Icelandic authors
$x Slovak authors

H 1161, Musical instruments

$v Methods (Barrelhouse)
$v Methods (Barrelhouse) $v Group instruction
$v Methods (Barrelhouse) $v Self-instruction
$v Methods (Rockabilly)
$v Methods (Rockabilly) $v Group instruction
$v Methods (Rockabilly) $v Self-instruction

Announcements

Ranger stations

The meeting has determined that ranger stations should be established as subject headings, and they will be added to the list in SHM H 405 Group 2. The MARC 21 tag will be 110. Existing headings in the name authority file will be cancelled and re-established in LCSH.

Folklore/Legends

Under current policy as stated in SHM H 1795, headings for individual legendary characters are established with a BT of either Folklore—[place] or Legends—[place]. After receiving a query about this policy, the meeting examined existing legendary character headings and found inconsistencies in the BTs. For example, Aladdin and Sinbad the Sailor, both characters from The Arabian Nights, have the BT Legends—Middle East; Scheherazade, the narrator of The Arabian Nights, has the BT Folklore—Middle East. Several dictionaries and encyclopedias were then consulted, and it became apparent that a character or group of characters that one reference source considers to be folkloric are likely to be considered legendary in another.
            The meeting therefore decided that it is unproductive to attempt to determine whether an individual character should have a BT of Folklore or Legends. All legendary characters should now be established with the BT Legends—[place], which follows the general procedure of matching the qualifier to the BT where practical. The references on existing headings that have a BT Folklore—[place] will be revised and appear on a future tentative list; SHM H 1795 also will be revised to reflect this policy.

Group 2 entities in the name authority file

Several proposals have been made recently to remove a heading for a Group 2 entity (e.g., a theater or building) from LCSH, in favor of an established name authority record. Generally speaking, Group 2 entities should reside in LCSH, but SHM H 405 does provide for situations in which a Group 2 entity may be needed as a descriptive access point. Section 3.b of that instruction sheet states that the guidelines in the Descriptive Cataloging Manual (DCM) Z1 Appendix 1: Ambiguous Entities, sec. 1.2(e) and sec. 3.1 should be followed in such cases.
            DCM Z1 sec. 1.2(e) specifies that the name record should be created according to subject cataloging rules, and that a 667 note should be added: Subj. Cat. Manual/AACR2. A cancellation proposal for the subject heading should then be created and forwarded to PSD through normal channels.
            The meeting would like to remind catalogers to add the 667 note to the name authority record because without it, it is impossible to determine whether the proposed cancellation record was made in error. In other words, unless the note is added it looks as if the cataloger is canceling the subject authority when the name authority should be cancelled instead. In such cases, the proposal is not approved and the name authority is cancelled.

Other decisions:

African American transsexuals

This proposal sought to add two UFs to the existing heading African American transsexuals. Neither of them conformed to existing patterns for classes of persons qualified by an American ethnic group. The proposal was not approved.

Arab Canadian business enterprises

SHM H 1919.5 sec. 1.b states that specific nationalities in countries other than the United States are designated by assigning a nationality heading subdivided geographically (e.g,. Germans—Canada). This policy is extrapolated to ethnic groups, such as Arabs living in Canada. Since the construction Arab Canadians is not valid, neither is Arab Canadian business enterprises. Business enterprises—Canada along with Arabs—Canada may be assigned instead. The proposal was not approved.

Audubon Golf Trail (La.)

The Audubon Golf Trail is not a geographic feature, but a collection of golf courses located across Louisiana. The heading Golf courses—Louisiana should be assigned. The proposal was not approved.

Bugthorpe (England)

GeoNet indicates that Bugthorpe is a jurisdiction and should therefore be established in the name authority file. The proposal was not approved.

Bulimia patients’ writings, Irish (English)

SHM H 1775 sec. 3.a, “Collections of literary texts by several authors,” states, “Groups of authors may be expressed as subdivisions or as phrases, e.g. American fiction–Women authors; Soldiers' writings, Canadian.” Headings of this type may therefore be applied only to literary collections by two or more authors. The work being cataloged is a memoir to which Bulimia—Patients—Biography should be assigned instead. The proposal was not approved.

Cats—Effect of music on

The subdivision –Effect of music on is free-floating under individual animals and groups of animals (SHM H 1147). The proposal was not necessary.

Çifte Minareli Medrese (Sivas, Turkey)

Madrasas are schools and therefore fall into Group 1 of SHM H 405. Çifte Minareli Medrese should be established in the name authority file. The proposal was not approved.

Community development, Urban

This proposal was made to expand upon the scope note. Community development, the base heading, already has a scope note, which does not need to be restated here. Additionally, the meeting does not believe that the other revisions add to the understanding of the use of this heading. The proposal was not approved.

Dominica literature; Dominica poetry; Dominica literature (French Creole); Dominica poetry (French Creole)

These proposals were made to add UFs in the form Dominican (Dominica)… to each of the records. Proposals to revise the headings to the form Dominican (Dominica)… appeared on Tentative Monthly List 27 (2011) and were not approved on the grounds that the existing headings clearly indicate their scope and are sufficiently distinct. At that time the meeting considered adding UFs of the type proposed here and decided against it. The proposals were not approved.

Folk literature, Chadian

It is unclear from the information provided if this proposal is being made for a work of Chadian folk literature in multiple languages, or for Chadian folk literature in French. If the latter, the heading should be proposed as Folk literature, Chadian (French). The proposal may be resubmitted with additional information.

Grey Topper (Club : Jacksdale, England)

The Grey Topper was a nightclub and should be established as a Group 1 entity in the name authority file, according to SHM H 405. The proposal was not approved.

Gurbantu¨nggu¨t Desert (China)

SHM H 690 states that the BGN decision is generally favored, but GEOnet, the BGN foreign names server, was not cited. GEOnet provides several variants, which should be provided as UFs. The proposal may be resubmitted.

Hawker centres

It seems that hawker centres are not substantively different from food courts in either form or function. A UF Hawker centers will be added to the existing heading Food courts. The proposal was not approved.

High school football teams

On Tentative List 14 of 2011, a proposal for College football was not approved, on the basis that there is no precedent for qualifying headings for individual sports by type of educational institution. Likewise, there is no precedent for qualifying headings for types of sports teams by type of educational institution, and the meeting does not wish to set one. For the work being cataloged, the existing headings Football teams may be post-coordinated with School sports. The proposal was not approved.

Homosexuality

This proposal was made to add several UFs to the existing heading. The UFs that include the phrases “Gay and lesbian” and “Lesbian and gay” are not valid because LCSH does not generally include “[topic] and [topic]” UFs to established headings when each of the topics is established as a narrower term of the heading. The UFs that include the word “orientation” are not necessary because the heading is a narrower term of Sexual orientation. The other proposed UF does not seem to be a phrase in common use. The proposal was not approved.

Homosexuality and higher education; Bisexuality and higher education; Transgenderism and higher education

SHM H 310 states that [Topic A] and [Topic B] headings indicate “relationships between two very general topics may be discussed at a broad level and from the perspectives of both topics....” The three proposals are all based on the same work cataloged, which is about gay, transgender, and bisexual college students, and thus do not fit the stated criteria. The existing headings Sexual minority college students; Gay college students; Lesbian college students; and/or Transgender college students may be assigned. The proposals were not approved.

Dawson Historical Complex National Historic Site (Dawson, Yukon)

This proposal was made to add a BT Klondike Gold Rush International Historical Park to the existing heading. The Summary of Decisions for Tentative List 46 (2010) stated that “two national parks or similar entities should normally not be linked to each other as related terms, even if one is a component of the other.” The meeting wishes to expand this statement to include a prohibition against broader terms in such cases. The proper references for parks and reserves are explained SHM H 1925. The proposal was not approved.

Knighton Gorges (Knighton, Isle of Wight, England)

The references cited do not agree with each other on the location of this manor; one places it in Knighton, while the other states that it is in Newchurch. Research that definitively states its location should be provided. In addition, if the manor is in Knighton, then Knighton should be established in the name authority file. The proposal may be resubmitted.

Lesbianism; Male homosexuality

These proposals sought to add UFs to the existing headings. The UFs that include the word “orientation” are not necessary because the headings are narrower terms of Sexual orientation. The other UFs, for phrases that include the word “sexuality,” do not appear to add value to the record. The proposals were not approved.

Master/slave relationships (Alternative lifestyles)

The level of specificity of this topic makes the proposed heading appropriate for use in cataloging only highly specialized collections which focus on human sexuality, and not for the type of general library collections that LCSH serves. The editorial meeting recommends that libraries that need specialized headings of this type create them as local headings rather than proposing them for inclusion in LCSH. The proposal was not approved.

Mele Bay (Efate, Vanuatu)

As noted in the citations provided, there is another Mele Bay in Torba Province, Vanuatu. SHM H 810 sec. 2.b indicates that in cases of conflict, the next smaller jurisdiction should be added as the qualifier. Since the bays named Mele are in different provinces, the existing qualifier is sufficient and there was no need to revise the heading. The proposal was not approved.

Older people

The proposed UF Elderly is covered by the existing UF Elderly people. The proposed UF Elders (Older people) may be misconstrued to refer to tribal, church, or other elders, who may be older than the general membership. The proposal was not approved.           

Parenga (Indic people)

Ethnologue (www.ethnologue.com) provides multiple variant names for this people, all of which may be UFs. In addition, Ethnologue notes that Parenga is a scheduled tribe of India, so there should be an additional BT indicating that fact. The proposal may be resubmitted.

Piano—Methods (Jazz)

"Multiple” subdivisions (cf. SHM H 1090) are not headings and thus when they are cancelled, they are not provided as [Former heading] UFs on established headings. The proposal was not necessary.

Poverty—Prevention

The subdivision –Prevention free-floats under situations to be avoided (see SHM H 1095), such as poverty. The proposal was not necessary.

Recycling (Waste, etc.)

The UFs proposed for this existing heading are upward references that the meeting does not wish to make. The proposal was not approved.

Saideke (Taiwan people)

The UFs provided are based on an Ethnologue citation for Taroko. The cataloger should determine whether Saideke and Taroko are the same ethnic group, and if so should do further investigation into which name is in more common use and use that name for the heading. UFs should be provided for all variants. If Saideke and Taroko are not the same ethnic group, then the Ethnologue citation and the UFs should be removed from the proposal. The proposal may be resubmitted.

Sex crimes by teenagers

There is no precedent for qualifying a crime or group of crimes by the class of persons of the perpetrator. Moreover, the work cataloged focuses on the offenders, not on the crime. The existing class-of-persons heading Teenage sex offenders may be assigned. The proposal was not approved.

Short stories, Arabic—Algeria; Short stories, Arabic—Jordan; Short stories, Arabic—Palestine

Due to its unique history and scholarship, LCSH treats Arabic literature differently from the literatures of other languages. Headings in the form Algerian literature or Short stories, Algerian are not created. Instead, the headings for Arabic literature, short stories, etc., are used, subdivided geographically (e.g., Arabic literature—Algeria; Short stories, Arabic—Algeria). A UF reference is provided from [nationality] literature to Arabic literature—[nationality]. Few headings for major and minor genres of Arabic literature are provided in LCSH since they are created through use of the geographic subdivision. There is therefore little or no precedent in LCSH for establishing headings of the type proposed here.
            These proposals for Arabic short stories from three countries seek to establish not only a new pattern of cross-references, but new policy on the proposing of literary genre headings. Note that if approved, these proposals would have required the establishment of many hundreds of headings, not just the three that appeared on this list. PSD recommends that catalogers wishing to change policy request advice first. LC catalogers should contact the PSD subject specialist responsible for the discipline; SACO institutions should contact their Coop liaison. In each case, PSD will provide advice and guidance on whether the proposed revision would be approved, and if so, may be able to assist with the project itself. Doing so will save the time of both the cataloger and PSD staff.
            The proposals were not approved.

Trios (Guitar, oud, violin)

SHM H 1917.5 allows for the construction of this heading without creating an authority record. The proposal is therefore not necessary.

Villancicos (Music)

Villancicos appear to be overwhelmingly Spanish, not Portuguese, and are both sacred and secular. The proposed UFs and BTs are therefore not appropriate. The proposal was not approved.

GENRE/FORM TERMS

Psychotronic films 

It appears that films labeled as “psychotronic” do not exhibit common themes or stylistic patterns, and therefore do not constitute a genre. The application of the term would also involve subjective decision making on the part of catalogers, and different catalogers may have different opinions on what constitutes bizarre, shocking, trashy, implausible, etc., plots. The proposal was not approved.

Billiards films; Bobsledding films; Bowling films; Bullfighting films; Lawn bowls films; Motorboat racing films; Motorcycle racing films; Table tennis films; Track and field films; Volleyball films

Genres comprise works that are characterized by similar plots, themes, setting, situations, and characters (see question 2 of the genre/form FAQ, http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre_form_faq.pdf). These proposals do not seem to fit that definition. For example, the proposal for Motorcycle racing films cites in the justification an action film, Biker Boyz, and also a comedy, Fast Charlie… Moonbeam Rider. The only element that ties these two films together is that they feature a sport in the plot; and sharing a single plot element does not meet the criteria for the films to be considered a genre.
            Over the past several months there have been many similar proposals, and their proliferation has caused the meeting to consider whether cricket films, horse racing films, golf television programs, etc., are truly genres. The Moving Image, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division of LC was consulted, and the consensus is that the depiction of a sport within a film or television program can be brought out more accurately by assigning a subject heading for the sport (e.g., Billiards—Drama) along with the genre/form term Sports films or Sports television programs, if desired. Thus, the genre/form terms for films and television programs based on individual sports are unnecessary.
            This decision follows the same rationale as that for the cancellation of the character- and franchise-based terms, which occurred on Monthly List 2: subject matter should be brought out with subject headings, while genre/form terms should be reserved for films that exhibit similarities in style, plot elements, settings, and characters, and/or format and purpose.
            The proposals that appear on this Tentative List have been withdrawn from consideration. The existing genre/form terms in the form [sport] films and [sport] television programs will be cancelled on a future list.
            More information on revision, including a list of the terms to be cancelled, may be found at http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/genre_form_sports_terms_cancellation.pdf.

Football films; Football television programs; Soccer films; Soccer television programs

These proposals, which sought to add UF references to existing terms, have been withdrawn in light of the above decision to cancel the terms based on individual sports.