Library of Congress

Program for Cooperative Cataloging

The Library of Congress > Cataloging, Acquisitions > PCC > SACO > Join SACO > Most Frequently Asked Questions about Joining SACO
  1. Who can join SACO?
  2. What are the requirements?
  3. Are there membership fees to join the SACO Program?
  4. Is there any training provided?
  5. What options do I have if I have need of a subject heading and my institution decides not to become an institutional member?
  6. If I contribute a heading proposal for which there is currently no LC classification number will I have to also contribute a classification number proposal?
  7. Will my institution need a MARC 21 identification code?
  8. What are the chances my subject heading will be approved exactly as proposed?
  9. How long does it take before the heading is approved for use?
  10. What reports does LC provide to SACO members?
  11. What happens if our institution's contribution does not meet the required annual statistical goal?
  12. What happens if our institution's contributions doe not meet PCC SACO quality standards?
  13. Can you tell me more about SACO funnels?

1. Who can join SACO?

Any institution is eligible to to become a SACO member. (As of 2010, SACO participation is an institution-based program.) When applying, institutions will need to assign an individual to act as their SACO liaison. If your institution would like to join SACO and is new to the PCC, please submit the SACO membership application. If your institution would like to join SACO and is already a member of another PCC program (BIBCO, NACO, CONSER), please apply via the PCC Directory. For more comprehensive information about the SACO Program, please see the SACO program guidelines on the SACO Homepage.

The PCC does not encourage individual cataloger participation in any of its programs without institutional support; however, funnels can often provide feedback, review, and expert consultation to catalogers in specialized areas more expeditiously than other mechanisms. If you would like to join the SACO program as an individual, consider joining one of our existing SACO Funnels. You are also welcome to propose a new funnel.

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2. What are the requirements?

  • Submit a completed Web-based SACO membership application with an institutional agreement/commitment to an annual numerical contribution goal of 10-12 proposals. This numerical goal includes a combination of new or changed LCSH, LC Children’s Headings, LCGFT, LCDGT, or LCMPT headings and/or new or changed LC Classification numbers.
  • Catalogers at all institutions are expected to have a basic knowledge of the procedures and guidelines contained in the Subject Headings Manual: Subject Headings (SHM), the manuals for LCGFT and LCDGT, familiarity with LCSH and with the MARC 21 Authority Format and standard reference sources.
  • In order to prevent duplication of effort participants should have access to the online Library of Congress authority files, both for name authorities and subject authorities, for searching purposes.

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3. Are there any membership fees to join the SACO Program?

There are no membership fees required to join the SACO Program, though it is helpful if institutions have a subscription to Classification Web Plus to search authorities and enter proposals. The biggest cost is the time and resources expended to assure that the heading proposed is not a duplicate, that the necessary research has been performed and recorded, and that all elements in the proposal form have been filled in correctly.

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4. Is there any training provided?

There are free training materials and manuals available at SACO Resources. You can also email [email protected] to get help directly from a member of the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division. The SACO Volunteer Trainers Group is working on new and revised training documentation that will be uploaded to this site.

The PCC, in conjunction with ALCTS, has created an introductory course in subject cataloging called "Basic Subject Cataloging using LCSH". This course will be available through the Library of Congress' Catalogers Learning Workshop. The materials are modeled after those used in the SCCTP workshops used by CONSER participants. And although attendance at this training is not a mandatory requirement, the PCC strongly encourages all participants to take advantage of this course before submitting subject proposals.

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5. What options do I have if I have need of a subject heading and my institution decides not to become an institutional member?

If your institution is not a SACO member, you can still propose new headings by using the Subject Authority Proposal Form for Non-PCC Institutions.

You can also get involved with SACO work by volunteering as part of a SACO funnel. Our SACO funnels represent a wide range of topics and subject knowledge. Contact the funnel coordinator(s) if you are interested in becoming a member.

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6. If I contribute a heading proposal for which there is currently no LC classification number will I have to also contribute a classification number proposal?

No, it is not necessary to send a classification proposal for a proposed heading for which an LC classification number does not exist. Many libraries do not use LC classification and thus would not need to have this number established; however, if a cataloger uses the LC classification it would stand to reason that a corresponding number would be necessary.

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7. My institution does not currently have an assigned NUC or MARC 21 identification code. Do we need this identification code in order to contribute to SACO? How do we get one?

A MARC 21 identification code is not necessary for SACO participation; however, in order to assure that your institution gets the acknowledgment for its contribution to LCSH, LCGFT, LCDGT, LCMPT, and LC Children’s Headings, and for PCC statistical purposes, all SACO participants will be supplied with a MARC 21 identification code upon receipt of a proposal. An institution may send an e-mail message to the SACO account or write directly to LC's Network Development and MARC Standards Office and request an authorized MARC 21 identification code to be assigned before sending a proposal forward.

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8. What are the chances my subject heading will be approved exactly as proposed?

The key to having a subject heading proposal approved is to follow the general guidelines and those for various types of headings that exist in the Subject Headings Manual (SHM) (e.g., H 373 on UF references; H 1332 on biological organisms); to carry out adequate authority research to help you formulate the heading and its reference structure; and to provide citations of that research in 670 (Sources found) and/or 675 (Sources not found) fields in support of the proposed heading.

Generally, LCSH terms are approved on the basis of what is standard in contemporary American English usage. Preference is given to terminology and expressions in general use over jargon, and in some cases over technical terms, especially when precision would not suffer. Members of the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division are responsible for providing an initial review of subject heading proposals from SACO participants and will notify a contributor if a heading is not formulated according to stated guidelines, or if appropriate and sufficient authority research is not indicated. However, even a carefully prepared and researched proposal is subject to change at the editorial meeting.

The purpose of the editorial process is to maintain the overall consistency and cohesiveness of LCSH. The staff of the Policy, Training, and Cooperative Programs Division who are responsible for reviewing new proposals and participating in the editorial meetings have an overview of the LCSH system as a whole. Sometimes overriding general principles may affect the construction, style, or terminology of the new heading being proposed. In other cases, selecting the preferred form of heading may be a matter of judging the best option among several different possiblities, and the judgment of the editorial meeting may differ from the contributor.

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9. How long does it take before the subject heading or LC classification number being proposed is approved for use?

Generally, authorized subject headings can be searched in the utilities ten-twelve weeks after having been scheduled to a list.

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10. What reports does LC provide to SACO members?

Statistics showing the contributions of all institutions in the PCC programs are compiled twice during the LC fiscal year. Midyear statistics cover October 1 to March 30 of the following calendar year. Annual statistics cover October 1 to September 30th of the following year. In addition, monthly SACO contributions are posted online alphabetically by MARC 21 organization code so that libraries can monitor their own contributions throughout the year. Statistical reports are displayed online through the PCC homepage.

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11. What happens if our institution's contribution does not meet the required annual statistical goal?

The Secretariat identifies institutions whose low production becomes a cause for concern, bringing these concerns to the attention of the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee will decide on appropriate action based on the Governance document. The institution may be invited to join a funnel project.

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12. What happens if our institution's contributions doe not meet PCC SACO quality standards?

SACO participants shall maintain record contributions in accordance with rules and policies outlined in program documentation. If it becomes apparent that quality is not being maintained, the Secretariat notifies the PCC Steering Committee. If appropriate, the Committee will ask the Secretariat to initiate a six month review of the member institution's contributions. The institution is notified prior to the review. If the desired improvement is not realized, the institution will be notified that its SACO membership has been concluded.

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13. Can you tell me more about SACO funnels?

Our SACO funnels represent a wide range of topics and subject knowledge. Contact the funnel coordinator(s) if you are interested in becoming a member.

The Funnel FAQ provides information on forming a new funnel and on joining an existing funnel. For more information, see SACO Funnels, or contact the SACO Program.

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