[DCRM-L] DCRB Core

[Jain Fletcher]

Hi, Deborah,
As a charter member of BIBCO (representing UCLA as one of the 12 
institutions invited to LC for the first BIBCO "Train the Trainer" 
workshop), I remember the 502 issue fairly well. (Like Bob, I am surprised 
at the inclusion of the 505.) The original (plain old) Books Core std did 
NOT include the 502.  As I recall, the standard was first considered to be 
approved without it, but the cataloging community made itself heard that 
two more fields should be included, one of them being the 502. The BIBCO 
standards people responded and added those fields. (I cannot remember the 
other one, but I am pretty sure it was not the 505.)

For a little background (or reminder) about how the DCRB Core started, it 
was a direct result of my being a part of that original BIBCO group, at a 
time when few separate standards yet existed.  I realized that older, rare 
and "special" books could be considered fodder for plain old Books Core 
unless a separate standard existed. This seemed a travesty to me, so I made 
tracks to see if I could interest PCC *and* BSC in developing the DCRB Core 
(as it came to be called). I was fortunate to garner agreement to this 
idea.

As to the reason why the Books Core and the DCRB Core are aligned, the 
Working Group report gives the reason. Thanks to Bob for giving us copies 
of it from BYU's site; the official location of the report can be found 
at:<http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/dcrbreport.html>.  Anyway, the 
pertinent part is this:
**********************************************************************
			Components of the DCRB Core Standard	
In an unprecedented decision by a PCC Core Task Group, the DCRB Core 
Standard was designed as a companion piece--or supplement--to the Core 
Bibliographic Record for Books (called here the "Books Core"). This was not 
an immediately apparent option, but it became more evident as an option as 
work on the standard progressed. It evolved from the Group's early 
determination that the Books Core was viable as the basis of DCRB Core, 
with the exception of the difference in rules to be followed. Working from 
that premise, the Group identified relatively few areas of divergence 
between the two core standards. From there, it made sense to give 
prominence to those differences by keeping the standards separate. This 
decision has the practical outcome of forestalling a reexamination of the 
DCRB Core Standard every time there is a change in the Books Core standard. 
It also has the long-term value of emphasizing the compatibility between 
the two standards, with its essential requirement that anyone who intends 
to apply the DCRB Core must also be wholly cognizant of the Books Core.

The Introduction to the DCRB Core Standard serves to explain that the two 
standards are intended to operate together. It also gives the extent of the 
material to be covered by DCRB Core. In addition, it briefly discusses 
where cataloger's judgment comes into play in the application of the 
various options provided in DCRB. A list of these optional areas has been 
compiled and is available for perusal as another aspect of the information 
provided in the Introduction. Another useful adjunct to the standard is the 
examples page, the set of full and core examples showing how the core 
standard might be applied in various instances.
***********************************************************************

(The 2nd paragraph above no longer seems to be true, because all the 
introductions to all the standards have been merged. Also, the list of 
optional areas and the examples links are dead. [I can probably find an 
e-version of most of the originals if it helps in DCRM(B)'s Core App. 
considerations.] But I guess the essential elements are still there (see #5 
of <http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/coreintro.html>).

If you scan through that original Working Group report (from 1997), I 
mentioned at the very end that BSC had just begun(!) a DCRB revision 
process and that the DCRB Core might well need to be revisited, if so. 
However, I would strongly urge that you consider that one of the best 
values of this core is its "memorability" since it diverges from the Books 
Core in just 5 places.  (BTW, I only wish it were possible, within these 
standards, to give a strong recommendation to add at least one *good* 510 
citation note for the reasons originally given, but I do understand that 
looking up references is not a "time saver" by any means.)

On the other hand, if a revisitation of the Books Core is desired (which 
would seem the next logical step in questioning the 502 and 505 decisions), 
I imagine it would take much PCC paperwork and red tape to get changes made 
there.  Good luck with that.		;-)				--Jain



--On Wednesday, March 01, 2006 12:24 PM -0500 "Deborah J. Leslie" 
<DJLeslie at FOLGER.edu> wrote:

> Let's back up one step, then. Why are those notes so significant as to
> be mandatory if applicable in the books core? It isn't clear to me.
>
> ________________________
> Deborah J. Leslie
> Folger Library
> djleslie at folger.edu
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
> Behalf Of Manon Theroux
> Sent: Wednesday, 01 March, 2006 11:45
> To: windy.lundy at colorado.edu; DCRM Revision Group List
> Subject: RE: [DCRM-L] DCRB Core
>
>
> DCRB Core is presented on the BIBCO page as a supplement to the core
> standard for Books:
> http://www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/bibco/core2002.html
>
> So, I suspect the MA for 502 and 505 is present in DCRB Core simply
> because it is present in the Books Core (the Books Core standard came
> first).
>
> Jain and Bob and others involved with establishing the DCRB Core
> might be able to comment further.
>
> -Manon
>
> P.S. I am on the PCC Standing Committee on Standards and I've given
> that group a heads up that some revisions will be needed to the DCRB
> Core after DCRM(B) is published (e.g. 510 citations will no longer be
> required).



Jain Fletcher
Principal Cataloger & Head, Technical Services Division
Department of Special Collections
Young Research Library - UCLA
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA   90095-1575

v: (310) 794-4096
f: (310) 206-1864
e: jfletchr at library.ucla.edu

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