[DCRM-L] Future publication of DCRMs

[Noble, Richard]

Surely this is a problem to be taken to RBMS Publications Committee for
referral even further up the ladder. It is a critical problem. It may be
that there is absolutely no public interest in the rules that we use for
creating records that are now freely and globally available via the
WorldCat; but to say that is to admit despair, and doom the whole
enterprise to irrelevancy.

Does not ALA itself have some mission-related interest in the widest
possible dissemination and understanding of its own intellectual products,
beyond nitpicking fiduciary neuroses? Perhaps it's no longer possible to
ask this question of LC--recent discussions of how a library patron might
actually be interested in what LC class numbers *mean* served to illustrate
how closely held that information really is. But somewhere at a higher
level than a section committee is where this bureaucratic SNAFU needs to be
dealt with. There is a perishingly small market for such resources in
printed form, and none at all outside library walls. To confine these
resources behind a paywall is to ensure they remain esoteric. There's no
longer any percentage in guarding mysteries. If even many librarians think
we catalogers are increasingly obsolete eccentrics, we've got to stand up
for the usefulness of what we do and wider understanding of why and how we
do it.

Have costs *not* hitherto been recovered for CDS investments? From LC's
point of view, how would there not be an overall gain in ceasing direct
involvement in the *production* of DCRMs, and merely granting an
imprimatur, allowing ALA/ACRL/whoever to take on production and
distribution in accordance with their mission, free of  Congressional
interference. CDS could facilitate access by including a link in *Cataloger's
Desktop*, as it does for other non-LC resources, in its role as a toolkit
site.

RICHARD NOBLE : RARE BOOKS CATALOGER : JOHN HAY LIBRARY : BROWN UNIVERSITY
PROVIDENCE, RI 02912 : 401-863-1187/FAX 863-3384 : RICHARD_NOBLE at BROWN.EDU


On Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 2:31 PM, Carpenter, Jane <
jfcarpenter at library.ucla.edu> wrote:

> Manon,
>
> The publication issues and options regarding the DCRM manuals are getting
> more and more complex by the minute!  Peter has just informed me that any
> of the manuals in print--Books, Serials, Graphics-- cannot be made
> available for free on the RBMS website.
>
>                 "CDS made an investment in printing the Books and Serials
> publications; and the same will               hold true for Graphics.
> Because the two earlier ones are still active products, for sale,
>     and the Graphics publication will also be for sale, we cannot, at this
> time, agree to have              the RBMS web site post those three manuals
> online.
>                 Congressional legislation mandates that we return the cost
> of production plus an additional             percentage back to the U.S.
> Treasury. So, we don't have really any leeway here."
>
> Unfortunately, I do understand that LC would be reluctant/unable to
> provide free access through the RBMS website to publications that it is
> marketing for sale as print publications and for paid accessibility through
> Catalogers Desktop.
>
> I asked him how LC would feel about allowing free access through the RBMS
> website to DCRM manuals that AREN'T available in print.  If Cartographics,
> Music, and Manuscripts will be appearing only on CatDesk, would LC allow
> RBMS to make those files available on its site? He responded that because
> CDS will not be publishing in print any DCRM publication after Graphics, LC
> would have absolutely no say on whatever arrangements RBMS/BSC would wish
> to make.  Ironically, it seems that those manuals without a print version
> could be made more widely available--through the RBMS website--than the
> ones with a print version.
>
> Another possible option to consider might be the current model of the RBMS
> Controlled Vocabularies, which is hosted on the RBMS site, but "available"
> through a seamless link on CatDesk.  This is the what the Standard
> Citations Forms Revision Group is hoping to do with its new completely
> revised and expanded edition which is nearing completion, and is slated for
> publication sometime before year's end.
> I'm not sure putting all the manuals, Examples, and SCF on the RBMS site
> is feasible for the Web Team as it stands now.  It would certainly be a lot
> more work for them.
>
> Annie's suggestion to explore the possibility of securing another/other
> publisher(s) for the remaining DCRM manuals is worth considering. But
> again, if a publisher were selling the DCRM manuals, would they agree to
> have RBMS post it for free online?  I'd also like to know if LC would post
> the manuals on CatDesktop if someone else were publishing them.  I'll wait
> to hear from Bruce Johnson on the CatDesk issues.
>
> I'm becoming quite concerned about keeping multiple RBMS/BSC publications
> uniformly accessible in this changing publication landscape, with some
> available in print, some print and online, some online only, some through
> LC on CatDesk, some through RBMS but linked to Cat Desk.. This is clearly a
> discussion topic for the BSC agenda at Annual.  Perhaps BSC should set up a
> Publications committee to ensure that BSC has a consistent and sustainable
> plan for making its manuals and other cataloging tools as widely and easily
> available as possible.  Would this be something for the DCRM Steering Group
> to consider, if their charge were expanded?  That might be another option.
>
> Jane C.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----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, February 27, 2013 10:31 AM
> To: DCRM Revision Group List
> Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] Future publication of DCRMs
>
> Jane,
>
> I like the idea of having them freely available on the RBMS website for
> people to download (and print, if they want a print version). Is there some
> doubt that this can be done? (I notice the words "we hope"
> ...).
>
> I would not want them to *only* be available through Cataloger's Desktop.
> That would price out a lot of people/institutions. And there are times when
> a print version is highly desirable.
>
> If LC will remain the publisher, it would be good to confirm with them
> whether they will still be responsible for contracting out the indexing.
> And whether they can still do the graphical work to produce the covers
> (basing them on the existing DCRM covers). Although the covers wouldn't
> display in Cataloger's Desktop, it would be nice to be able to incorporate
> them into the versions of the DCRM documents posted on rbms.info (and I
> should think it shouldn't be hard to create these cover images).
>
> -Manon
>
> --
> Manon Théroux
> Head of Technical Services
> U.S. Senate Library
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 27, 2013 at 12:33 PM, ANN W. COPELAND <auc1 at psu.edu> wrote:
> > Jane,
> >
> >
> >
> > Thank you for sharing this news. I wonder if we would seek another
> > publisher for the remaining 3 manuals when they are ready, or do they
> > have to be LC to be including in Catalogers' Desktop? For instance,
> > the Music Library Association does some publishing I believe.
> >
> >
> >
> > Thanks, Annie
> >
> > ________________________________
> >
> > From: "Jane Carpenter" <jfcarpenter at library.ucla.edu>
> > To: "dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu" <dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu>
> > Cc: "Jose Fernando Pena" <Jose.Pena at liu.edu>, "bsc at rbms.info"
> > <bsc at rbms.info>
> > Sent: Wednesday, February 27, 2013 12:24:09 PM
> > Subject: [DCRM-L] Future publication of DCRMs
> >
> >
> > Dear Colleagues,
> >
> >
> >
> > As most of you already know, LC informed BSC this week that with the
> > exception of DCRM Graphics, all future DCRM publications will be
> > online only.  I'm passing on some additional information received
> > today from Peter Seligman of LC's Consumer Products and Services
> > Section of the Office of Business Enterprises, which now oversees print
> publications:
> >
> >
> >
> >                 "Given the projected manuscript production and
> > delivery schedule, we felt that the Graphics publication was too far
> > along for us to suddenly inform everyone that we could no longer do it
> > in print.  Music and Cartographics were not quite so imminent. We're
> > truly sorry to deliver this unexpected news but these are business
> > decisions we must make. Yes--Bruce [Johnson] will be handling the
> > three manuals inclusion in Cataloger's Desktop. As for the
> > sequester--who knows what effects it will have on everyone? The
> > Library of Congress is planning for almost  a week of unpaid staff
> furloughs, but nothing is written in stone."
> >
> >
> >
> > So DCRM Graphics, currently undergoing close reading by BSC members
> > and other BSC colleagues, will join the DCRM Books and Serials manuals
> > already in print.  However, all future DCRMs--Cartographics, Music,
> > and
> > Manuscripts-- will be available only online through Catalogers
> > Desktop, and, we hope, through the RBMS website as well.
> >
> >
> >
> > LC has always been an excellent partner with RBMS/BSC in publishing
> > these important cataloging tools, and I don't see that changing in the
> future.
> >
> >
> >
> > As always, comments and discussion are welcome,
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Jane
> >
> >
> >
> > Jane Carpenter, Ph.D., M.L.I.S.
> >
> > Chair, Bibliographic Standards Committee
> >
> > UCLA Library Special Collections
> >
> > jfcarpenter at library.ucla.edu
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
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