The Vocabularies Subcommittee (Cataloging and Metadata Committee, Music Library Association) is pleased to announce the release of Best Practices for Using LCGFT for Music Resources v.1.3 (April 9, 2024). Current MLA best practices as well as superseded versions for historical interest may be found on the MLA Best Practices page. If you have the BPs bookmarked, please make sure your link takes you to the current version.

LCGFT V.1.3 Updates

In addition to grammatical and style updates, new or expanded sections or examples in version 1.3 of the LCGFT BPs for music resources include: Experimental music and Avant-garde music, and Rap (Music) and Hip-Hop (Music). Guidance for the use of LCGFT terms “Studio recordings” and “Live sound recordings” were revised and expanded.

Send Your Suggestions

Nearly all of the additions reflect suggestions from practicing catalogers. We encourage submissions to the suggestion box, and we monitor MLA-L, MOUG-L, and other email lists for threads where catalogers grapple with constructing medium of performance statements in MARC 382 or applying LC Genre/Form terms for music. We hope the new version provides relevant guidance, and we welcome and encourage your ongoing comments and questions.