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Annual Report from the Chair: 2022

Report Title: Cataloging and Metadata Committee Annual Report, July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022

Submitted by: Hermine Vermeij

Group Name: Cataloging and Metadata Committee

Group Members:

  • Hermine Vermeij, Chair, Cataloging and Metadata Committee (2023)
  • Rebecca Belford, Incoming Chair, Cataloging and Metadata Committee (2026)
  • Keith Knop, Chair, Content Standards Subcommittee (2024)
  • Karen Peters, Chair, Encoding Standards Subcommittee (2023)
  • Janelle West, Chair, Vocabularies Subcommittee (2026)
  • Kristi Bergland, Secretary/Webmaster (2025)
  • Kirk-Evan Billet, Editor, Music Cataloging Bulletin (2025)
  • Casey Mullin, BIBCO Music Funnel Coordinator (2025)
  • Mark Scharff, NACO-Music Project Coordinator (2025)
  • Leonard Martin, SACO Music Funnel Coordinator (2026)
  • Susan Vita, Library of Congress Representative
  • Jay Weitz, OCLC Representative

The committee encompasses three subcommittees and three music-specific Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) funnels (NACO, SACO, and BIBCO); the chairs of the subcommittees and coordinators of the funnels serve on the committee. The funnel coordinators also participate as ex officio members of the relevant subcommittees. The work of the subcommittees is carried out by smaller task groups coordinated by the subcommittee chairs and other members. Specific duties of the various members of the committee, subcommittees, and funnels are outlined in the CMC Handbook, which can be found on the CMC website.

Previous Goals:

  1. Continue subcommittee work in areas related to RDA, MARC, LC controlled vocabularies and other controlled lists, and music cataloging tools (such as the Music Toolkit) and resources (such as best practices documents), as outlined in individual subcommittee reports.
  • We met this goal primarily through the work of the subcommittees; please see their reports for details.
  1. Continue to train contributors to the BIBCO Music Funnel and the NACO-Music Project; continue to encourage proposals for new and revised vocabulary terms through the SACO Music Funnel. 
  • The BIBCO Music Funnel’s membership held steady over the past year. Funnel members authenticated over 1,500 bibliographic records for musical scores and sound recordings during PCC FY21 (which ended September 30, 2021). To date in FY22, funnel members have authenticated an additional ~1,000 records. With these latest numbers, funnel productivity is approaching pre-pandemic productivity levels. The lifetime total authentications from the Funnel now exceeds 12,000!
  • The SACO Music Funnel continues to accept proposals for new and revised terms from MLA members and others. Contact the SACO Funnel Coordinator to submit a new or revised proposal. The SACO Funnel Coordinator works with the Vocabularies Subcommittee Maintenance Task Group and the Library of Congress to develop new and revised terminology. So far in 2022, the funnel proposed 25 new genre, medium, and subject terms, as well as 15 revision proposals. Of the 25 newly proposed terms, 16 terms were proposed to establish various medium “Treble choruses” terms in LCSH; this is a continuation of expanding vocal ensemble terms away from gendered terms in LCSH. There is also increased interest in assessing and revising Electronic music and Computer music in LCSH. Lastly, the treatment of “format” terms in LCGFT, e.g., “Picture discs,” will become a topic for further discussion.
  • The NACO-Music Project has had a relatively  quiet year thus far; since March of 2022, two new personal members and two new institutional members have been added; there have been at least two retirements (Linda Blair of Sibley Music Library and Janet Bradford of BYU); some moves among institutions and members moving to non-NMP jobs. Two members have died—Scott Landvatter, late of the University of Chicago, and Peter Lisius, late of Kent State University. The list of independent contributors grew by two so far this year.  Coordinator Mark Scharff attended the PCC Participants meeting at ALA Annual in Washington, D.C.
  • The NACO-Music Project Advisory Committee had one position turn over this year. Ann Churukian (Vassar College) completed her term on the committee. Ann has been an independent contributor in NMP since 2004. It was not her first stint of service on NMPAC; she was on the committee, and served as its Chair, at the time of Ralph Papakhian’s death in 2010.  Ann can be commended for her thoughtful and steady service.  We are happy to welcome Janice Bunker (Brigham Young University) to the Committee, bringing a fresh perspective. 
  1. Investigate ways in which CMC can become more involved in ethical cataloging policy-making.
  • CMC discussed ethical description at its annual business meeting and followed up over email with some individuals who indicated specific interest. Discussed options for sharing work done to improve catalog records that have outdated, offensive, or otherwise objectionable terms. 
  1. Contribute to the MLA Electronic Scores Working Group via work on the Steering Team and the Cataloging Team. 
  • A number of CMC members belong to the cataloging subgroup of the Electronic Scores Working Group; the subgroup  issued a discussion paper focused on interdepartmental issues that may affect cataloging decisions for electronic scores for comment in April 2022. A set of best practices is forthcoming.
  1. Increase the virtual community of CMC, potentially including an off-season unconference or open virtual committee meetings multiple times a year. 
  • We were unable to integrate this type of programming into our activities this year, but we would like to adapt this goal into future goals regarding communication and virtual community. 
  1. Submit CMC materials to the MLA Archives. 
  • This will continue as a goal for next year
  1. Continue to participate in explorations of BIBFRAME and other linked data ontologies as appropriate; test Performed Music Ontology (PMO) in native linked data inputting environment. 
  • From July 2021 through January 2022, the MLA Linked Data Working Group continued its project started in the previous year. The group met monthly to discuss BIBFRAME, the Performed Music Ontology, and Sinopia and experimented with using Sinopia to create music linked data. They also performed a very preliminary experiment by loading Sinopia-created data into a local triplestore and querying the data with SPARQL. By the end of this project phase, working group members had gained a better understanding of BIBFRAME along with practical experience creating linked data natively.
  • Starting March 2022, LDWG began a new project year and its membership has grown to 14 members. LDWG meets twice monthly and discusses a variety of linked data related topics. The working group continues to work on BIBFRAME and Sinopia projects, while also adding a variety of Wikidata projects. One of this year’s goals is to increase outreach to outside (non-MLA) groups that are interested in music linked data, as well as to MLA members who have not yet become involved with music linked data.
  1. Leverage committee members’ expertise by providing educational and training presentations, such as program sessions, webinars, and workshops, as opportunities arise. 
  • CMC sponsored two program sessions at MLA 2022: the Cataloging and Metadata Town Hall; and, co-sponsored with the Public Services Committee, The Journey to Enlightenment Continues: Further conversations between public and technical services professionals. In addition, CMC collaborated with the MLA Education Committee and ALA to present the Fundamentals of eLearning Bundle, including an Introduction to Music Cataloging e-course (May 2-27, 2022, taught by Keith Knop) and a Music Cataloging with LC Vocabularies e-course (May 30-June 22, 2022, taught by Leo Martin). 
  1. Collaborate as appropriate with other MLA groups, other music-related groups, ALA groups, other library- or information-related groups, and Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). 
  • In October 2021 the CMC Chair and CSS Chair met with the PCC Policy Committee to discuss MLA’s response to a proposal from the PCC Aggregates Task Group particularly affecting recorded compilations of popular music.
  • CMC contributed some talking points to the Advocacy Committee making the argument for subject expertise in music cataloging, resulting in a handy infographic. 
  • CMC members serve as liaisons to various groups (please see subcommittee reports for details), and their reports have been published in the Music Cataloging Bulletin as well as on the CMC website. A representative from CMC serves on the IFLA ISBD Review group and on the NISO Video & Audio Metadata Guidelines Working Group. 

 

Future Goals:

  1. Continue subcommittee work in areas related to RDA, MARC, LC controlled vocabularies and other controlled lists, and music cataloging tools (such as the Music Toolkit) and resources (such as best practices documents), as outlined in individual subcommittee reports. 
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.4: Support members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship.
    • Goal area 4: Strengthen Communication
  2. Continue to train contributors to the BIBCO Music Funnel and the NACO-Music Project; continue to encourage proposals for new and revised vocabulary terms through the SACO Music Funnel. 
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.3: Explore educational and networking opportunities beyond annual and chapter conferences. Sustain member contact throughout the year. Formalize more opportunities to meet virtually and more frequently.
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.4: Support members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship.
  3. Foster a community of practice surrounding ethical description of music materials. Identify a list of freely available cataloging/metadata-focused offerings that would serve as a “DEIA or cultural competency training program” to satisfy MLA’s committee service requirement as an option for members seeking training that is particularly relevant to the work of CMC or its subcommittees. 
    • Goal area 3: Cultivate Inclusivity. Objective 3.4: Reflect DEIA principles in MLA’s leadership, membership, core values, mission, strategies and operations. Devote resources to clarifying and strengthening the “E” and “I” in DEIA. 
  4. Continue to develop the virtual community of CMC, leveraging availability of virtual meeting platforms, wikis, and email lists. 
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.3: Explore educational and networking opportunities beyond annual and chapter conferences. Sustain member contact throughout the year. Formalize more opportunities to meet virtually and more frequently.
  5. Submit CMC materials to the MLA Archives. 
    • Goal Area 1: Organize Strategically
  6. Continue to participate in explorations of BIBFRAME and other linked data ontologies as appropriate to their applicability to music resources. Work on projects that would increase the exposure of library-created metadata to users and researchers using non-library systems. 
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.3: Explore educational and networking opportunities beyond annual and chapter conferences. Sustain member contact throughout the year. Formalize more opportunities to meet virtually and more frequently.
  7. Leverage committee members’ expertise by providing educational and training presentations, such as program sessions, webinars, and workshops, as opportunities arise.
    • Goal area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.4: Support members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship.
    • Goal Area 1: Organize Strategically. Objective 1.3: Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations that offer financial as well as professional opportunities and advantages. Considering merging with low-membership or struggling arts or library associations that share a similar mission.
  8. Collaborate as appropriate with other MLA groups, other music-related groups, ALA groups, other library- or information-related groups, and Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC). 
    • Goal Area 1: Organize Strategically. Objective 1.3: Cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with other organizations that offer financial as well as professional opportunities and advantages. Considering merging with low-membership or struggling arts or library associations that share a similar mission.
    • Goal Area 2: Develop and Retain Membership. Objective 2.4: Support members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship. Objective 2.6: Promote MLA as being an Association that will advocate for our profession, our members, our users, our institutions and for diversity. Prioritize the visibility and awareness of advocacy efforts.
  9. Improve outward communication to the music cataloging community outside MLA, as well as the non-cataloger music library community. 
    • Goal Area 2: Develop and Retain Membership: Objective 2.3: Explore educational and networking opportunities beyond annual and chapter conferences. Sustain member contact throughout the year. Formalize more opportunities to meet virtually and more frequently. Objective 2.4: Support members working in various disciplines within an organization that also includes aspects of music librarianship. Objective 2.6: Promote MLA as being an Association that will advocate for our profession, our members, our users, our institutions and for diversity. Prioritize the visibility and awareness of advocacy efforts. 
    • Goal Area 4: Strengthen Communication