Canadian Committee on Cataloguing

How to submit a Canadian proposal
for a revision to the
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules

Introduction

The AACR rule revision process

Each rule revision proposal goes through a lengthy review process from the national to the international level. The national review begins with the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing which determines whether or not the proposal should be formally submitted to the Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR.

If the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing decides to sponsor a rule revision proposal, it is presented as a formal CCC document and distributed to the other members of the Joint Steering Committee. The JSC members then discuss the revision proposal within their own constituencies. The JSC is composed of representatives from the Canadian Committee on Cataloguing, the Library of Congress, the American Library Association, the British Library, the Library Association, and the Australian Committee on Cataloguing.

This review process can take up to a year or more because of the necessity for broad consultation before a revision is adopted into the cataloguing code.

How to submit a proposal

If you feel that a revision is justified, the next step is to contact a representative of one of CCC's member organizations to request their consideration and possible sponsorship of the revision proposal.

Discussing your proposal with the CCC representative may reveal other issues or another way of addressing the problem. They can also advise you on the progress of your proposal once it is accepted into the stream of revisions under consideration.

What happens after the proposal is submitted to CCC?

Some of the criteria that are taken into consideration when evaluating a proposed revision are:

• Is it necessary and appropriate for inclusion in the cataloguing rules or is it a matter that is better handled by local interpretations or manuals based on AACR?

• Does it deal with a problem that is frequent or widespread enough to warrant specific mention in the cataloguing code?

• Does it clarify the text of AACR or remove inconsistencies in application of the cataloguing rules? Would it simplify decision-making for cataloguers?

• Is the proposal consistent with the general principles of AACR and with other areas of its text?

• What is the impact of the proposal on other rules in AACR? Would acceptance of the revision require additional changes elsewhere in the text of AACR and would those other changes be acceptable?

• Does the proposed revision improve users' access to library material through the catalogue?

• What impact would the proposed change have on the cataloguing community? Would it require changes to existing cataloguing records? What are the financial implications of the change for institutions using AACR? Does it also have implications for cataloguing systems and the MARC format?

Requirements for submitting a rule revision proposal

The subject or title field of the memorandum should indicate the nature of the proposal and, where applicable, the rule numbers that are the principal focus of the proposed revision as well as the captions associated with those rules.

EXAMPLE:

To: Jane Doe, CAML representative to Canadian Committee on Cataloguing

From: John Smith, Head of Cataloguing, Nunavut University

Subject: Proposed revision to AACR2R, rule 5.7B1, "Form of composition and medium of performance"

The proposal should begin with a clear explanation of the problem which the revision aims to address and a justification for making the proposed change to AACR. An assessment of the impact of the proposed change should also be included.

Then the proposal should depict the proposed revision in terms of actual changes to the text of the latest edition of AACR. Any related changes that would be required for other rules in AACR should also be indicated and explained.

Where to submit the revision proposal

General revision proposals should be sent to one of the voting members of CCC, i.e., the representatives for the Canadian Library Association, ASTED, or the Library and Archives Canada. That CCC member will then consult further within his or her constituency and decide whether or not to sponsor and/or endorse the proposal for broader discussion within CCC.

The names and addresses of CCC members are available in a separate section of this Web site.

For further information