Dear PCC colleagues,

The PCC Chair sends an update to the PCC membership at the end of each quarter (November/December, February, May and August). This is the latest in that series.

These are some of the things that have been happening during the last three months:

  1. The PCC held an At Large Virtual Forum on March 28, 2024, as a pilot for a possible series of more frequent, focused virtual events. This event featured four community-proposed presentations and generated much lively discussion.
  2. The recording of the Forum is available on the PCC Calendar
  3. The PCC chairs were guest presenters at the April 2024 OCLC Virtual AskQC Office Hours, where we gave a broad overview of the PCC, its recent work, and opportunities for broader community engagement with it. OCLC staff also reviewed the editing capabilities for BIBCO records by non-PCC OCLC members.
  4. The PCC held its annual Operations Committee (OpCo) meeting on May 2-3, 2024 as a hybrid event at the Library of Congress. Attendees heard presentations by numerous colleagues and engaged in important discussions on topics ranging from CONSER training to SACO projects to the future of PCC synchronous programming.
    1. The recording of the OpCo meeting is available on the PCC Calendar
  5. The PCC Task Group for URIs in MARC Implementation and Support was charged on February 26, 2024. It will carry forward the work of the earlier PCC LDAC/IMAC URIs Guidance Subgroup. Major task areas will include: reviewing, editing and consolidating the core set of documentation on adding URIs in MARC; reviewing and editing general principles for persons, groups, and projects concerned with inserting URIs in MARC; and monitoring, participating, and if necessary expanding communication channels in which work with URIs in MARC is discussed.
  6. The SCS Task Group on Privacy in Name Authority Records submitted its Preliminary Report on March 5, 2024. Thus far, the group has engaged in a literature review and discussed critical topics, which are summarized in the report. The task group is now divided into three subgroups. One subgroup will continue to update guiding principles and the other two subgroups will develop best practices and recommend revisions to LC/PCC Documentation.
  7. The Task Group for Metadata Related to Indigenous Peoples of the Americas submitted its Preliminary Report on April 15, 2024. The group has divided its work into five project areas, with subgroups focused on each. It also created and widely distributed a survey, which remains open through June 2024. A number of the task group’s tasks will depend on collaborations with the newly hired LC Program Specialist - Indigenous Peoples.
  8. The PCC Task Group on Strategic Planning for AI and Machine Learning submitted its final report on April 15, 2024. This report summarizes a survey that the group conducted, and its recommendations include revising the 2023-2027 PCC Strategic Directions, as well as charging a new task group to carry out several action items identified by the current task group. These items include: creating a statement of principles on the use of AI and Machine Learning technologies in cataloging and metadata work; developing the preliminary list of AI resources on the PCC wiki; and developing cataloging best practices.
  9. The PCC is in the process of charging 2 new task groups:
    1. SCS Task Group on Provider Neutral MARC Record Guidelines for Electronic Monographs in Official RDA
    2. PCC Task Group on Organization of PCC Documentation
  10. The Standing Committee on Standards is working with NDMSO to publish two vocabularies on id.loc.gov:
  11. PCC Entities (for Authority 075 $2 pccent) which came from the Task Group on Developing a PCC Entities Vocabulary
  12. PCC Extensions to Related Place (authority 370 $i/$4) which was previously discussed by PoCo in summer 2023
  13. SCS prepared an updated version of the PCC Guidelines for the Application of Relationship Designators in NACO Authority Records, which was published in May 2024. The relevant changes are found in sections 13 and 15.
  14. The Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (EDIBA) published a PCC Meeting Accessibility Tip Sheet and Infographic on the PCC wiki in April 2024.
  15. The Identity Management Advisory Committee (IMAC) published a set of pages on the PCC Wiki describing a framework for the rollout of the new Entity Management Cooperative (EMCO).
  16. Official RDA updates
    1. The Phase 1 training modules are available on the Catalogers Learning Workshop. The series of webinars that focus on these modules has concluded, and recordings are available.
    2. Phase 2 training modules are in development
    3. Adam Baron (chair, RDA Implementation Task Group chair) and TJ Kao (co-chair, Working Group on Metadata Application Profiles) will give a presentation on latest updates in Official RDA implementation at the PCC Participants Meeting on June 30, 2024 (during the ALA Annual Conference in San Diego, CA) and again at a virtual replay of the event in July. Details on these meetings will be shared soon.


I am eternally grateful to all members of the PCC community for your sustained engagement with and contributions to our metadata sharing programs and our numerous strategic initiatives. We accomplish as much as we do because of you!


Best regards, 

Casey (on behalf of the PCC Policy Committee)