Section on Bibliography

Medium Term Programme 1998-2001

Scope statement

Goals,1998-2001 - Action Plans, 2000-2001

Goal 1

Promote the production and publishing of bibliographic information for all kinds of documents, including those published by electronic means, both hand-held and online.

Actions:

1.1 Take appropriate action to encourage implementation of the recommendations of the International Conference on National Bibliographic Services (ICNBS).

1.1.1 Request, through the Division of Bibliographic Control Coordinating Board, that the IFLA Professional Board direct its chairperson to send copies of the ICNBS Recommendations to the membership of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL), together with a covering memorandum to explain the purpose and importance of the Recommendations.

1.1.2 Refer Recommendations 1-4 and 20 to the IFLA Legal Deposit Section for information and appropriate action, with a declaration of interest in undertaking cooperative projects such as a workshop on topics covered by these Recommendations.

1.1.3 Request the Division of Regional Activities to co-sponsor a Workshop at the IFLA 2001 Conference on issues related to promotion national bibliographies in developing countries and of multinational bibliographies in areas where it is not feasible to publish national bibliographies.

1.1.5 Request the Director of the UBCIM Core Programme to include a component covering the International Conference on National Bibliographic Services and the resulting Recommendations as part of future regional workshops sponsored by that office.

1.1.6 Commission an article for submission to the IFLA Journal to publicize ICNBS and its Recommendations.

1.1.7 Publish prominently on IFLANET the ICNBS Recommendations in all IFLA official languages.

Goal 2

Monitor and promote good practice in the preparation of bibliographic information through the useÏof international standards and guidelines and take appropriate action when those standards need amplification or modification.

Actions:

2.1 Appoint a Working Group with a charge (1) to identify those National Bibliographic Services which are especially effective by virtue of their ability to meet the criteria and provide the features identified in ICNBS Recommendations 5-11 and (2) to identify those Services which could improve effectiveness through greater conformance to these Recommendations, suggesting ways to request that they implement ICNBS Recommendations.

2.2 Prepare, in cooperation with the Sections on Cataloguing and on National Libraries, a briefing paper to explain the components of the Basic Level record as stipulated in the Functional Requirement for Bibliographic Records, for distribution to the membership of CDNL with the recommendation that each national bibliographic agency adopt the Basic Level record.

2.3 Support the work of the Functional Requirements and Numbering of Authority Records (FRANAR) Working Group, requesting that the Group keep the membership of the CDNL well informed regarding its progress and recommendations

2.4 Refer to the Information Technology Section for comment, advice, and/or joint activities ICNBS Recommendation 15, calling for greater efforts to ensure compatibility between the bibliographic exchange formats.

2.5 Support initiatives of the ISBD(S) Review Group to harmonize currently divergences existing in bibliographic standards for the description of serial publication and request representation at meetings convened to further such harmonization.

Goal 3

Promote co-operation with the book trade in the preparation of bibliographic information.

Actions:

3.1 Prepare an action plan to follow up regarding findings of the study on National Bibliographic Agencies and the Book Trade undertaken by Ross Bourne.

3.2 Develop and test a strategy for enlisting publisher cooperation in providing increased metadata for electronic resources they produce to assist national bibliographic agencies in preparing entries for these resources.

Goal 4

Monitor and promote publication of bibliographies in electronic form, e.g. on the Internet.

Actions:

4.1 Identify appropriate action to follow up regarding findings of the study Results of a Survey on Bibliographic Control and National Bibliography undertaken by Robert Holley.

4.2 Appoint a Working Group to investigate subject gateways as an emerging technique for producing bibliographies of Internet resources.

Goal 5

Monitor and take action as necessary of new search methods and user interfaces.

Actions:

5.1 Consult with the Section on Classification and Indexing regarding alternative search methods and their relative effectiveness.

5.2 Participate in the work of the IFLA Task Force on Guidelines for OPAC Displays.

Goal 6

Monitor and promote the inclusion of Internet resources in bibliographies.

Actions:

6.1 Investigate development of guidelines to provide selection criteria to assist national bibliographic agencies in deciding which electronic resources to represent in their bibliographies.

Goal 7

Promote the importance of bibliography at library and information schools.

Actions:

7.1 Sponsor a Workshop during the 2000 IFLA Conference on the role of bibliography in the curriculum of library and information schools.

Goal 8

Provide information about the work of the Section and Standing Committee.

Actions:

8.1 Prepare and distribute the Section Newsletter.

8.2 Report on Section activities during the Open Forum of the Division of Bibliographic Control.

8.3 Provide information for publication in IFLA Journal and on IFLANET.

8.4 Contribute to updating the Division's Brochure.

Goal 9

Promote membership in the Section, emphasizing a broader geographic representation on the Standing Committee.

Actions:

9.1 Target libraries which may be interested in joining the Section.

9.2 Seek members and/or corresponding members from Developing countries not currently represented on the Standing Committee.