    Section on Classification and IndexingAnnual Report 1999-2000Ia C. McIlwaineUniversity College London Requirements for a Format for Classification DataThe Section has monitored and supported implementation of the recommendations of the Joint Working Group on a Classification Format of the IFLA Sections on Classification and Indexing and Information Technology. The chair is a member of the Working Group and has also attended meetings of the Permanent UNIMARC Committee by invitation. Implementation involves modification of the USMARC Format for Classification Data and development of a UNIMARC format for classification data. The work is essentially completed and it had been hoped that it would be approved at the Jerusalem IFLA meeting. There were, however, some further comments and it was agreed that it should be put up on the Web for comment and final approval at Boston. This has been done.Committee members mailing listA mailing list for the Committee has been set up and may used via CLASS@INFOSERV.NLC-BNC.CAGuidelines for the construction of multi-lingual thesauriThe Committee initiated a project to draft new guidelines for the construction of multi-lingual thesauri, to replace the current standard which is now over 25 years old. A Working Group has been set up, chaired by Gerhard Riesthuis (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and an e-mail bulletin board has been set up for discussion. The Working Group met at Jerusalem and produced a preliminary work plan. It was agreed that funding for meetings and eventual publication should be requested and this was approved by the Professional Board in November 2000. A meeting was planned for Frankfurt in January, as a number of members of the Working Group already had to be at the Deutsche Bibliothek to participate in a series of other, unrelated meetings.Working Group on Subject Access of Web Sites and Digital LibrariesA Working Group on Subject Access of Web Sites and Digital Libraries was set up at Bangkok, under the chairmanship of Marcia Zeng. It has established a mailing list as a forum for discussion. The chair was unable to attend the Jerusalem meeting, but sent a questionnaire for delegates to return to her. The group will meet at Boston.Satellite Conference in 2001The Section is planning a satellite conference "Subject retrieval in a networked world" in 2001 to be held at OCLC, Dublin, Ohio immediately preceding the Boston IFLA. Thanks are due to OCLC for agreeing to host this meeting. A organizing committee has been set up and a call for papers has been issued. This committee met in Jerusalem with representatives from OCLC and drew up an outline programme . It was agreed that this should be circulated both via the professional press and electronically.Division project on OPAC displaysRepresentatives of the Committee attended meetings of the Working Group at the Bangkok IFLA and in Jerusalem. A meeting was held in Amsterdam in September and a draft should be issued by the end of January 2001. The Section has maintained involvement in this project throughout the past year.Programme for Jerusalem conferenceThe Section had a full programme at Jerusalem. For the Open Programme the theme was "Current issues in subject retrieval" and three papers were presented: MOSCHE YITZHAKI (Bar-Ilan University). "A proposed consolidated version of a thesaurus for alternative medicine". Vanda BROUGHTON (University College London). "A new classification for religion". E. ADLER (Jewish National and University Library, Jerusalem). "Multilingual and multiscript subject access: the case of Israel". The last two have also been published in International cataloguing and bibliographic control. Additionally, a very successful workshop on "Crosswalks between languages, cultures, religions in classification and indexing" was held.Future conferencesThe theme for the Boston conference will be "The teaching of knowledge organization" and papers have been solicited from four speakers. The Section does not plan to hold a workshop there, in view of its heavy commitment in the Satellite Conference but will participate in the Joint Division of Bibliographic Control and UBCIM/Permanent UNIMARC Committee all day workshop: Information Exchange in the 21st Century: Formats and Standardization (under the direction of Marie-France Plassard, Director of UBCIM). Preliminary plans have been discussed for Glasgow, and a one day joint meeting with the LA Cataloguing and Indexing Group looking at retrieval problems common to libraries archives and museums is being planned.Section newsletterThe section continues to publish a Newsletter for Section members, for members of the Standing Committee and for others interested in classification and indexing. Two issues have been published during the current year. This acts as a channel for imparting information about what is happening at national level and for sharing in the experiences of others. It is also an excellent forum for the discussion of matters of international concern relating to classification and indexing. Contributions are always very welcome.Standing committee membership and officersMembership of the Section at present stands at 101. The standing committee has 19 members, representing 14 different countries. Ia McIlwaine and Edward Swanson were re-elected as Chair and Secretary respectively at Bangkok, and will serve for a further two years.Co-operative projectsIa McIlwaine (University College London) and Edward Swanson (Library Consultant) attended the meeting of the Co-ordinating Board of the Division of Bibliographic Control at University College London April 27-28 2000. Ia McIlwaine attended the November 1999, and March and December 2000 meetings of the Professional Board, in her capacity as Chair of the Division of Bibliographic Control.
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