Guidelines/Responsibilities Relating to PCC Task Groups

Revised 25 October 2019

The Program for Cooperative Cataloging may form task groups to address specific issues as needed with the approval of the PCC Policy Committee (PoCo). If deemed appropriate, non-Program members may serve on task groups, but a majority of a task group's membership should be from institutions that are Program participants. Each task group should generally have an uneven number of members and be limited to seven persons. The membership should reflect the diversity of the Program, thus ensuring that all participants are represented.

OCLC and the Library of Congress may name liaisons to each task group. A Library of Congress liaison should generally be named if the work of the task group is likely to result in recommendations that affect the LC/NACO Authority File, the LC/PCC Policy Statements for RDA, or the development of BIBFRAME.

Approval Process for Formation of New Task Groups:

When requesting approval of a task group by PoCo, the chair of the committee sponsoring the formation of the task group will use the PCC Task Group Charge Template [Word, 24 KB] to provide the following:

1. Proposed name of the task group
2. Proposed charge for the task group, including any expected activities, outcomes, and deliverables
3. Projected time frame for the task group’s work, including the dates of its preliminary and final reports. A deadline of September 15th is required if a report is to be considered at the Annual PoCo meeting.
4. Name of the PCC committee under whose oversight the task group will operate.
5. Proposed roster for the task group, if possible, including the names and institutional affiliations of the proposed chair(s) and members, any liaisons to the group from OCLC or the Library of Congress, and any consultants.

It is the responsibility of PoCo to assess whether there is sufficient need for a new task group and to ensure that the proposed name, charge, deadlines, and membership are appropriate.

Upon approval of the task group by PoCo, the chair of the committee sponsoring the task group will send to the PCC Secretariat the final task group charge for posting to the PCC website.

Task Group Reports:

Preliminary reports may be informal but the final report of a task group should include the following:

1. PCC Final Report Transmittal & Tracking Sheet [Word, 25 KB] to be used for tracking the status of the final report as it is transmitted to those groups responsible for reviewing and potentially approving or implementing its recommendations.
2. Executive summary (may not be necessary if final report is only a few pages long)
3. List of recommendations, including:
1. Specific mechanisms for implementing the recommendations
2. Proposed assignment of specific responsibilities to institutions (or, if appropriate, specific individuals) for the implementation of the recommendations
3. Indication of any policy decisions and/or training needed to implement the recommendations
4. Indication of whether input has been solicited from those communities most likely to be affected by the recommendations

Task group reports containing recommendations for changes in policy that would affect cataloging procedures should be submitted to the Library of Congress for review spaced at least two months apart so that each report can be addressed before the next one arrives to avoid a backlog.

Responsibilities of the Chair of the Sponsoring Committee:

1. Submitting the initial version of the task group charge to the PCC chair when proposing the task group for approval
2. Submitting the final version of the task group charge to the PCC Secretariat once the task group has received PoCo approval
3. Affirming that the recommendations in the task group's preliminary and final reports are in keeping with the charge of the task group
4. Transmitting reports to the PCC chair with a statement as to the status of the report (i.e., approved, not approved, under review, etc.)
5. Notifying the PCC Secretariat when the task group has been discharged

Responsibilities of the Task Group Chair:

1. Generally overseeing the work of the task group
2. Ensuring that the work of the task group is paced to meet the report deadline(s) and that recommendations under development are practical/realistic, arranged as long-term vs. short-term, etc.
3. Ensuring that all task group members are heard and their ideas discussed
4. Working with any OCLC and Library of Congress liaisons on the task group to ensure that appropriate consultations are made
5. Ensuring that the final report includes all required elements as specified above
6. Forwarding reports to the chair of the sponsoring committee
7. Updating the task group charge as needed and notifying the sponsoring committee chair and the PCC Secretariat

Responsibilities of Liaisons:

[text forthcoming]

Responsibilities of the PCC Secretariat:

1. Ensuring an appropriate Library of Congress liaison has been assigned to the task group and that expectations for the liaison’s participation are clearly communicated
2. Posting the task group’s charge and reports to the PCC website and notifying PCC membership of their availability
3. Keeping abreast of the work of the task group and discussing with higher level management any decisions that may impact Library of Congress procedures
4. Working with the PCC chair to track the status of the task group’s reports, monitor progress on any outstanding recommendations, and assess the need for follow-up action
5. Hosting conference calls, online meetings, and surveys as needed to assist with decision-making on the task group’s recommendations
6. Working with the PCC chair to communicate decisions on task group recommendations to PCC membership

Responsibilities of the PCC Chair:

1. Bringing the proposal for the formation of the task group to PoCo for review and approval
2. Working with the PCC Secretariat to track the status of the task group’s reports, monitor progress on any outstanding recommendations, and assess the need for follow-up action
3. Requesting that the PCC Secretariat host conference calls, online meetings, and surveys as needed to assist with decision-making on the task group’s recommendations
4. Scheduling discussion and votes by PoCo on the task group’s reports and recommendations
5. Working with the PCC Secretariat to communicate decisions on task group recommendations to PCC membership

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