2009 Guild Testimony before the House Subcommittee on Legislative Branch Appropriations. Click here for the full statement of Saul Schniderman, President, May 5, 2009 (5 pages, pdf.) which covers employee survey; transit fare subsidy; merit selection; Office of Opportunity, Inclusiveness and Compliance; labor relations, support for staff specialization, food service, life safety, and "Crisis in the Copyright Office -- Part II."

Remarks of Jackie Coleburn, Guild Membership Chair, at the July 16 event sponsored by LC unions and LC-BIG in honor of Willie Price. Ms. Price worked in the Library food service for 28 years and was the shop steward for her union, Local 25 (HERE, AFL-CIO). She stood up for workplace justice during her six month effort to regain her job in the cafeteria. Willie Price returned to work at the Library of Congress on July 20, 2009.

Federal Labor Relations Authority Decision, February 24, 2009, regarding award in favor of the Guild by Arbitrator Barbara Franklin. Click to view.

To view Arbitrator Franklin's 2007 decision, click here.

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The Future of Cataloging

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"What is Distinctive about the Library of Congress in Both its Collections and its Means of Access to Them. . . ," by Thomas Mann, November 6, 2009.

Thomas Mann has submitted a new paper which covers three major topics: "What is Distinctive about the Library of Congress in Both its Collections and its Means of Access to Them," "The Reasons LC Needs to Maintain Classified Shelving of Books Onsite," and "A Way to Deal Effectively with the Problem of 'Books on the Floor'."

In addressing these concerns the essay provides an important clarification of the mission, functions, and responsibilities of the Library of Congress in relationship to Google, Amazon, OCLC, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Internet.

Also see:

Library of Congress: Study of the North American MARC Records Marketplace, by Ruth Fischer and Rick Lugg for R2Consulting, Oct. 2009

"Library of Congress cataloging continues to be widely valued ... There is heavy reliance on LC's output throughout all segments of the profession and industry." Quoted from the Study of the North American MARC Records Marketplace, October 2009, by R2 Consulting, LLC.

The R2 Consulting report, contracted by LC, studies the economics of production and distribution of cataloging records. They gathered information with survey responses from 972 libraries and 70 vendors. The report addresses many issues, including the value of and challenges facing cooperative cataloging, the costs of original cataloging, and responsibility for those costs. The entire report is 47 pages long, and conclusions are condensed on pages four and five.

Click here to read essays posted since 2005 from an important debate underway at the Library of Congress on the future of cataloging.

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This page was last updated on November 10, 2009.