Cooperative Cataloging Programs



Through NACO, the Name Authority Cooperative Program, the Libraries contributes RDA authority records for personal, family, corporate, and geographic names, works and expressions, and series to the LC/NACO Authority File. Existing records are also modified as necessary.  Name authority records tell catalogers and library catalog users what form of a name or title is used in a catalog, and provide cross-references from variant forms to the used form.  They also lead users from one name to other related names (e.g., earlier and later names of an organization).


Through SACO, the Subject Authority Cooperative Program, the UW Libraries is one of the largest creators annually of new Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT), Library of Congress Demographic Group Terms (LCDGT), and Library of Congress Classification (LCC).   Changes to existing LCSH, LCGFT, and LCDGT terms and modifications of the LC classification schedules are another aspect of SACO work.

Through SACO, catalogers are able to assign more specific and appropriate subject and genre/form headings to the materials they catalog.  This results in better service to users of the library catalog.   See and see also references from subject authority records also provide assistance to catalog users.  Demographic group terms provide access to the audiences of works (e.g., works for children) and to characteristics of the creators and contributors to works and expressions (e.g., works created by residents of a particular place or by members of a particular occupation, age, social or ethnic group, religion, etc.).


BIBCO is the bibliographic component of the PCC.  BIBCO members are responsible for contributing full or core level bibliographic records.  These records are identified as PCC records and notable for their complete authority work (both descriptive, subject, and genre/form), a national level call number (such as LC classification or NLM classification), and at least one subject and/or genre/form access point drawn from nationally recognized thesauri such as LCSH, MeSH, LCGFT, etc., as appropriate.

