# 1. Introduction

This document outlines the Joint Issue Group on Labelling's (JIG-L)
recommendations for labelling material across various formats. JIG-L's
charge was to make recommendations to improve and streamline the marking
and labelling of all formats received by the Copyright Office (CO) and
the Library Services Acquisitions Directorate (LS ACQ). JIG-L was formed
by LS and CO to address technical issues of mutual interest that would
further the CO Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) to make its
services more responsive to Congress, the Library, and the public. JIG-L
addressed the need for LS and CO to work together to address the
marking, stamping, and labelling of material to support the work
processes of the Library.

The term "Library" throughout the document refers to all Service Units
(Library Services, Copyright Office). **Appendix A. Glossary of Terms**
provides definitions for other terms used in this document.

Labels serve many purposes and provide important support throughout the
Library of Congress' (LC) tracking, disposition, storage, and retrieval
of materials. Labels or marks identify the point and time of
acquisition, the assignment location, and the manner in which items are
arranged on the shelf, to name just a few purposes.

JIG-L members collected information about current processes through a
series of nineteen (19) interviews with custodial divisions. Common and
variant practices were documented across the full range of formats held
by each division (see **Appendix B. Formats Broken Down by Custodial
Division**). In analyzing the data collected, it was necessary to
articulate not only the range of formats but also the manner in which
items added to the collections are stored and served. **Appendix D.
Relationship of Item and Piece by Format** describes how the ILS item
record is used to combine pieces into items for the purpose of
collection control.

JIG-L members (**Appendix C**) presented preliminary recommendations for
select formats in February and March at a series of stakeholder
meetings. The six groups of stakeholders were the CO, serials, technical
services, public services, the LS Cataloging Policy and Support Office
(CPSO), and the Preservation Directorate.

Based on the collected documentation, input from stakeholders, and
follow-up meetings with particular units, JIG-L developed a set of
recommendations designed to upgrade marking and labelling practices in a
comprehensive manner.

While acknowledging that exceptions will exist, JIG-L's recommendations
follow a few general principles:

-   Facilitate tracking of material.

> Piece Identification Number (PIN) labels provide identifying
> information to help track items and pieces as they are processed from
> the point of entry to their final destination within LC. For retrieval
> of database records, the item barcode becomes the main point of
> access.

-   Strengthen the security of the collections during processing,
    transit, storage, use, and on exhibit as outlined in LC's security
    plan.

> Through particular marks and labels, LC indicates ownership and
> possession of materials. By identifying material as the property of
> LC, these labels and marks help security officials
>
> identify material borrowed from LC and help security officials prevent
> loss. When material is stolen, these markings provide crucial evidence
> of LC ownership. To improve security while in process, it is
> recommended that items receive barcode/accession labels and anti-theft
> detection devices upon receipt.

-   Generate labels from data elements in Library databases to avoid
    keying, stamping, and handwriting information.

> JIG-L recognizes that a high degree of manual processing introduces a
> high probability of error. A single misplaced digit can result in the
> misfiling of an item and the loss of the use of that item for many
> years. JIG-L recommends automating the production of marks and labels
> through innovations such as printing accession information on the PIN
> label. The benefit of automating is two-fold: time savings and
> increased accuracy.

-   Minimize the number of labels on any one piece and avoid obscuring
    significant information.

By coordinating CO and other Service Unit processing of materials,
duplication of effort can be reduced. JIG-L recommends a single PIN
label, for example, for use in tracking and retrieving items in both CO
and Integrated Library System (ILS) databases. The copyright
registration number will continue to be used in the CO database, however
JIG-L recommends that the label not be applied to the deposit, with the
exception of end-stage processing for deposits sent to the Copyright
Deposit Copy Storage Unit (DCSU). Another label which JIG-L feels is not
needed on each item is the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)
barcode label. It will continue to be used for assignment of LCCNs, and
would only be applied to the first instance of a work.

> The proliferation of labels has been a particular problem for non-book
> formats such as compact discs (CDs) where the available space for the
> placement of labels is minimal. JIG-L recommendations include reduced
> size labels for these formats and elimination of a separate Copyright
> licensing agreement label. The licensing information will be
> incorporated in the item retrieval label (see Section 2.2.1).

-   Continue to adhere to preservation standards.

> While JIG-L is recommending increased barcoding of the collections to
> meet inventory management control and security needs, it is critical
> that the expansion of the use of barcodes and other labels for
> non-book and special collections materials is not detrimental in any
> way to the items themselves. Preservation Research and Testing
> Division (PR&TD) will need to develop specifications for colored label
> stock and for stock used on mats and folders which house photographic
> collections. JIG-L recommends that PR&TD develop specifications for a
> "universal" label, reducing the complexity of matching the right stock
> with the right item in high-volume units such as mailrooms.

Assumptions

There are several assumptions underlying the recommendations in general:

-   All items receive an item barcode at the point of receipt or soon
    thereafter

-   Labels will be applied upon receipt and at the various processing
    stages

-   The PIN or item barcode will serve users throughout the Library

-   Because service units have different functions, they may use a
    common label for different purposes.

-   Custodial units will continue to have some flexibility in production
    of labels according to specific needs

-   There will be technical support to carry out the requirements
    delineated in **Appendix E. Information Technology (IT) Needs**

-   The data needed to produce the recommended labels will be stored in
    data fields as specified in **Appendix F. Label Content**

How to use this document

This document details recommended labels. The **Table of Contents**
provides an easy index to LC labels and their respective guidelines by
format and processing types. **Section 2.** **Purpose of Recommended
Labels** defines the array of labels that JIG-L recommends. **Section
3.** **Marking, Stamping, and Labelling (MSL) Manual** graphically shows
label recommendations for most material that LC receives. This material
is grouped in categories so that like materials receive the same
labelling. Categorization considers format and processing type. In
addition to graphical representations, **Section 3** includes
information about the placement, content, size, composition and
production method for labels shown. It is expected that the MSL Manual
will be expanded to include additional formats and that it will be
maintained as changes occur.

**Section 4. Units that Apply Labels** shows both current responsibility
and future recommendations. **Section 5. Recommended Actions** shows a
phased approach to implementing recommendations.

This document is intended as a guideline to standardize practices
wherever possible and achieve economy of scale. Not every instance of a
format or combination of media is represented here. These guidelines are
applicable to all sources of acquisitions, including direct shipments to
custodial divisions. Formats which are not represented here are special
collections materials such as glass plate negatives or wax cylinder
sound recordings. Guidelines for these formats will be developed at a
later date.