# Presentation: 008362

## The CONSER Model and Its Application to a GPO-led Cooperative Program

- Jean Hirons
- CONSER Coordinator
- Library of Congress

## CONSER Model

- As defined by Linda Bartley:
- A plan
- Standards
- A database
- Membership
- Governance
- Leadership
- Collegiality

## A Plan

- Need a clear statement of the mission and goals of the program, regardless of its size
- Having a good plan allows you to:
- assess accomplishments
- recognize what needs to be done
- change direction when needed
- CONSER Plan is now part of the PCC strategic plan

## Strategic plan questions

- What are you trying to achieve?
- Who will do it?
- When?
- How?
- Do you need one program or several?
- Is it a project (limited) or a program (ongoing)?

## Standards

- Agreed-upon standards are essential for record sharing
- For CONSER, standards are detailed to enable sharing and distribution of records
- Good documentation is a must
- CONSER Editing Guide and CONSER Cataloging Manual
- CONSER also sets standards

## GPO and Standards

- Member of CONSER and BIBCO
- Records must have authoritative names, series and subjects and conform to CONSER descriptive practices
- GPO has opportunity to help set standards
- Single record standard has been critical to the documents community

## Standards questions

- How can GPO fullfill its need to have authoritative records if using records from others?
- Would the standards be the same as national standards?
- How much extra work would need to be done?
- Should partners also join the national programs? Or NACO at least?
- How many standards for metadata are we talking about?

## Database

- CONSER’s main product is the database of high quality serial records that resides on OCLC and is distributed to RLIN and others via CDS
- CONSER records are distinguishable on OCLC and can be purchased as a distinct database

## Database questions

- What is the product that you envision?
- Records in OCLC or RLIN?
- Records that can be purchased as a set?
- Records available via other means (e.g., MARCIVE)?
- Would/could such records also be part of CONSER/BIBCO?

## Governance

- Need to involve people at different levels:
- Policy level (heads of cataloging or tech. Services) who can make decisions, commit staff and resources, plan
- Operations level (catalogers or supervisors) who do the work, apply the standards, require training, etc.
- Let others lead
- Coordinator and dedicated staff have been essential for CONSER

## Governance questions

- What role would GPO perform?
- How much staff time can GPO devote to this???
- Is there a role for the Depository Library Council?
- What role do the participants play?
- How would you involve people at different levels?

## Membership

- CONSER has different levels to accommodate:
- Large universities and national libraries
- Smaller academic, special, and public libraries
- Businesses and organizations
- Membership involves requirements:
- Quality and quantity
- Training
- Participation in various activities

## Membership (cont.)

- It also has its benefits!
- Ability to change records
- Participation in national standards setting
- Ability to contribute in many areas
- Training is an important issue
- CONSER provides training for new members
- Quantity requirements reflect investment in training and review

## Memberhsip questions

- Who would be the members of a GPO-led program?
- Universities?  Agencies?
- Might there be different types of members or different levels of membership?
- What would the benefits and responsibilities be?
- What kind of training would be performed?
- Is there a role for FEDLINK?

## Leadership

- An essential component of CONSER
- Recent examples of leadership:
- Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program (SCCTP)
- Publication Pattern initiative
- An important component, regardless of the size of a program

## Leadership questions

- What is GPO’s leadership role here?
- What further type of leadership might evolve from such a program?
- Would it take on a life of its own? Or would it become part of PCC?
- What would such a program contribute to the documents and greater library communities?

## Collegiality

- The key to CONSER’s success!
- Involves trust and respect
- LC and CONSER libraries are partners
- GPO’s annual conferences would enable members to meet and work together on shared goals

## Summary

- What is the purpose?
- Who would the members be?
- How would it be run?
- What are the products envisioned?
- What standards will be followed?
- What is the relationship with PCC?
- How will it benefit the library community?
- What character or personality will it have?