Cataloguing and Metadata

Terms of reference
The Cataloguing and Metadata Section addresses current issues of interest and importance for bibliographic cataloguing and metadata related to music resources of all types and in any medium. The Section develops IAML’s official positions on bibliographic control of music materials; participates in maintaining and revising international standards for descriptive and subject cataloguing and for electronic transmission of bibliographic data; shares information from the various IAML communities about recent news, information, best practices, etc.; considers other such issues as may be requested by the IAML Board. The Section may establish communication with similar units in other library organizations, at the national or international level, either directly or through IAML bodies. It will also work with other IAML groups considering issues concerning cataloguing and metadata.

Ongoing projects include:

• Participate in the ISBD Review Group as liaison from IAML.
• Consult with the Project Group on RISM Series C on MARC21 authority revisions for updating the Directory of Music Institutions.
• Improve usability of the medium of performance area in the new IFLA namespace, especially the technical aspect of multilingual data structure / display.

Future projects:

• Build a stronger network of cataloging support for smaller institutions and institutions that have recently joined OCLC.
• Compile lists of terms for non-tonal western music (octatonic, microtonal, etc.) and for traditions other than western music (raga, maqam, etc.), to be used for the "has key" property E3A7 in the IFLA Library Reference Model Entity Relationship (https://www.iflastandards.info/lrm/lrmer#E3A7)
• Refine the "has medium of performance" property in LRMer (IFLA Library Reference Model Entity Relationship) (http://iflastandards.info/ns/lrm/lrmer/hasMediumOfPerformance)
• Work with colleagues in Japan/Poland on adding Japanese/Polish medium of performance terms to the IFLA namespace.
• Work with colleagues in Ireland to incorporate Irish musical instruments into the medium of performance vocabulary.
• Work with colleagues at RILM to incorporate Chinese musical instruments into the medium of performance vocabulary.
• Explore the use of open linked data platforms such as VIAF and Wikidata to improve mapping across IFLA and LC vocabularies
• Link each IFLA Form of Musical Work code to an LCGFT term.
• Examine potential LRM mapping or extension to Performed Music Ontology (http://performedmusicontology.org/ontologies/PerformedMusicOntology.html)
• Conduct a systematic review of the Form of Musical Work vocabulary (https://www.iflastandards.info/unimarc/terms/fom)
• Improve labeling and machine actionability of the Church Mode of Musical Work vocabulary (https://www.iflastandards.info/unimarc/terms/chm)
• Improve machine actionability of the Key of Musical Work vocabulary (https://www.iflastandards.info/unimarc/terms/key)
• Conduct a systematic review of the Format of Notated Music vocabulary (https://www.iflastandards.info/unimarc/terms/tos)
• Compile use cases of the Plaine and Easie Code (https://www.iaml.info/plaine-easie-code), which is used for cross referencing music incipits in UNIMARC field 036, MARC21 field 031, and in RISM.

Completed projects include:

• Migrated the code lists for musical forms and medium of performance from a relational database to the new IFLA namespace -- completed 2020
• Linked each IFLA medium of performance code to an LCMPT term -- completed 2019
• Plaine and easie code version maintained by the International Association of Music Libraries and the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales
• Working Group on the Exchange of Authority Data. Chair — work ended 2011
• Working Group on Music Ontologies — work ended 2011
• Working Group on ISBD and Music — work ended 2008
• Working group on Core Bibliographic Record for Music and Sound Recordings — 1994 - 1998

The Section oversaw the following sub-commissions:

• Sub-commission on UNIMARC (2003-2016)
• Sub-commission on ISBD and Music (2010-2016)