TIPS FOR MAKING SUCCESSFUL SUBJECT PROPOSALS A Mini Workshop for the SACO-At-Large Meeting January 27, 2013 Janis L. Young Policy and Standards Division Library of Congress

 No one likes to have work returned to them  We need your help  You may have expertise that we do not  Projects to do  Constituents to help WHY? 2

 March-November 2012  5,352 total proposals  3,958 approved  1,294 (26%) not accepted  Not approved  Resubmit  Not necessary PROPOSAL STATISTICS 3

SUMMARIES FROM

 Six broad categories of unaccepted proposals  SHM instructions were not followed  Concept was already represented in LCSH  Proposed heading was vague or not well researched  More proposals were necessary  There was no precedent for the heading, references, etc.  Other SUMMARIES FROM

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DID NOT FOLLOW SHM INSTRUCTIONS (31% of total) 7

CONCEPT ALREADY IN LCSH (23% of Total) 8

INTENTION/LACK OF RESEARCH (26% of total) 9

 Technical corrections  Qualifiers  Reference/syndetic structure  Scope notes  Research corrections of five minutes or less WHAT REVISIONS DOES PSD MAKE? 10

 Proposals that  Are considered  Does LCSH already contain a way to express the concept?  Is the proposed heading unambiguous?  Are well-researched  Were the standard reference sources in the field consulted?  Follow the guidelines as presented in SHM H 187, H 202, H 203, H 306, H , H 1285, etc. WHAT DOES PSD ASK OF CATALOGERS? 11

 Actual proposals from LC and SACO catalogers  Not intended to point fingers  Distinguishing information has been removed  Not a forum to debate policy RECORD EXAMPLES 12

 What went wrong, what went right, and how could the proposal have been improved? RECORD EXAMPLES 13