Subject Analysis Committee

Policy on Eligibility of SAC Representatives

In addition to voting members appointed to the Subject Analysis Committee (SAC), membership includes a number of non-voting representatives appointed by various bodies that are invited to have representation on SAC and to aid SAC in the furtherance of its charge to study problems and recommend improvements in patterns, methods, and tools (particularly classification and subject heading systems) for the subject analysis, organization, and retrieval of information resources, and to provide liaison for those areas of interest between Core and other ALA and non-ALA organizations that have an interest in and concern for these activities.

Representation on the Subject Analysis Committee is invited from:

Organizations engaged in the production and maintenance of standards
These organizations are responsible for the production and maintenance of subject heading or classification systems. They provide SAC with updates related to their particular schemes and provide expertise in them. They must be able to work with SAC in creating, maintaining and evaluating standards for the organization and retrieval of information. Such organizations include, but are not limited to: the American Library Association*, the Decimal Classification Division of the Library of Congress, and OCLC (for the Dewey Decimal Classification); the H.W. Wilson Company (for the Sears List of Subject Headings); the Cataloging Policy and Support Office of the Library of Congress (for Library of Congress Classification and Library of Congress Subject Headings); and the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA).

Organizations dedicated to the organization of a specific branch of knowledge
These organizations represent those involved in metadata development, production, maintenance and/or promotion in special subject areas and advise SAC as to the developments and problem areas within their specific information environments. The represented organization must be able to work with SAC in creating, maintaining and evaluating standards for the organization and retrieval of information. Examples of special interest organizations include, but are not limited to, The American Association of Law Libraries, The Music Library Association, and The Art Libraries Society of North America.

Each represented body or organization must have a specific charge related to cataloging or have at least one formal cataloging-related unit that can provide feedback, advice, and broad input (usually through the representative) to SAC discussions and activities. Organizations are not eligible for representation solely based on ALA affiliation or because they have individual members with specialized professional cataloging expertise or perspectives.

An organization that does not receive an invitation to appoint a representative to SAC may request an invitation from the Core Metadata and Collections Section Leadership. To do so, the organization shall send a letter to the Section chair, copied to the SAC chair, stating the reasons for requesting an invitation. Section Leadership shall review the request, and its decision shall be communicated to the organization, the Core Executive Director, the Core president, and the SAC chair.

If the request is denied, and the organization wishes further consideration, it shall send a letter of appeal to the Core president, copied to the Metadata and Collections Section chair and the SAC chair.

*The ALA representative to the Decimal Classification Editorial Policy Committee (EPC), a joint ALA-OCLC committee that advises OCLC on development and maintenance of the standard, reports via SAC to Core and ALA.