The Committee for Library Standards

The Committee for Library Standards is a collaborative alliance of cultural and academic organisations and institutions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Its aim is to ensure the use of common standards for cataloguing, interfaces and formats in libraries and promote the interdisciplinary harmonisation of cataloguing and data networking. It is managed by the German National Library’s Office for Library Standards (AfS – Arbeitsstelle für Standardisierung).

Expert groups and special working groups

The expert groups on data formats and cataloguing are subordinate to the Committee for Library Standards. They are responsible for all matters relating to cataloguing codes (for example RDA – Resource Description and Access, RSWK – Regeln für die Schlagwortkatalogisierung) and data formats (for example MARC 21 – Machine-Readable Cataloging). They also play a significant role as communicating and coordinating entities. The Committee for Library Standards appoints its members. Specially established subject groups or teams of experts deal with specific topics on behalf of the expert groups.

In 2014, special working groups were set up under the umbrella of the Committee for Library Standards to deal with issues relating to the cataloguing of special materials. Such groups currently exist for old prints, images, manuscripts, art books, and the RNAB (Rules on Cataloguing Estates and Autographs); there is also a committee for the Integrated Authority File (GND Committee). All the working groups cooperate closely with the two expert groups. The Committee for Library Standards reviews the results of their work and incorporates them into recommendations.

More information about the working groups of the Committee for Library Standards and their tasks can be found on the public wiki pages of the STA community (only available in German).

Protocols

Protocols of the Committee for Library Standards and of the expert groups
(only available in German)