Participants will focus attention on updating the IFLA “Paris Principles” of 1961, commenting on the draft”Statement of International Cataloguing Principles,” developed at the 2003 Frankfurt IME Icc and updated in 2004/2005 by the participants of IME ICC2 in Buenos Aires. This incorporates terminology and concepts of the IFLA Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR). The participants will also discuss cataloging rules applied in the Middle East and ways to reach closer harmonisation of rules in the following areas (possible focus topics):

  • Names of personal authors
  • Names of corporate bodies
  • Seriality issues of when to make a new record
  • Multipart structures
  • Uniform titles and GMDs (general material designators).

Background papers will be posted on the IME ICC3 Web site during July/September 2005 in both Arabic and English as they become available.

During September-October there will be pre-meeting discussion on the listservs (in Arabic and Englislh) to collect current thinking in the Arabic-speaking Middle East on the five focus topics (see above) and to identify other areas of interest for cataloging principles.

At the meetings, the conference organizers will present further background on IFLA initiatives in cataloging, including FRBR (IFLA’s Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records), and the concept of a Virtual International Authority File (VIAF), as well as present an overview of the draft Statement of International Cataloguing Principles. There will be time to respond to comments and issues from the pre-meeting listserv discussions. During breakout sessions each of the focus topics will be discussed and recommendations prepared for reaction during the final plenary session. The meeting will end with priortized actions towards closer harmonization and recommendations for changes to the draft Statement of International Cataloguing Principles.

The recommendations and actions items from the meeting will be posted on the IME ICC3 Web site (in Arabic and English) and the reslts will also be reported to IFLA during the Cataloguing Section’s Open Programme in Seoul, Korea during August 2006. Progress on fulfilling the recommendations and action items also will be posted on the IFLA Cataloguing Section Web site available throught IFLA.

The participants will join the international community of cataloguing experts in future IFLA discussions related to cataloguing principles and cataloguing rules..