Will LC continue to cut services?

In the November 15, 2007 issue of Library Journal the article, "Report on Cataloging Sparks Concerns", discussed what the Working Group on the Future of Bibliographic Control may report on December 15, 2007. ALA is concerned that LC will make sweeping decisions on their cataloging practices without examining the concerns of the cataloging/library world beyond LC. ALA president-elect, Jim Rettig, testified before Congress explaining that many libraries throughout the country accept bibliographic copy from LC without editing the records. Rettig also testified that though search engines are useful that consumers must still rely on the traditional cataloging practices to fulfill their information needs. LC's Marcum responded that they appointed 3 ALA members to the working group. Marcum also reported that even thought the number of catalogers has decreased their output has increased.

So how do you all feel about the changes that LC has implemented recently? I know that Autocad and OCLCcat listservs were pretty wild about the series control issue not too long ago. Is anyone concerned about the possible "findings" in this report and how it makes effect us "out in the field"? I am concerned that LC is going to ditch controlled subject headings and rely totally on the 520 field. This doesn't make me very happy and I hope that I am wrong about this but I see more 520s and fewer and fewer subject headings being assigned to copy from LC.

To me it seems that the administrators of LC seem to not realize that they are a service to the library world. We do depend on them heavily for direction.