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About Input Standards

OCLC has established input standards based on National Level Record—Bibliographic Full Level & Minimal Level requirements. Previously, OCLC revised some of the NLR standards on the advice of OCLC advisory groups. At the field level:

  • Level I represents full or complete cataloging.
  • Level K represents minimal-level cataloging.

Standards for indicators and subfields are in effect only when the field itself is applicable.

Input Standards table

A table identifies level I and level K input standards at the beginning of the fixed-field elements section and at the beginning of each variable field description. A slash (/) separates the levels. Core-level standards are not identified.

These abbreviations are used in the fixed-field element Input Standards table:

SS (System-supplied)

System-generated data that you cannot change.
M (Mandatory)

Data you must enter to meet the designated standard.
R (Required if applicable or readily available)

Data is applicable if:

  1. AACR2 1998 rev. instructs you to enter the data when it applies
  2. It is necessary to justify the existence of an added entry (AACR2 1998 rev. rule 21.29)
  3. It is essential for efficient access to, or effective processing of, records

Data is readily available from:

  • The item in hand
  • Other bibliographic records
  • OCLC Authority file records
O (Optional)

Data you decide whether to enter.

Note: The following characters appear in the Input Standards tables:

blank.gif  Blank space, distinguished from a fill character, used when a blank is significant.
fill.gif  A fill character, distinguished from a blank space.

Repeatablity

(R) identifies a field or subfield as repeatable, which means it may occur more than once.

  • A repeatable field may occur more than once in a record.
  • A repeatable subfield may occur more than once in a field.

(NR) identifies the field or subfield as nonrepeatable. Fields or subfields are nonrepeatable for a variety of reasons:

  • The data element may occur no more than once for a given item.
  • The data element may occur more than once, but you enter multiple data elements in the same subfield.
  • The data element may occur more than once, but you enter multiple data elements in separate fields.

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