Chapter contents |
1.1 MARC Bibliographic Records Bibliographic Formats and Standards is a guide to bibliographic and holdings information in machine-readable cataloging records in the WorldCat database. It provides tagging conventions, input standards, and guidelines for entering information in this cooperative environment. WorldCat contains bibliographic records that are descriptions of resources held by or accessible to OCLC member institutions. Bibliographic records are linked with location information, holdings information, authority data, etc. When working online, catalogers either create original bibliographic records, if no cataloging copy is found, or edit existing records as part of copy cataloging. As part of the cataloging process, catalogers add and delete holdings to indicate if their institution holds or has access to a resource or not. They may add, edit, and delete local holdings records and local bibliographic data. Members catalog library materials according to current recognized cataloging standards such as Resource Description & Access (RDA) and Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, 2nd edition (AACR2). Library materials in any language or script may be described in any language of cataloging. Members may enter older cataloging copy during retrospective conversion. These records may not conform to current standards. Information about other cataloging and coding standards, such as Dublin Core (DC), can be found in section 1.5, Cataloging Documentation. |
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1.1 MARC Bibliographic Records |
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Definition |
The MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data is a means for the representation and communication of bibliographic information. MARC stands for MAchine-Readable Cataloging, and is developed and maintained by the Library of Congress, in consultation with the MARC Advisory Committee (MAC), previously known as the MAchine-Readable Bibliographic Information Committee (MARBI). MARC records consist of three parts:
The Leader and the 001, 005, and 008 variable control fields are called the OCLC Fixed Field. The fixed field may be displayed as a single area with mnemonic labels for each element or as a separate variable field in Connexion® client and WorldShare Record Manager®. The variable control fields (001, 005, 006, 007, 008) do not have indicators or subfield codes. In Connexion, OCLC uses subfield codes in field 007 displays to assist with readability and editing; however, the subfield codes are not included or stored in electronic versions of the WorldCat record. In Record Manager, field 007 displays as a variable field and may be clicked on and expanded for guided entry. In MARC 21, field 007 is a control field that does not have indicators or subfield codes. Variable data fields that identify how data is indexed and displayed in WorldCat vary in number and length. They are identified by the following information:
A bibliographic record cannot exceed 99,999 characters. Each variable field cannot exceed 9,999 characters. These limits apply to records exported as MARC 21 using Connexion and Record Manager. If records exceed these limits and need to be exported, the MARCXML export format must be used. |
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Tags |
MARC tags identify variable fields and are grouped numerically by function. In the following list, xx stands for a numeric value ranging from 00 to 99:
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Indicators |
In MARC records, variable field indicators supply information about the field for indexing, display, or other system functions. Variable field indicators may consist of numbers or blanks. Values in the indicator positions, including blanks, have assigned meanings. |
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Subfields |
Subfields are the smallest logical unit of information in a variable field. Subfield codes (letters or numbers) identify subfields and are preceded by subfield delimiters. In Connexion client the subfield delimiter displays as the Unicode character, alveolar click ( ǂ ), sometimes referred to as a double dagger, while in other OCLC cataloging interfaces the subfield delimiter displays as a dollar sign ( $ ) or double dagger ( ‡ ). The subfield delimiter is coded as ASCII 1F hex in exported records and records delivered via other services. Subfields contain coded or textual information for the bibliographic description of the resource. In Connexion and Record Manager the display of subfield ǂa is implicit at the beginning of each field, and the subfield code does not display. However, subfield ǂa does display in both cataloging interfaces when it is preceded by another subfield. |
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MARC 21 and OCLC-MARC |
MARC 21 is the technical standard for the encoding of bibliographic information. There are some differences between MARC 21 and OCLC's implementation which are noted in this document. For more information about OCLC's implementation, see OCLC-MARC Records. Some MARC 21 bibliographic data elements have not been implemented by OCLC. This table indicates possible OCLC action to implement them.
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1.2 Input Standards |
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OCLC input standards |
OCLC has established input standards based on MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, National Level Full and Minimal Requirements, PCC standards, and the advice of OCLC users. OCLC input standards are defined according to two main levels of completeness:
Input standards for indicators and subfields are in effect only when the field itself is used. In 2020, OCLC began work to eliminate OCLC-defined codes used in ELvl in favor of those defined by MARC 21. As a result, the former I-level input standard is now the OCLC full-level input standard, and the former K-level input standard is now the OCLC minimal-level input standard. For input standards for abbreviated-level records, see section 2.4, Full, Minimal, and Abbreviated-Level Cataloging. |
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Input standards table |
The table captioned Input standards for Leader, 008, and 006 elements on the Fixed Field Introduction page contains the input standards for all fixed-field elements as applicable by record format. There is also an Input Standards section on each individual fixed-field element page. A detailed Input Standards section appears on each variable field page for the field input standards and the subfield input standards. The full-level standard is given first, followed by a slash and the minimal-level standard. These are the designations used for input standards.
The following is a schematic of the input standards section at the beginning of each variable field description.
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Repeatability |
The designation (R) identifies a field or subfield as repeatable, which means it may occur more than once. The designation (NR) identifies a field or subfield as nonrepeatable, which means it may occur no more than once. Repeatability of fields or subfields matches MARC 21 specifications. |
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Validity |
Some fields, subfields, elements, or values may be marked Obsolete. Do not use. Although some records in WorldCat may still contain this coding, do not use these fields, subfields, elements, or values in current cataloging. Additionally, some obsolete MARC 21 fields, subfields, elements, or values have been completely removed from WorldCat and are considered invalid. The corresponding descriptive information has been removed from this document. Information concerning invalid fields, subfields, elements, or values can be found in Content designators for bibliographic data, MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, Content designators for holdings data, MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data, and OCLC-MARC Records. |
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1.3 Bibliographic Formats |
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There are five MARC 21 data communication formats: Authority, Bibliographic, Classification, Community Information, and Holdings. This manual is based on the MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data and MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data and includes information about bibliographic and holdings data. Bibliographic data exist in WorldCat as bibliographic records (BIB) and local bibliographic data (LBD). Detailed holdings data are represented in WorldCat as local holdings records (LHR). The three-character designations are used throughout this document to indicate which record types are valid for individual fields and fixed-field elements. MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data historically had seven bibliographic formats for the different types of materials and modes of issuance: audio-visual materials, books, machine-readable data files, manuscripts, maps, music (scores and sound recordings), and serials. The Bibliographic, Authorities, and Holdings Data formats were formerly known as USMARC. As a result of format integration in the early 1990s, these formats became the single integrated MARC 21 Bibliographic format. For convenience, OCLC documentation still refers to eight bibliographic formats: Books (BKS), Computer Files (COM), Continuing Resources (CNR), Maps (MAP), Mixed Materials (MIX), Scores (SCO), Sound Recordings (REC), and Visual Materials (VIS). In Connexion, they correspond to the workforms used to create new bibliographic records. In Record Manager, these workforms are known as material type templates. The three-character format designators also serve as search qualifiers. |
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Choosing a format |
Type of Record code (Type) and Bibliographic Level code (BLvl) together characterize the kind of library material represented by the record. You must determine the appropriate Type and BLvl for the material you are cataloging. |
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The following tables relate the eight bibliographic formats to their respective Type and BLvl codes.
The following is a list of codes for BLvl.
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1.4 WorldCat Bibliographic Records |
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Bibliographic records |
WorldCat uses the concept of a single bibliographic record per language of cataloging to represent a manifestation of a work. Only one WorldCat record should exist in a language of cataloging. For more information on parallel language records, see section 2.6, Language of Cataloging. When you retrieve records, the system displays a temporary working copy of the WorldCat record. When you modify the copy for local use, the WorldCat record does not retain these modifications. However, you can correct or upgrade and replace the WorldCat record. In this case, the WorldCat record does retain these modifications. If a WorldCat record does not exist for a manifestation in your language of cataloging, you may create a new record using a workform/template or derive one from an existing record when appropriate. If a record exists in your language of cataloging for the resource you want to catalog, you may modify the record for local use and add your OCLC symbol to the holdings information. For more information about editing bibliographic records, see section 5.2, Member Capabilities. |
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Records are dynamic |
WorldCat records may change for reasons that include:
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Derive new records |
If you need to catalog a resource and cannot locate an existing bibliographic record in WorldCat, you can derive a new record from a record that has information in common with the resource you want to catalog. For example, use the record from a previous edition as the basis for a new record for a new edition, or use the print record as the basis for a new electronic record. When you derive the new record, the system transfers selected fields from the existing record to the new one. |
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Create new records |
Workforms/templates contain commonly used fixed-field elements, variable fields, and subfields. Each of the eight bibliographic formats has a specific workform/template. If you do not find an existing or a similar record, you may use a workform/template to enter a new record. Workforms in Connexion are equivalent to material type templates in Record Manager. When entering bibliographic information in MARC records, apply the most current version of your chosen cataloging instructions. Your choice of cataloging standards should be reflected in the bibliographic record in Desc and/or in field 040 subfield ǂe. |
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More information |
For instructions on how to modify existing MARC records, replace WorldCat records, create new records, and use workforms, see Connexion documentation or Record Manager documentation. For information about correcting existing bibliographic records, see chapter 5, Quality Assurance. A comprehensive listing of OCLC terms accompanied by definitions can be found in the OCLC glossary. |
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1.5 Cataloging Documentation |
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The following is a partial bibliography of various tools and resources available for consultation. Many of these resources are freely available and some are included in the Cataloger's Desktop, a subscription service available from the Library of Congress. |
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General |
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Descriptive cataloging |
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Classification |
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Subject/Genre cataloging |
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Specialized communities and formats |
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This page last revised: October 12, 2022