LI 804

 What MARC is  How MARC was developed  How MARC is used  The future of MARC  Our evaluation of MARC

 Stands for MAchine Readable Cataloging  Catalog record includes four things: › Description of the item › Main entry and added entries › Subject headings › Classification or call number  An example of a MARC record:

 Library of Congress developed the LC MARC format when computer use began  LC MARC system used brief numbers, letters, and symbols to mark different types of information  The LC MARC system evolved into MARC 21

 Bibliographic format and documentation is maintained by the Library of Congress  Two groups review and revise MARC 21 content: › MARC Advisory Committee › The Machine-readable Bibliographic Information (MARBI) Committee  Committee of the ALA  Made up of three representatives from technical services, automation services, and reference services

 Need for standardized cataloging system › Developed by libraries to get full use out of computers › Made shared cataloging a reality › Made library automation affordable › Comprehensive and flexible record › Two main design components:  Structure-form the information takes  Standard for machine-readable records

 Pre-MARC computer systems (early to mid 1960s) › Could only be used by trained library personnel › Could only be used by the library that created the system › Limited use  Circulation  Overdue Notices  Fixed length  About 120 characters  Either too much space or not enough space

 Research and Development, MARC I and MARC II › Library of Congress chosen to facilitate research › Research began at LofC in 1965 › Two main focuses:  Development of a machine readable format for library records  Potential use of an automated system

 MARC I › Small group of libraries using computers was used as a test group › Became evident that shared records would be a great advantage of an automated system › Searching could be done using non-traditional words of phrases › Gathering of statistics could improve storage and circulation

 MARC II › MARC I expanded in 1967 into MARC II › Communication format standard  Magnet tape  Transmission of magnetic tape by US mail  Flexible formatting  System developed into USMARC in the 1980s  Combined with CAN/MARC (Canadian MARC) in 1997 to become MARC 21

 Prevents duplication of work  Allows libraries to share authority information  Enables libraries to access authority data that is predictable and reliable  Cost effective  Quality enhancing  Prevents librarians from ‘reinventing the wheel’  Allows all persons who distribute and use authority data to communicate with each other

 MARC 21 transmits data (specifically bibliographic data) from one system to another  Reduces the work load of librarians by eliminating the need to catalog information that has already been added to the system  Standard form used in machine readable information

 The Library of Congress uses MARC 21 › Current LofC classification schedules are produced from records in MARC 21 classification format  Around fifty systems are available to collect, organize, and manage MARC 21 records

 Follett Software Company-serves more than 100,000 schools and universities in the U.S. and 165 countries worldwide  Library.Solution-serves thousands of libraries worldwide, includes circulation and self checkout functions  Polaris- serves over 1000 libraries worldwide, has a multilingual edition that includes 115 languages  Koha- free/open source, a community of collaborating libraries worldwide

 There is some competition with other cataloging systems: › RDA › AACR2  These systems are thought by some to be more in line with ideas of web 2.0 and the semantic web  There is strong support in the library world to adapt and improve the MARC 21 system, rather than switch systems completely

 Bibliographic exchange formats. (n.d.). Retrieved from June 2,  Block, R. RDA: Boondoggle or Boon? And What About MARC? (2009, April 22). Retrieved from June 14,  Bowen, J. (2005). What's after AACR2? Retrieved from :  Byrne, D.J. (1998). Marc manual. Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, Inc.  Coyle, K. and Hilllman, D. (2007). Resource description and access (RDA), cataloging rules for the 20 th Century. D-Lib Magazine.Retrieved from:  Frequently Asked Questions. (2006, July 12). Retrieved from June 14,  Frequently asked quetions about cataloging. (n.d.). Retrieved from June 2, 2010.

 Full Level Record – Book. (2003, October). Retrieved from June 12,  Furrie,B. (2009). Understanding MARC-bibliographic. (8 th ed.). Washington DC.: Library of Congress.  Joint Steering Committee for the Development of RDA. (2010). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved from:  Library of Congress (2004). Understanding MARC authority records (2 nd ed. ) Washington DC: Library of Congress.  Marc records, systems, and tools. (2009, May 8). Retrieved from June 2,  Network Development and MARC Standards Office (2009). FRBR display tool: version 2.0. Retrieved from: analysis/tool.html  Schottlaender, B. E. C., (Ed.) (1998) The future of the descriptive cataloging rules. Chicago and London : American Library Association.  Taylor, A. G. (Ed.) (2007). Understanding FRBR. Westport, CT: Libraries Unlimited.  Zenn,S. (2004). An introduction to MARC 21 cataloging. Retrieved from: