1. MARC:
Beyond the Basics
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

2. MARC Review and Intro What does MARC mean?
-- MAchine-Readable Cataloging
MARC terms and their definitions (Next slide)
Reviewing older, “tricky” fields
Some newer fields and their uses
MARC authority control
How to find out more about MARC
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

3. MARC Terms and Their Definitions
FIELDS (e.g. author, title, physical description, etc.) are marked by TAGS (a 3-digit number)
Some fields are further defined by INDICATORS (numerals)
SUBFIELDS are marked by SUBFIELD CODES (usually a letter) and DELIMITERS
CONTENT DESIGNATORS is an inclusive term used to refer to tags, indicators, and subfield codes
Here’s were I will go to the Follett cataloging screen and show fields, tags, indicators, etc.
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

4. Some Less Common MARC Fields
Control number
Control number identifier
Date and time of latest transaction
Additional material characteristics
Physical description fixed field
Fixed length data elements
022 – ISSN
034 – Coded cartographic data
Source of acquisition
Language code
Geographic area code
Library of Congress call number
Dewey classification number
Main entry -- Corporate name
240 – Uniform title
246 – Varying form of title
255 – Cartographic math. Data
263 – Projected publication date
265 – Computer file characteristics
306 – Playing time
508 – Creation/production credit note
510 – Review sources
511 – Participant or performer note
521 – Target audience note
530 – Additional physical format note
538 – System details note
546 – Language note
586 – Awards note
630 – Uniform title
655 – Genre/form
658 – Curricular objective
69X – Local subject access fields
730 – Uniform title
852 – Location
856 – Electronic location and access
9XX – Reserved for local use
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

5. The 0XX Fields
The 0XX fields are mostly coded fields which don’t appear in the OPAC. They may, however, be used in important ways by catalog software. Be careful with these fields.
Leader
Fixed length data elements
022 – ISSN
034 – Coded cartographic data
Source of acquisition
Language code
Geographic area code
Library of Congress call number
Dewey classification number
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

6. Leader (000 Field)
The leader is the first 24 characters of the record.
Each position is assigned a meaning which mostly for computer use
In some programs the leader may be edited if necessary
The most important positions in the leader for editing are the 6th position “type of record,” e.g. language material, cartographic material, etc. and then 8th position “bibliographic level,” e.g. monograph, serial, etc.
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

7. The 008 Field
Another important field is 008, the Fixed-Length Data Elements, or Fixed Field Codes
Here is where you can encode such information as dates of publication, place of publication, whether a book is large-print, the language of the book, and so on.
For items other than books, this field provides a place to encode information specific to the type of material being cataloged. E.g. for movies and videos, the length of the film and whether it is animated or live action.
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

8. The 2XX Fields
The 2XX fields are title-associated fields which may or may not appear in the OPAC record
240 – Uniform title
246 – Varying form of title
255 – Cartographic mathematical data
263 – Projected publication date
265 – Computer file characteristics
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

9. The 3XX Fields
The 3XX fields are descriptive fields which mostly appear in the OPAC record
306 – Playing time
310 – Current publication frequency
321 – Former publication frequency
362 – Dates of publication and/or sequential designation
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

10. The 5XX Fields
The 5XX fields are note fields which appear in the OPAC and may be searched only using keywords
505 – Formatted contents note
508 – Creation/production credit note
510 – Review sources
511 – Participant or performer note
521 – Target audience note
526 – Study program information note
530 – Additional physical format note
538 – System details note
546 – Language note
586 – Awards note
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

11. The 6XX Fields
The 6XX fields are subject heading fields which are searchable in the OPAC as subjects
630 – SH - Uniform title
655 – Index term - Genre/form
658 – Index term - Curricular objective
69X – Local subject access fields
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

12. The 7XX Fields
The 7XX fields are added entry fields which are searchable in the OPAC as titles or authors
730 – Uniform title
740 – Series added entry
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

13. Access Points
Access points are the headings for which separate cards were created for the card catalog, and which a patron or librarian can search in an online catalog
Most of the access points are in:
1XX fields (main entries)
4XX fields (series entries)
6XX fields (subject access)
7XX fields (other added entries)
8XX fields (series added entries)
Show catalog record with hyperlinked access points
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

14. Authority Control
The use of established forms for the same access point is called authority control
Is it the “Getty Museum” or the “J. Paul Getty Museum”?
Is it “Twain, Mark” or Twain, Mark, ” or “Clemens, Samuel, ”?
Determining which form of a particular heading to use is essential for effective and efficient searching of our catalogs
Library of Congress Authorities gives the most comprehensive list of subject heading and for small libraries such as in schools, Sears List of Subject Headings is quite adequate but be careful about differences between the two systems.
Show Sears List of Subject Headings and LCSH
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

15. Local Authority Control
Each library must make many decisions about what form its access points are going to take
The library should also establish appropriate cross-references to established forms from non-used forms, i.e. See references
A final purpose of the authority file is to lead the user from a particular form to various related forms, i.e. See also references
Here is where I will go to the online cataloging program and demonstrate how to make an authority record
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

16. Parallel Content
The fields requiring authority control are also fields that use parallel tag construction
The parallel content can be summarized as follows:
X00 Personal names
X10 Corporate names
X11 Meeting names
X30 Uniform titles
X50 Topical terms
X51 Geographic names
X55 Genre/form headings
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

17. Fields in Authority Records
Heading used (1XX)
Heading not used (4XX)
Broader or related headings (5XX)
150 |aApples.
450 |aApple trees
550 |aCooking |xApples.
550 |aFruit.
550 |aFruit trees.
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

18. Example of a Geographic Authority
Heading used
Heading not used
Broader or related headings
151 |aHawaii.
451 |aHawaiian Islands
551 |aUnited States.
551 |aIslands of the Pacific.
550 |aIslands.
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

19. A Special Case: The X55 Field
The X55 field, Genre/Form Subject, is a special case
This field is relatively new but more and more records are appearing with this field
Sears seems to ignore the use of the field
What is GSAFD?
Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, Etc. gives a list of genre and form headings
Also be aware of the subfield “v” for form subdivisions of subject headings
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun

20. References
Access to many online resources discussed in this presentation, as well as the presentation itself, are available online:
The chief source of information for this presentation is MARC Standards. Available online:
11/24/2018
(C) 2006, Tom Kaun