Copyright © 2008-2018, BC Libraries Cooperative
The MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data is available in English and in French. These websites contain the authoritative information on MARC fields and subfields.
MARC records for bibliographic titles in the Sitka catalogue should always meet the minimum requirements set in this policy and ideally should exceed them.
The following table outlines the fields that must ALWAYS be present in the MARC record.
MARC Field | Name | Required Subfields | Material Type | Description |
Leader | N/A | ALL | Contains information required for Evergreen to process the record. | |
Fixed-Length Data Elements - Additional Material Characteristics | N/A | Required for podcasts, e-books, e-audiobooks, e-videos, websites, streaming music, and streaming videos. | Contains coding used by Evergreen for search filters and format icons. | |
Physical Description Fixed Field | N/A | Required for soundrecordings (spoken and music), videorecordings, computer/video games, playaways, podcasts, e-books, e-audiobooks, e-videos, websites, streaming music, and streaming videos. | Contains coding used by Evergreen for search filters and format icons. | |
Fixed-Length Data Elements | N/A | ALL | Contains coding used by Evergreen for search filters and format icons. | |
Standard Identifiers | $a | ALL | Contains the standard identifier used internationally. Every bibliographic records should have at least one 020, 022, or 024 field. | |
Main Entry Fields | $a | ALL, with exceptions where the title is main entry. | Contains the entity responsible for the work (person, corporation, conference, etc.) | |
Title Statement | $a, $c | ALL | Contains the title and author. | |
Production, Publication, Distribution, Manufacture, and Copyright Notice | $a, $b, $c | ALL | Contains the place of publication, publisher, and date of publication or copyright. This is used instead of the 260 field in new records. | |
Physical Description | $a, $c ($c not required for e-records) | ALL | Contains the physical description of the item including number of pages and dimensions. |
Brief on order records are an exception as some of the required information may not yet be available. Brief on order records should always be updated to at least meet the minumum requirement when the item is received and added to the collection. For many records this is taken care of through routine batch loading of full records.
A good MARC record will contain more than just the bare minumum. This makes it easier for patrons to locate the titles they’re looking for in your public catalogue as well making it more evident what title is being described in the record so cataloguers can confidently attach their own holdings.
The fields included in a MARC record will vary depending on the type of material being described.
In addition to the mimumum required fields a good MARC record should also contain, where applicable, the following fields:
MARC Field | Name | Description |
Library of Congress Control Number | Contains the unique number assigned by the Library of Congress. | |
National Bibliographic Agency Control Number | Contains the unique number assigned by a national bibliographic agency, such as Library and Archives Canada. | |
Edition Statement | Contains information about the version of the material, when multiple versions exist. | |
Content Type | Found only in RDA records. Contains the content type of the title. | |
Media Type | Found only in RDA records. Contains information on the type of device needed to view, play, run, etc. the title. | |
Carrier Type | Found only in RDA records. Contains information on the physical format the title is stored on/in. | |
Series Statement | Contains the series statement, including the series name. Older records use the 440 field which is now obsolete. | |
Note Fields | A variety of note fields are available which contain additional information on the title. See the section called “Library Specific Local Information” for information on using local notes in Sitka’s Evergreen. | |
Subject Access Fields | A variety of subject fields are available which contain subject terms to describe what the title is about. See the section called “Local Subject Headings” for information on using local subject headings in Sitka’s Evergreen. | |
Added Entry | Contains additional entities responsible for the work (person, corporation, conference, etc.) | |
Series Added Entry | Contains additional information to aid in searching for series. | |
Electronic Location and Access | Contains information for accessing an e-resource or resources related to a physical resource that are available electronically. See the section called “Library Specific Local Information” for information on how to code this field in Sitka’s Evergreen. |
There are many more MARC fields that can be added to bibliographic records and cataloguers with sufficient cataloguing knowledge should add them to records as applicable.
Some information included in bibliographic records is specific to a particular library. In the shared Sitka catalogue libraries are required to identify this information using a scoping subfield as outlined in the table below.
The information will apply to all items attached to the record belonging to the scoped library.
Table 7.1. Library Specific Local Information
| MARC Field | Field Name | Scoping Subfield | OPAC Visible? | Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Restrictions on Access Note | 5 | Yes | Used to note who is allowed to access the resource. | |
Target Audience Note | 5 | Yes | Used to indicate the audience the resource is intended for (e.g. reading level or video rating). | |
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note | 5 | Yes | Used to note how the resource can be used (e.g. Public Performance Rights). | |
Local Notes | 5 | No | Used for any local notes that do not fit into another field. | |
Local Notes (Indexed) | 5 | No | Used for any local notes that need to be searchable in the public catalogue. | |
Local Subject Access Fields | 5 | Yes | Used for local subject headings (e.g. not Library of Congress or Canadian Subject Headings). | |
Electronic Location and Access | 9 | Yes | Used to provide the URL for access to electronic resources. |
Libraries should only use the specified fields when entering local notes (590, 595) and local subject headings (690). These three fields are preserved when records are merged together.
Information that is specific to items should NEVER be included in the bibliographic record. Instead this information should be included in the relevant item attribute so that it is included in the item record.
The information will apply to the specific item.
Table 7.2. Item Specific Local Information
| Name | Patron Visible | Use |
|---|---|---|
No | Used for commonly repeated information about a specific item (e.g. vendor). | |
No | Used for information specific to the item (e.g. Adopt a Book sponsor). | |
Item Note (Public) | Yes | Used for information specific to the item that may be of interest to a patron (e.g. autographed copy). |
Yes | Used for information that should been seen when an item is checked in or out (e.g. Damage or number of pieces to check for). CAUTION: some 3rd party self check machines cannot display item alerts. |
Copyright © 2008-2018, BC Libraries Cooperative
