Skip to main content

0xx

In MARC21 cataloging, there are several commonly used fields that contain essential bibliographic information about library materials. Here are some of the most frequently used MARC21 fields along with examples of their entries:

  1. Leader Field (000):

    • The Leader field contains control information about the record.
    • Example: LDR 01001cam 2200289 4500

  2. Control Number (001):

    1. A unique control number assigned to the record.
    2. Example: 001 123456789
  3. Physica Description fixed field: (007) The 007 field in MARC21 records contains fixed-length data elements that provide physical characteristics information about non-book materials. It is used for materials such as electronic resources, maps, visual materials, sound recordings, etc. Here are the essentials of the 007 field:
    • Category of material (positions 00-00): Indicates the category of material being described, such as electronic resource, map, sound recording, etc. It uses a single-character code based on the MARC21 Category of Material Code List.
    • Specific material designation (positions 01-01): Provides additional detail about the specific type of material being described. It uses a single-character code to specify specific material characteristics.
    • Color (positions 02-03): Indicates the color characteristics of the resource, if applicable. It uses a two-character code based on the MARC21 Color Code List.
    • Dimensions (positions 04-07): Specifies the dimensions or size of the resource, such as height and width. It uses four characters to represent the dimensions in centimeters.
    • Sound characteristics (positions 08-10): Describes the sound characteristics of the resource, if applicable. It uses a three-character code based on the MARC21 Sound Characteristics Code List.
    • Image bit depth (positions 11-12): Indicates the bit depth of the image for visual materials, if applicable. It uses a two-character code to represent the number of bits per pixel.
    • File formats (positions 13-15): Specifies the file formats for electronic resources, if applicable. It uses a three-character code to represent the file formats.
    • Quality assurance target(s) (positions 16-17): Indicates the quality assurance target(s) for the resource, if applicable. It uses a two-character code based on the MARC21 Quality Assurance Targets Code List.
    • Antecedent/source (positions 18-19): Describes the relationship of the resource to an antecedent or source, if applicable. It uses a two-character code to specify the relationship.

These elements in the 007 field provide detailed physical characteristics information about non-book materials, facilitating accurate description and classification of various types of materials in library collections.

  1. Fixed-lenght data elements: (008) The 008 field in MARC21 records contains fixed-length data elements that provide essential information about the bibliographic record as a whole. Here are the essentials of the 008 field:

    • Date of publication (positions 07-10): Indicates the date of publication of the resource. It includes the year or range of years for resources published within a specific time frame.
    • Country of publication (positions 15-17): Specifies the country of publication using a three-character code based on the MARC Code List for Countries.
    • Illustrations (position 18): Indicates whether the resource contains illustrations. It uses a single-character code to specify the presence and nature of illustrations in the resource.
    • Audience (positions 22-23): Specifies the target audience for the resource, such as general, juvenile, or specialized. It uses two characters based on the MARC21 Target Audience Code List.
    • Type of material (position 23): Indicates the type of material being described (e.g., book, computer file, map, etc.). It uses a single-character code based on the MARC21 Type of Material Code List.
    • Government publication (position 28): Indicates whether the resource is a government publication. It uses a single-character code to denote various types of government publications.
    • Literary form (position 33): Specified whether it is fiction, essay or other form of literary.
    • Biography (position 34): Indicates whether the resource is a biography. It uses a single-character code to specify if the item is a biography or not.
    • Language (position 35-37): Specifies the primary language of the resource using a three-character code based on the MARC Code List for Languages.

    These are the essential elements of the 008 field in MARC21 records, providing important information about the resource's publication details, language, type, and other characteristics. These elements help libraries and catalogers to accurately describe and classify bibliographic resources.

  2. ISBN (020):
    • International Standard Book Number for the item.
    • Example: 020 $a9780306406157
  3. ISSN (022):
    • International Standard Serial Number for the item.
    • Example: 02003064
  4. Source of Acquisition (037):
    • Subfield $a: Vendor X (Source from which the item was acquired)
    • Subfield $b: 12345 (Stock number associated with the acquisition source)
    • Subfield $c: Purchased (Acquisition status of the item)
    • Subfield $d: Purchase (Method by which the item was acquired)
    • Subfield $e: 2023-03-01 (Date when the item was acquired)
    • Subfield $f: Main Library (Ownership of the item)
  5. Language (041):
    • Language code(s) of the item.
    • Example: 041 0 $aeng $bfre $gspa
  6. Dewey Decimal Classification (082): Classification number according to the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

    • Subfield $a: Dewey Decimal Number

      • Sample Value: 813.54
      • Description: Represents the primary classification number assigned to the item based on the Dewey Decimal Classification system.

    • Subfield $b: Item Number / Author Marc

      • Sample Value: N419a
      • Description: Author Mark as per sunborn cutter figure

    • Subfield $c: Edition Number

      • Sample Value: 23
      • Description: Indicates the edition number of the Dewey Decimal Classification system used to assign the classification number.

 

Back to top