BCC2003/SMF/2
Subcommittee on MARC Formats
Report from the 2003 Austin Conference
The Subcommittee on MARC Formats held a joint open meeting with the
Subject Access Subcommittee during the Austin conference. This report addresses the MARC-related aspects of that joint
meeting.
Paul Cauthen summarized MARBI activity for the past year. Among the
changes to MARC21 implemented by the Library of Congress Dec. 21, 2002: 1) A new code for the 007 field to represent items
in DVD format; previously, DVDs had to be coded as laserdiscs. 2) Codes for languages in the 041 field must now be
“unstacked”: the use and order of the codes remains the same, but the subfield marker must be repeated before
each language code used. 3) The 508 field, the note field used to record the names of producers, directors and other
non-performers, is now repeatable.
Approved by MARBI, but not yet implemented by the Library of Congress:
1) A number of new codes were created for the 007 field to assist in the tracking of sound recordings with special
preservation needs. Among the materials that can now be so identified, acetate with ferrous oxide and aluminum with
lacquer. 2) As part of the merger of UKMARC with MARC21, two new positions were created in the 008 or fixed field to
accommodate existing data in UKMARC records: one to indicate the presence of parts, the other to indicate that a work is an
arrangement or transposition. There is no indication that current MARC21 users will be required to start using these
codes.
Currently under discussion by MARBI is a proposal to start recording
certain standard numbers in authority records, among these: the ISWC--the International Standard Musical Work code. The
potential uses of such codes, such as the linking of headings between bibliographic and authority records or for the
exchange of authority data between systems or among cataloging agencies have yet to be evaluated.
Paul also reported that the Subcommittee has begun working with
representatives from RISM to develop a MARBI proposal for additions and changes to MARC21 to accommodate RISM data. Among
the fields under discussion is one for the recording of musical incipits using existing alpha-numeric encoding systems,
such as Plaine & Easie Code.
The meeting concluded with a presentation by Steve Yusko (Library of
Congress) on the MARC Holdings Format. The presentation was followed by an open forum discussion during which members of
the audience posed questions and shared the own solutions to MARC holdings issues related to music.
Submitted by Paul Cauthen
Chair, Subcommittee on MARC Formats
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Last updated June 7, 2003