BCC2007/SMF/1

MARBI COMMITTEE MEETINGS
ALA Midwinter Conference, Seattle, Wash.
Jan. 20-21, 2007

MARBI met in two sessions during the ALA meeting in Seattle, chaired by Marc Truitt.

Summary:

The meetings were occupied mainly with new proposals and discussion papers.  At the second meeting, Jennifer Bowen shared a brief update on RDA and its implications for MARC.  The MLA did not bring any proposals forward this year, although there were several proposals or discussion papers that might impact the music community.

Highlights:

Proposals

2007-01: Definition of subfields $b and $j in field 041 in the MARC 21 Bibliographic Format (passed with very minor revisions)

This proposal was approved. It provides a new code ($j) for language of subtitle/caption and retains $b as the code for language of summary or abstract.  This solves a longstanding coding problem for audiovisual catalogers (distinguishing between subtitles and summary information) without disrupting the use of $b for summary information in other formats.

2007-02: Incorporating invalid former headings in 4XX fields of the MARC 21 Authority Format (passed)

The proposal allows the incorporation of invalid former headings information into MARC 21 authority records in cases where such headings could be considered useful but should not appear as references.  This proposal was accepted with some modification of the bytes in $w. Subfield h will be used in the first byte to signal that the heading should not display.
MARBI noted that this proposal will have implications for NACO, especially regarding normalization rules.

2007-03: Addition of $5 (Institutions to which field applies) in fields 533 (Reproduction note) and 538 (Systems details note) (approved)

The addition was passed in order to facilitate use of MARC data in the Registry of Digital Masters. MARBI noted that $5 should be defined more broadly in MARC Holdings data than it currently is to accommodate these changes. Some concern was raised on MARBI over the potential for redundancy between fields 533, 538, and 583.

Discussion Papers

2007-DP02: Use of field 520 for content advice statements (revise and return as a proposal)

Revealweb Union Catalog noted the need for “content advice” in records for audiobooks and other products primarily for visually impaired users, so that they can make informed decisions about whether to listen to materials with headphones, in public, around children, etc.

MARBI debated whether this information belongs in the 520 (summary) or 521 (target audience) notes. A straw poll determined a preference for the 520. MARBI asked that when this is brought back as a proposal, $c be defined for the institutional source of the information. The 520 for content advice will also contain a 1st indicator 2, in part to facilitate automated deletion of such statements when appropriate.

2007-DP04: Definition of field code 004 (Control number for related bibliographic record) (not approved; may be returned for further discussion)

OCLC proposed using the 004 to group bibliographic records for the same items in the database, in order to replicate the function of the RLIN record cluster.  MARBI felt that the 004 could be useful for certain FRBR-related record groupings, but was not appropriate for OCLC’s proposed use.
OCLC will pursue a non-MARC solution for replicating record clusters in Worldcat. The proposal may be returned, broadened in scope with further discussion of possible relations between bibliographic and authority records.

2007-DP03: Recording the linking ISSN (ISSN-L) in the MARC 21 Bibliographic, Authority, and Holdings Formats

This proposal was put forward with two options: making the 022 repeatable with a new indicator to indicate linking ISSN, or to create new subfields within the existing 022 for valid and invalid ISSN-Ls. The ISSN Centre, through a representative, voiced very strong support for the second option, noting that making the 022 repeatable could result in “chaos.”
The discussion paper will be returned as a proposal with non-repeatable 022 field, using $f for the ISSN-L and $g for invalid ISSN-L (in rare cases where an ISSN-L is misapplied or changes).

2007-DP01: Changes for the German and Austrian conversion to MARC 21 (some elements will be returned as proposals)

The German and Austrian library communities are switching from MAB (Maschinelles Austauschformat für Bibliotheken) to MARC 21. They brought forward a lengthy and detailed discussion paper on potential updates to MARC to accommodate their needs and bibliographic traditions. Some of the potential additions could be useful to the broader MARC community, some would probably remain local to the German-speaking library world, and some might pose problems.
Possible changes include the addition of authority control numbers to entry fields (1XX, 7XX, etc.) to explicitly link entries to authority headings, the addition of control numbers for multivolume monograph and series linking, and many others. It is not clear yet which changes the MAB community will bring forward as proposals. Those interested in the full discussion paper can access it at http://www.loc.gov/marc/marbi/2007/2007-dp01.html.

Presentations:

J. Bowen introduced a preliminary report on RDA and implications for the MARC formats and a paper on the RDA/ONIX framework for resource categorization. The second paper outlines potential changes that will have major implications for the GMD, but the specific changes (and their implementation) are not yet clear.

Sally McCallum reported on current issues at the Library of Congress.

William Moen noted that his research project on MARC record usage will go forward at ALA Annual in Washington, DC.

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Last updated February 20, 2006