Subcommittee on MARC Formats
Annual Report, 1996

1. NAME OF COMMITTEE/SUBCOMMITTEE:

Subcommittee on MARC Formats

2. MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE/SUBCOMMITTEE:

Karen R. Little, chair; Ann Caldwell; Greta de Groat; Ian Fairclough; Ed Glazier; Kathryn P. Glennan; David Thomas; Jay Weitz; Stephen Yusko

3. CHARGE OF COMMITTEE/SUBCOMMITTEE:

To formulate MLA policy on all matters related to the MARC Formats for Bibliographic Data and all other official USMARC formats. The chair serves as MLA liaison to MARBI, the ALA RTSD/RITA/RASD Representation in Machine Readable Form of Bibliographic Information Committee.

4. SUMMARY OF YEAR'S ACTIVITIES:

At the January 1996 MARBI meeting, proposals were approved that permit the use of link code (r) for reproduction and link code (c) for constituent unit in subfield $8. These approvals are important to music librarians as we continue to consider the use of linking fields for music materials.

At the July 1996 MARBI meeting, fields that must be altered for the CAN/MARC and USMARC formats to be in agreement were discussed. One proposal important to music librarians was the adoption of three additional form of composition codes (bd=Ballads; rp=Rhapsodies; sd=Square dance music). It was approved. The proposal to eliminate added entry control from the second indicator of the music publisher number field (028) was also discussed. The Subcommittee, based on consultation with the MLA membership, recommended that the ability to code for added entry be retained. Left unresolved, this proposal was tabled and will be discussed at a future meeting.

The Subcommittee continued to monitor these and other MARBI activities. In addition, the Subcommittee is drafting a discussion paper on the use of the 028 versus the 037 field and continues to review the potential for the use of the field linking sequence for music materials.

5. SUBMITTED BY:

Karen Little, Chair, Subcommittee on MARC Formats

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Last updated February 10, 2000