----------------------------Original message----------------------------
TO: Readers of ARLIS-L
FROM: Liz O'Keefe, ARLIS/NA representative to USMARC Advisory Committee
SUBJECT: Request for feedback on proposals to be discussed at ALA Summer
I will be attending the MARBI (Machine-Readable Bibliographic
Information Committee) meetings at the ALA conference in Washington,
D.C. on June 27-29. MARBI reviews and evaluates standards for the
representation of bibliographic information in machine-readable form;
proposals for changes to the MARC format go through review by this
committee as part of the approval process.
The agenda for this series of meetings includes sixteen proposals and
discussion papers. Papers that seemed of particular relevance to the art
library community are summarized below.
Full texts of all the papers are available at:
http://www.loc.gov/marc/an1998.html
Discussion Paper 110--Enhancement of Computer file 007 in the USMARC
Bibliographic/Holdings Formats
Anyone exploring the possibility of creating a "digital library" will be
interested in this paper, which identifies thirteen core elements neded
to describe and improve access to materials digitally refomatted into
computer files. These elements would be carried in coded form in an
enhanced 007 field for computer files; coding is preferable for purposes
of machine sorting and for international exchange of data. The data
elements include antecedent/source (e.g. original object, microform,
computer file), single/multiple file format, image bit depth type and
image bit depth, whether quality assurance targets are included,
compression type, and reformatting aspect (was it reformatted for
access or for preservation? Preservation implies that the agency has a
long-term commitment to supporting these files, while access may imply
that it does not-that the files were created for a temporary online
exhibition or for an E-Reserve collection). re there data elements
associated with art books that need to be brought out?
Proposal 98-16--Nonfiling characters in all formats
This paper proposes adopting control characters to identify non-sorting
information; this would solve the recurrent problem of being forced to
drop initial articles and punctuation in certain fields and subfields
such as the 246 (Variant titles), 505 (Contents note), 700$t (Title in
an Author/Title tracing). Control characters are preferable to graphic
characters (such as the spacing underscore or angle brackets), since the
graphic characters appear in some contexts as part of data (cf. the use
of the spacing underscore in Internet addresses). There will still be
a problem with older records, since the change cannot be made
retropsectively. Systems which link authority and bibliographic records
will face a special challenge.
Proposal 98-7-Recording incorrect dates in Field 008/06-14
The proposal suggests that two new date codes be created for field
008/06 (Date type): code x to indicate that 008/07-14 contains both a
corrected date and an incorrect date; and code y to indicate that the
046 (Special Coded Dates) contains multiple corrected and incorrect
dates. The proposal was submitted by ALA's Rare Book and Manuscripts
Section; rare book cataloguers often have to deal with title pages
bearing incorrect dates. When the proposal was first discussed at the
Mid-Winter conference, several people suggested expanding the use of the
046 field to cover other dates, such as date of conference, as opposed
to date of publication of proceedings, and date of exhibition, as
opposed to date of publication of an exhibition catalog; are there any
other dates which give problems in art book cataloging?
Several papers deal with language issues:
DP 108--Recording language of heading in USMARC Authority Records
DP 109-Identifying transliteration schemes used in USMARC format
DP 111-Alternate graphics without 880 in MARC records
As more and more libraries adopt MARC format, making it easier to share
records internationally, the ability to record information in non-Roman
scripts, and the ability to pick and choose authority records on the
basis of language becomes more important. Is anyone regularly using
bibliographic records created by agencies that catalog in a language
other than English? How do you deal with headings created according to
other cataloguing rules (e.g. the headings in the records of the
Bibliotheque nationale or the Biblioteca nacional)?
Please pass on to me any thoughts you have regarding the proposals, at:
[log in to unmask]
--
Ms. Elizabeth O'Keefe
Director of Information Services
The Pierpont Morgan Library
29 East 36th Street
New York, NY 10016-3403
TEL: 212 685-0008 x366
FAX: 212 481-3484
NET: [log in to unmask]