On this page, you find a discussion of the major pieces of a MARC data field:
Tags
Three-digit numeric tags identify variable fields. In order to talk about these tags in groups, a convention is followed in which all fields beginning with 1 are identified as 1XX fields, those beginning with 2 as 2XX fields, and so on. Variable data fields can be divided into the following groups:
1XX main entry (or primary creator) fields, including those for personal names, corporate names, conference and event names, and titles 2XX title, edition, imprint, and related fields 3XX physical description fields 4XX series statement fields 5XX notes fields 6XX subject fields 7XX added entries and linking entry fields 8XX series added entry, holdings, and alternative graphic fields 9XX local information fields
A selection of some of the most commonly used fields in MARC are enumerated in the following table:
MARC Tag Definition 008 Fixed field 020 International Standard Book Number 040 Cataloging source 043 Geographic area code 050 Library of Congress call number 082 Dewey Decimal classification number 100 Main entry - Personal name 110 Main entry - Corporate name 111 Main entry - Meeting or Conference name 130 Main entry - Uniform title 245 Title statement 246 Varying form of title 250 Edition statement 264 Production, Publication, Distribution, Manufacture, and Copyright notice 300 Physical description 336 Content type 337 Media type 338 Carrier type 490 Series statement 500 General note 504 Bibliography, etc. note 520 Summary, etc. note 586 Awards note 600 Subject added entry - Personal name 650 Subject added entry - Topical term 651 Subject added entry - Geographic name 655 Index term - Genre/Form 700 Added entry - Personal name 710 Added entry - Corporate name 830 Series added entry - Uniform title 856 Electronic location and access (e.g., URLs)
Subfields
All subfields are distinct elements within fields. They generally contain one individual element of the description, although some subfields may contain two or more descriptive metadata elements. It is important to keep in mind that subfield definitions vary from field to field. Subfields are designated by the use of delimiters in combination with lowercase letters or numbers. Depending on the system used, delimiters may be represented as a dollar sign ($), a pipe character (|), or a double dagger (‡). Because subfields change from field to field, little can be generalized about their purposes. Here are a few examples of selected subfield definitions.
MARC Field Subfield Subfield definition 245 Title statement $a Title $b Remainder of title $c Statement of responsibility, etc. $n Number of part/section of a work $p Name of part/section of a work 300 Physical description $a Extent $b Other physical details $c Dimensions $e Accompanying material 650 Subject added entry --Topical term $a Topical term $v Form subdivision $x General subdivision $y Chronological subdivision $z Geographic subdivision
Indicators
Indicators are two digits that follow the tags in a MARC field. Each digit position has a certain meaning in the context of its particular field, allowing for correct processing of the metadata contained in the field. As with subfield designations, the meaning of a given value in an indicator position can only be understood in the context of the field itself. Some fields use both indicators, some use only or the other, and some fields use none at all. In the example below, for a varying title, the indicators are underlined and in boldface type.
246 18 Chartbook on aging
In a 246 field, the first indicator tells the system whether a note or an added title entry should be generated for the content. Indicator 1 contains the value 1, which means that both a note and an added entry for the title should appear. The second indicator identifies the type of title that appears in the field. Indicator 2 contains the value 8, which means that this is a spine title.
In the MARC 250 (edition) field, both indicators are undefined. It could be displayed as:
250 ## Second edition.
or
250 _ _ Second edition.
or
250 __ Second edition.
On the next page, we will look at some different displays of MARC bibliographic records.
Repeatability
Some fields and subfields are repeatable in a bibliographic record; others are not. MARC documentation will provide clear guidelines repeatability.