Library Technical Services

Details on Fields Used in Manuscript Cataloging (LTS Procedure #91)

Scope: This procedure provides details on the fields that RMC staff use in catalog records for manuscripts or archival collections. Because the initial accession record is frequently created by the curator, who knows best what the collection contains, this procedure is written for those who are unfamiliar with MARC records or do not work with MARC tags every day.

Contact: Margaret Nichols

Unit: RMC

Date last updated: 05/06/08

Date of next review: April 2009

Bibliographic Records

Holdings Records

Bibliographic Records

Note: For additional details, see the MARC21 Concise Format for Bibliographic Data

The fields below are in the order in which we input them. Each field in a MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) record begins with a MARC tag (such as 040) and two spaces for additional digits called indicators. In the fields below, both indicators are blank unless otherwise specified.

040: Source of the catalog record (required)

Examples: 040 NIC$cNIC$eappm means “Created by Cornell and input by Cornell, following the rules in Hensen’s Archives, Personal Papers and Manuscripts” (now superseded)

040 NIC$cNIC$edacs means “Created by Cornell and input by Cornell, following the rules in Descriptive Cataloging: A Content Standard” (input this field when creating a new record)

If you make an update, add $dNIC at the end of the 040 field. This means “updated by Cornell.”

099 _9 Local call number (put the collection number in this field--required)

100, 110 or 111: Main entry (first indicator varies—see examples below)

100 1_ Personal name, surname first: 100 1_ Washington, George,$d1732-1799.

110 1_ Government jurisdiction: 110 1_ United States.$bDept. of Defense.

110 2_ Corporate body (e.g. an organization): 110 2_ Newberry Library.

111 2_ Conference, convention, festival, fair, etc.: 111 2_ Ithaca Festival (Ithaca, N.Y.)

If the main entry is a person or group that didn’t create the material but collected it, add $e after the name: 100 1_ Dean, Arthur H.,$ecollector.

245 00: Title (required)

Put the title in this form: creator name + form of materials + (optionally) topic

Use $f for the collection’s dates, and $g for bulk dates:

245 00 Willard Straight papers,$f1825-1925.

245 00 French Revolution manuscript collection,$f1668-1868$g(bulk 1788-1815)
                 Note that the second indicator stands for the number of nonfiling characters (including spaces) at the beginning of the title:

                 Example: 245 03 An autobiography

300: Physical extent (required)

This is usually given in cubic feet or number of items. Note: Spell out the terms, e.g. cubic feet. This field is repeatable. If the collection includes materials in multiple formats, use a separate 300 field for each format:

300 __ 105 cubic feet

300 __ 89 reels microfilm

351: Organization/Arrangement

$a: Organization

$b: Arrangement

Examples:

351 __ $aOrganized into the following series: [...]

351 __ $3Outgoing correspondence is in $bchronological order; incoming correspondence is arranged alphabetically by correspondent.

Note that $3 is used to indicate the part of the collection that the organization or the arrangement applies to. This subfield is not repeatable, though, so you can use it only once in any given 351 field.

545: Historical/Biographical Note

Examples:

545 __ City planner and architect.

545__ Ithaca College began as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, located in downtown Ithaca, in 1892; in 1931 the conservatory was chartered as a private college.

520: Summary (required)

There are no indicators for the first 520; if there are two or more 520 fields, the 2nd and subsequent ones have first indicator 8.

The summary often follows this general sequence in describing the collection:

Types of materials in the collection; main subject of the collection; prominent subtopics; correspondents or other names of importance represented in the collection

Remember that subject headings and added entries in the catalog record should all be explained by the summary.

546: Language of the collection (required)

Example: Mainly in English, with a few letters in German.
               In German, written in 19th-century script.

Example: Forms part of: French Revolution manuscript collection.

530: Additional physical form available note

Example: $3Correspondence$aalso on microfilm.

Here, as in some other fields, $3 is used to indicate what part of the collection the note applies to, if it doesn’t apply to the whole collection.

533: Reproduction note

Example: $3Correspondence consists of$aphotocopies.

Here, as in some other fields, $3 is used to indicate what part of the collection the note applies to, if it doesn’t apply to the whole collection.

535 1_: Location of originals/duplicates note

Here, as in some other fields, $3 is used to indicate what part of the collection the note applies to, if it doesn’t apply to the whole collection.

561: Provenance (beginning before the immediate source of the collection)

Example: Purchased by George Lincoln Burr for A.D. White in 1876. White gave the manuscript to Cornell University Library in 1904.

506: Restrictions on access

Use this field (with first indicator 1) only if there is a restriction.

540: Terms governing use or reproduction

555 0_: Finding aids

510 3_: Citation for a published description of the collection

524: Preferred form of citation for this collection

The words “Cite as” are system supplied.

Example: 524 John Nolen Papers, #2903. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.

581: Citation for a publication based on research in the collection

544: Related collection(s)

Note that a label for this field is not supplied in the public catalog, so you need to begin the text of the field with the words “Related collections: ...”

500: General note

Examples:

500 Collecting program: Human Sexuality Collection.

500 Books in this collection are cataloged individually.

600, 610, 611, 630, 650, 651: Subject headings (indicators vary; see below)

600 10 Personal name, surname first

For a work by a particular author, use a 600 10 with $t for the title.

Example: 600 10 Taylor, Valerie,$1913- $tWhisper their love.

600 30 Family name

610 10 Government jurisdiction (e.g. United States; New York (State); Ithaca (N.Y.))

610 20 Corporate body (organization, musical group, corporation, church, etc.)

611 20 Conference, convention, festival, fair, etc.

630 00 Uniform title heading (for a periodical, or other work published under title)

650 _0 Topical subject heading

Only authorized Library of Congress subject headings can be used in a 650 field with 2nd indicator 0. Subdivisions can be added to a topical subject heading: $x (subtopics), $z (places), $y (time periods), $v (forms).

650 _4 Locally devised topical subject heading

Don’t create one of these unless there really is no Library of Congress heading that fits.

651 _0 Geographic subject heading (for places or geographic features)

Note that only authorized Library of Congress geographic subject headings can be used in a 651 field with 2nd indicator 0. Subdivisions can be added: $x (subtopics), $z ( places), $y (time periods), $v (forms).

                Example: 651 _0 Germany $x History $y 1789-1900 $v Pictorial works.

655 _7: Form/genre terms

These have a $2 at the end, followed by an abbreviation for the thesaurus used.

Example: Diaries.$2aat

Main thesauri we use, or formerly used, with their 655 $2 codes:

aat = Art & Architecture Thesaurus

rbgenr = Genre Terms (created by the Bibliographic Standards Committee of RBMS)

ftamc = Form Terms for Archival and Manuscript Collections—superseded by AAT; if you find FTAMC terms in an existing catalog record, change them to their corresponding AAT terms.

gmgpc=Thesaurus for Graphic Materials II

700, 710, 711, 730: Added entries

Added entries are for people or organizations that are partly responsible for creating the collection or creating some of its material—for instance, an interviewer for a collection of oral histories, correspondents for a group of letters, etc.

700 1_ Personal name, surname first

700 3_ Family name

710 2_ Corporate body

710 1_ Government jurisdiction

711 2_ Conference, convention, festival, fair, etc.

730 0_ Related periodical title, or related other work entered by title

773 0_ : Linking entry

This field electronically links this catalog record to the record for the larger entity that this collection is part of. The field consists of:

$7[four-letter code, nnpc for a manuscript/archival collection]$t[title of larger collection].$w[OCLC] ID of larger collection, written as ((OCoLC)(record ID)]

Example: 773 0_ $7nnpc $t Adelmann research materials collection.$w(OCoLC)63936434

852 8_: Collection number

We no longer use this field in the bibliographic record. Formerly it was used for our repository name and address or more recently, for our MARC Organization Code (NIC) and the collection number: $aNIC $j[number]

Example: 852 8_ $aNIC $j 4956

856 4x: URL for an electronic resource (http)

The second indicator is 0 if the electronic resource is the collection being described (in other words, if the collection itself is the e-resource); 1 if the URL is for an electronic version of the collection; and 2 if the URL is for a related electronic resource, such as an online finding aid.

Example: 846 42 $3Finding aid$uhttp: resolver.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/EADresolver?id=RMM07627

This will show up in the public online catalog as the phrase “Finding aid,” hotlinked to the collection’s finding aid.

Holdings Records

541 0_: Immediate source of acquisition (this field is repeatable; first indicator 0 ensures that it will not display to the public)

$8 Field link and sequence number: 1.1\a $a for the first accession; 2.1 $a for the second accession, and so on.

$a Source

$b Address

$c Method of acquisition, e.g. gift or purchase

$d Accession date

$e Accession no.

$f Owner

$g Purchase price

$n Extent

$o Extent units of measurement

$5 Institution

590: Physical location (i.e. shelf location--we no longer use this field)

583 0_: Actions taken, or to be taken (this field is repeatable; coded not to display to the public)

$8 Field link and sequence number: 1.2\a, 1.3\a, 1.4\a etc. for actions taken with the second accession, and so on.

583 field, Field link and sequence number: for the first accession (which is numbered 1.1\a in the 541 field), the first 583 field is numbered 1.2\a $a, the second 583 field is 1.3\a $a, the third is 1.4\a $a, and so on. For the second accession (numbered 2.1 in the 541 field), the first 583 field is numbered 2.2\a $a, the second 583 field is 2.3\a $a, the third is 2.4\a $a, and so on. Actions on subsequent accessions are numbered similarly (beginning with 3.2\a .... for the third accession, and so on)

Examples:

541 0_ 1.1\a $a Joe A. Donor $c Gift $d 9/10/2007 $e A072-09 $n 15 $o cubic ft. $3 Papers
583 0_ 1.2\a $a Received $c 9/10/2007 $i Picked up $k Eileen Keating $3 Papers
583 0_ 1.3\a $a Acknowledged $c 9/14/2007 $i Letter $k Eileen Keating $3 Papers
583 0_ 1.4\a $a Accessioned $c 9/28/2007 $k Eileen Keating $3 Papers

541 0_ 2.1\a $a Joe A. Donor $c Gift $d 12/15/2007 $e A072-12 $n 2 $o cubic ft. $3 Additional files
583 0_ 2.2\a $a Received $c 12/15/2007 $i Picked up $k Eileen Keating $3 Additional files
583 0_ 2.3\a $a Acknowledged $c 12/18/2007 $i Letter $k Eileen Keating $3 Additional files
583 0_ 2.4\a $a Accessioned $c 12/22/2007 $i Addition $k Eileen Keating $3 Additional files $a Act

$c Date of action taken, or of future action to be taken

$i Method

$j Site of action

$k Agent

$l Status—physical condition, or processing status, etc.

$n Extent

$o Extent units of measurement

$5NIC

$b Action identification, e.g. a project code

$d Action interval

$e Contingency for action, e.g. Upon death of donor

$x Non-public note

852 8_: $rmc $k Archives $h [collection number]

Examples:

852 8_ $b rmc $k Archives $h 2903

852 8_ $b rmc $Archives $h 41-2-877

Note that Archives collection numbers are input with hyphens between parts of the 3-part collection number. If the collection does not yet have a number, use "In process" (without quotes) in $h.