At 05:02 PM 10/14/2003 -0400, Tim Faile wrote:
>Is the MARC Bibliographic format designed to allow the encoding of
>material types at a level sufficient for querying, reporting, and data
>manipulation - i.e., at a level functionally equivalent to the proprietary
>schemes already provided for by ILSs?

I'll risk the general wrath by answering this 'Yes,' with the proviso that
the necessary information isn't in just one place or even two places.  I
might say that the MARC format is indeed intended to allow the encoding and
identification of material types, but the encoding and extraction are not
simple matters.

For example, the program we use to collect and distribute monthly cataloger
and collection statistics looks at the leader, 008 field and 007 fields to
identify the locally-defined "material type" category into which each item
falls.  I just did a count; we identify 20 different material types for
statistical purposes. These categories merely reflect the things we like to
count here, and do not constitute an exhaustive list of everything that
might be identified and counted.  In this list, I've briefly identified the
MARC areas we use to determine each material type.

         books (leader, 007, 008)
         computer file, direct access (leader, 007)
         computer file, remote access (leader, 007)
         computer file, other (leader, 007)
         cartographic material (leader, 007, 008)
         projected, laser disc/DVD (leader, 007)
         projected, videorecording (leader, 007)
         projected, other (leader, 007)
         microfilm (leader, 007, 008)
         microfiche (leader, 007, 008)
         microform, other (leader, 007, 008)
         kit, non-projected graphic (leader)
         music (leader, 007, 008)
         realia (leader)
         audiocassettes (leader, 007)
         music CDs (leader, 007)
         music sound discs (leader, 007)
         other sound recordings (leader, 007)
         serials (leader, 007, 008)
         mixed materials ('archival') (leader)

In the case of 'books' and several other categories, the 007 and 008 fields
are examined to see if an item should be counted as something else (such as
microform or computer file).  So we don't use the 007 and 008 fields to
identify something as a 'book'; yet something can't be called a 'book'
until other possibilities have been eliminated by looking at the 007 and
008 fields.


Gary L. Strawn, Authorities Librarian, etc.
Northwestern University, 1970 Campus Drive, Evanston IL 60208-2300
e-mail: [log in to unmask]   voice: 847/491-2788   fax: 847/491-8306
Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.