GPC Library Technical Services
Ask A Librarian · Site Search · iCollege · SIS · Library Technical Services · GPC Home
Copy Cataloging of New Books for GPC

III. Editing Bib Records by Field

Once the appropriate record has been matched with the item in hand and general information has been checked, the record should be edited accordingly. For more detailed information about contents and tagging of individual MARC fields see OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards.

0xx | 1xx | 2xx | 3xx | 4xx | 5xx | 6xx | 7xx | 8xx | 9xx


008
[top]
  Clicking on the 008 button in a bib record in Voyager will bring up these fixed fields in a formatted display. Glance at these fields to see that they correspond to the information in the variable fields of the bib record. Pay particular attention to Publication Status, Date 1, Date 2, Place of Publication, Illustrations, Content, and Index.
020
[top]
  Add alternate ISBNs as found. (If you are cataloging the paperback copy, and the record is lacking the hardcover ISBN, add it.)
035
[top]
  Delete all 035 fields except for those containing OCLC numbers

Example:
035   ‡a (OCoLC)ocm47844476
043
[top]
  The 043 fields are missing in DLC/Baker & Taylor records. Add missing 043‡a fields for geographic areas reflected in the record’s subject headings. For the appropriate codes, refer to the MARC Code List for Geographic Areas. The cataloger may use a maximum of three codes. Each geographic area code has seven character positions, which can only be filled by lowercase letters or hyphens. For example, the code for the United States is n-us, therefore the copy cataloger would fill the remaining three character positions with hyphens, resulting in n-us---

Examples:
043   ‡a n-us-ms
650 _0 ‡a Manuscripts, American ‡z Mississippi.
     
043   ‡a n-us--- ‡a n-cn-- ‡a e-uk---
650 _0 ‡a Art ‡z United States ‡x History ‡y 20th century.
650 _0 ‡a Art ‡z Canada ‡x History ‡y 20th century.
650 _0 ‡a Art ‡z Great Britain ‡x History ‡y 20th century.
050/090
[top]
  Verify and edit the call number as needed. Make sure that the decimal is in front of the first (or only) cutter. Watch for incorrect dates. The date should match the date on the piece and should be the same in the fixed field (008), the 050 or 090, and the 260‡c.

Examples:
Incorrect:
‡a HC103. ‡b F59 2001
  Correct:
‡a HC103 ‡b .F59 2001
     
Incorrect:
‡a PN4900.D5 ‡b .C6 1961
  Correct:
‡a PN4900.D5 ‡b C6 1961

If the call number has a lowercase x after the year, delete the x and leave the rest of the call number the same.

Examples:
In record:
‡a PS3556.R33372 ‡b S94 2000x
Change to:
‡a PS3556.R33372 ‡b S94 2000

NOTES:
If the call number is in the PZ range, write “PZ” on a post-it, put it on the book, and put the book on the problem shelf.

If there is a second ‡a is present in 050/090 field, write “2 call numbers” on a post-it, put it on the book, and put the book on the problem shelf. These are alternative classification numbers provided by the Library of Congress and a librarian will have to decide which is the most appropriate for our collections.

Example:
090   ‡a Z631.N32 2000 ‡a HF3213

After checking the call number do not forget to pencil it on the upper left corner of the title page verso.
100
[top]
  If the names in the 245‡c include terms like editor, compiler, translator, etc., do not enter these names in a 100 field. They will be entered later in 700 fields.

The 100 field is particularly problematic in DLC/Baker & Taylor records. Check all 100 fields for the correct indicators. If a 100 field contains information about editors (Edt), delete the 100 field, and change the first indicator in 245 field to 0. If they aren’t already there, add 700s for the names deleted from the 100.

Example:
Incorrect:
100 00 ‡a O'Brien, Patrick Karl (Edt)
245 10 ‡a Oxford atlas of world history / ‡c Patrick K. O’Brien, editor.
     
Correct:
245 00 ‡a Oxford atlas of world history / ‡c Patrick K. O’Brien, editor
700 1_ ‡a O'Brien, Patrick Karl.
245
[top]
  The title and statement of responsibility should always match the title page (or other chief source of information) exactly, including errors, punctuation, or abbreviations. (See a librarian for the correct procedure of noting an error in the 245).

When cataloging CIP copy, pay particular attention to the 245, as this information may have changed after publication.

The first indicator in the 245 specifies whether or not the record is author or title main entry. If a 100 field is present, the record is author main entry and the first indicator of the 245 should be 1. If there is no 100 field, then the record is title main entry and the first indicator of the 245 should be 0.

Examples:
100 1_ ‡a Alcott, Louisa May, ‡d 1832-1888.
245 10 ‡a Little women / ‡c Louisa May Alcott.
     
245 00 ‡a Nutrition notes / ‡c Ester L. Schmitt, editor.
700 1_ ‡a Schmitt, Ester L.

The second indicator in the 245 is the filing indicator. Filing indicators are used when a title begins with a definite or indefinite article that is disregarded in sorting and filing processes. We can have up to 9 non-filing characters present. Always pay careful attention to the filing indicators in the 245, but particularly on DLC/Baker & Taylor records. To establish the correct filing indicator enter the number of characters in the article, plus spaces, punctuation, and diacritics that precede the first significant word. When there are more than 4 characters present, note that on a post-it, and put the book to the problem shelf.

Example:
Incorrect:
245 10 ‡a A tribute to a hero
245 12 ‡a La cause du peuple
245 00 ‡a The ultimate field guide to the U.S. economy
     
Correct:
245 12 ‡a A tribute to a hero
245 13 ‡a La cause du peuple
245 04 ‡a The ultimate field guide to the U.S. economy
  ‡a Capitalization in the 245 does not follow standard usage. Capitalize only the first word or article of the title, proper adjectives, and proper nouns. Titles of other works occurring within the main title are treated as if they were independent titles, capitalizing the first word of the title, proper adjectives, and proper nouns. (see first example below).

Examples:
245 00 ‡a Readings on the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn / ‡c Katie de Koster, book editor.
245 14 ‡a The essential Johnny Cash / ‡c Johnny Cash.
245 04 ‡a The encyclopedia of Protestantism / ‡c Hans J. Hillerbrand, editor.
  ‡c Bracket any information in the 245‡c that does not come from the title page (the chief source of information for this area). For example, an author statement taken from the verso of a title page should be enclosed in square brackets.

If a single statement of responsibility names more than three individuals or corporate bodies performing the same function (authors, editors, etc.), all but the first is omitted. The omission is indicated by … [et al.] in the 245‡c, and the first named individual is given a 700. There will be no 100. This is commonly known as the rule of three.

Example:
245 00 ‡a America’s radical right / ‡c Ben Smith … [et al.].
700 1_ ‡a Smith, Ben.

240/246
[top]
  Keep all 240 fields on the bib record.

If a 246 field (variant title) is present, check it and correct it as needed. Unlike the 245, the second indicator in the 246 is not a filing indicator. Instead, it records the type of variant title (cover, spine, etc.). In light of this, delete any initial articles present in the 246 (a, an, the) and capitalize the first word of the title. Ask a librarian before adding new variant titles to the bib record. The 246 never ends with a period.

Example:
Incorrect:
246 30 ‡a The introduction to biology
     
Correct:
246 30 ‡a Introduction to biology
250
[top]
  Edition information on the item in hand should correspond to the edition information in the record. The edition statement will use words such as edition or version. Notice that many words in the 250 are abbreviated, such as edition (ed.), paperback (pbk.), and revised (rev.). Also, ordinal numbers are expressed in their abbreviated form (“1st" not “First”).

Examples:
250   2nd ed.
250   1st pbk. ed.
250   Rev.
260
[top]
‡a The place of publication is taken from the title page, then the verso if the information is not given on the t.p. If multiple locations are given, always enter the first listed. If the first listed is in the United States, stop here. If not, enter the first listed foreign location, then the first listed U.S. location in a second ‡a. Make sure that the first listed 260‡a corresponds to the Place of Publication field in the 008.

Examples:
t.p. reads: London, New York, Chicago
260   ‡a London ; ‡a New York
 
t.p. reads: New York, Chicago, London
260   ‡a New York

There is no need to enter the U.S. state or country, if the city is reasonably well-known, such as New York or Chicago. If not, the U.S. state (or country for cities outside the U.S.) may be supplied from the t.p. or verso. If the state is listed as a postal code (GA=Georgia) or AACR2 abbreviation (Ga.=Georgia), transcribe it as such. If it is spelled out completely or abbreviated in any other way, use the AACR2 abbreviation. For a list of AACR2 abbreviations and postal codes for U.S. states, see AACR2 B.14 or this website.
  ‡c Pay careful attention to dates. If the dates on the item in hand and in the bib record do not match, the title may need a new record and should be put on the problem shelf. If you are upgrading CIP, take extra care to establish the correct date. Anticipated dates of publication sometimes vary from the actual ones.

The date in an edition statement is given the highest priority.

Example:
On verso: 1st Anchor Books ed., 2003
260   ‡c 2003.

If there is no dated edition statement, then the date of publication is given.

Example:
On verso: Published in 1991 by Oxford University Press
or
On t.p.: Oxford University Press 1991
260   ‡c 1991.

If the date of publication is unknown, then the copyright date is given.

Example:
On verso: ©2001
260   ‡c c2001.

If publication and copyright dates are both present, the publication date only is given, unless the dates differ. In this case, the copyright date can be added and the publication date will be used in the call number. Remember to check that the fixed fields of Publication Status, Date 1, and Date 2 reflect what is in the 260‡c.

Examples:
 
On verso: First published in 2001, ©2001
Publication Status: s
Date 1 (yyyy): 2001
Date 2 (yyyy): ____
050 _4 ‡a HC103 ‡b .F59 2001
260   ‡c 2001.

Examples:
 
On verso: First published in 2001, ©1998
Publication Status: t
Date 1 (yyyy): 2001
Date 2 (yyyy): 1998
050 _4 ‡a RT55 ‡b .N77 2001
260   ‡c 2001, ©1998.

Printing dates or dates of manufacture, such as "1967 printing" are not used in the 260‚c and should be ignored.

If you receive a book with a copyright date that is later than the year in which the book was received, accept the copyright date as is. This happens frequently near the end of the year. For example, it is August 2004 and you receive a book that lists no date other than "c2005." You would use "c2005" in the 260‡c.

If you have any doubt about the 260‡c, ask a librarian or place the book on the problem shelf.

263
[top]
  Anticipated date of publication. Delete.
300
[top]
  Check page numbering, illustrations and plates, and the height of the item. If 300 field is incomplete, the record is probably CIP (a record prepared by the Library of congress prior to the book’s publication). Fill in the information according to the rules.

Examples:
300   viii, 318 p., [16] p. of plates : ‡b col. ill. ; ‡c 25 cm.
300   vi, 262 p. ; ‡c 30 cm. + ‡e 1 CD-ROM (4 3/4 in.)
300   1 v. (unpaged) : ‡b ill. (some col.), maps ; ‡c 20 cm.
300   92 p. ; ‡c 20 cm.
300   1 v. (various pagings) : ‡b ill. ; ‡c 32 cm.

Open entries: Multi-part items that are not yet complete will not have pagination or a number of volumes in the 300‚a (see example below). Do not catalog these items. Put them on the problem shelf.

Example:
Incomplete:
300   ‡a v. : ‡b ill. ; ‡c 23 cm.
     
Complete:
300   ‡a 12 v. : ‡b ill. ; ‡c 23 cm.
  ‡b The 300‡b should directly correspond to the illustration codes in the 008 fixed fields.

Examples:
Illustrations 1: a
Illustrations 2: b
Illustrations 3: _
Illustrations 4: _
300   ‡b col. ill., maps
 
Illustrations 1: a
Illustrations 2: _
Illustrations 3: _
Illustrations 4: _
300   ‡b ill.

Fuller descriptions of illustrative matter (such as ports., music, and forms) are optional. It is current Library of Congress practice to only use the terms ill. or map to describe illustrations. If the record contains fuller data, it may be verified against the item and left "as is." Do not supply extra descriptions of illustrative matter other than ill. or map.

Tables are not considered to be illustrations. If the item in hand contains only tables the subfield b should be omitted and the Illustration fields in the 008 should be left blank.
  ‡c When measuring the item in hand, measure the height in centimeters, rounding up to the next centimeter. Give the height only unless:

The width of the volume is less than half the height:
300 ‡c 20 x 8 cm.

or

The width of the volume is greater than the height:
300 ‡c 20 x 32 cm.

When both height and width are given, the height comes first, then the width, with a lowercase x in between them.
  ‡e If the book comes with any accompanying material (CD-ROM, computer disk, teacher’s guide, etc.) leave this material in the book, check for the presence of a 300‡e, and put a post-it note on the cover stating "with CD" etc., to alert the processors to the accompanying material. If the accompanying material mentioned in the record did not come with our copy, you may delete the 300‡e and any corresponding 007 and 538.

440/490
[top]
  It is GPC policy to not trace series statements, with the exception of a few titles. All series statements should be changed to 490 0_ and all 8xx fields deleted to reflect this policy. Remember to remove initial articles, as the 490 field has no filing indicator.

Examples:
On record:
440 _4 The basic biology series
 
Change the 440 to:
490 0_ Basic biology series
 
On record:
490 1_ Princeton landmarks in mathematics
830 _0 Princeton landmarks in mathematics and physics.
 
Delete the 830 and change the 490 to:
490 0_ Princeton landmarks in mathematics
500/504
[top]
  Edit/add pagination in the 504 field, which is used for notes regarding bibliographical references and indexes. If pagination is not on the piece, but supplied by the cataloger, don’t forget to bracket the supplied page number (see examples).

Examples:
504   ‡a Includes bibliographical references (p. 56-58) and index.
504   ‡a Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
504   ‡a Includes bibliographical references (p. 107-[105]).

Older records may use a separate 500 field for notes regarding the index. Delete this 500 and enter the information in the 504, updating the wording of the note if necessary.

Example:
In the record:
500   ‡a Includes index.
504   ‡a Bibliography: p. 67-79.
 
Update to:
504   ‡a Includes bibliographical references (p. 67-79) and index.

If the record contains a 504 note regarding bibliographical references and index(es), but there are no bibliographical references in the book, remove that part of the note and change it to a 500. (This will happen more frequently with CIP records)

Example:
504   ‡a Includes bibliographical references and index.
[Upon examination the item has no bibliographical references.]
 
Update to:
500   ‡a Includes index.
[Don’t forget to remove the "b", if there is one, from the Contents fixed field.]
505/520
[top] 
  Check these fields for spelling and punctuation errors, and to 520 verify that the information they contain is accurate.

NOTE:
On February 1, 2005, the Library of Congress began enriching bibliographic records with scanned table of contents data in field 505. GPC copy catalogers should delete these notes, but leave all other 505 notes. Machine-generated contents notes will always be coded 505 8_ and will contain the text "Machine-generated contents note" at the beginning of the 505‡a. Below is a sample machine-generated contents note:

505 8_ ‡a Machine-generated contents note: PREFACE 1. Probability -- 1.1 Introduction 1 -- 1.2 Algebra of Sets 2 -- 1.3 Properties of Functions 5 -- 1.4 Matrix Algebra 13 -- 1.5 Three Approaches 16.
538
[top]
  System details note. Copy catalogers will usually encounter these notes when cataloging a book with an accompanying floppy disk or CD-ROM. Do not edit. You may delete the note and corresponding 007 and 300‚e if the accompanying material mentioned did not come with our copy.

Example:
538   ‡a System requirements for accompanying CD-ROM: Windows: Pentium (or equivalent) processor. Macintosh: Power PC processor or higher; Mac OS 7.5.
6xx
[top]
  GPC does not use field 653. Delete.

Accept all other 6xx fields that have a second indicator of 0. In particular, keep all 655 fields with a second indicator of 0 or 7. Delete all other 6xx fields.

Examples:
(Examples of what to delete are not exhaustive. There can be other combinations of indicators. When in doubt, ask a librarian.)
Keep:   Delete:
600 10       600 11
650 _0   650 _2
651 _0   651 _3
655 _7   655 _6
655 _0   655 _5

Any juvenile subdivisions such as Juvenile literature&Juvenile fiction should be deleted from all subject headings.

Example:
650 _0 ‡a Biology ‡v Juvenile literature.
 
Should be changed to:
 
650 _0 ‡a Biology.

NOTE:
Indicators in the 650 fields are sometimes incorrect on DLC/Baker & Taylor records. Pay careful attention to this.

Examples:
Some DLC/Baker & Taylor records:
650 00
651 00
 
Correct indicators:
650 _0
651 _0
700
710
711
720
730
[top]
  These fields are used to provide access for additional persons, titles, or bodies related to the item in hand. Accept these fields without editing their content, with the exception of supplying missing periods at the end of fields.

Make sure that all added authors, editors, compilers, etc. listed in the 245‡c have been given a 700 field. The first author listed on the title page is given a 100 and subsequent authors are given 700s. Editors, compilers, etc. are always put in a 700.
800
810
811
830

[top]
  Delete fields 800-830.
856
[top]
  The 856 field is used to locate and access an electronic item. The field is problematic in Baker & Taylor records. The subfields are somehow being separated from each other and thrown into new 856 fields. These should be corrected.

Example:
Incorrect:
856 41 ‡3 Table of contents
856 41 ‡u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip046/2003015631.html ‡3 Publisher description
856 42 ‡u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/wiley0310/2003015631.html
 
Correct:
856 41 ‡3 Table of contents ‡u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip046/2003015631.html
856 42 ‡3 Publisher description ‡u http://www.loc.gov/catdir/description/wiley0310/2003015631.html

Remember to check that the new fields have gotten the correct indicators. Ask a librarian when in doubt.

Examples:
Table of contents: 41
Publisher description: 42
Contributor biographical information: 42
945
[top]
  Add a 945 field (F5 key) if the bib record is new to GPC. This field is used to update our holdings in WorldCat, the OCLC Online Union Catalog.
951
[top]
  Delete.
960
980
985
[top]
  Ordering information. Do not edit or delete.