MARC 21 Concise Format for Bibliographic Data: 340: Physical Medium (Network Development and MARC Standards Office, Library of Congress)

This is an ARCHIVED VERSION of the 2008 electronic edition of the MARC 21 Concise Formats. Please see loc.gov/marc/concise/ for the most up-to-date version of the electronic MARC 21 Concise Formats.

Physical description information for an item that requires technical equipment for its use or an item that has special conservation or storage needs.

$a - Material base and configuration (R)

Physical substance (e.g., acetate, canvas, clay, film, glass, vellum, or wood) and configuration (e.g., cartridge, chip, dot, fiche, globe, sheet, and audio-, magnetic-, micro-, ultra-, or videotape) on which the information is recorded.

$b - Dimensions (R)

Measurements of the material configuration (e.g., 35 mm. (film), 12 inch (phonograph disc), 4" x 6" (microfiche)).

$c - Materials applied to surface (R)

Physical substance applied to the material base (e.g., ink, oil, paint, specific photographic emulsions such as albumen).

$d - Information recording technique (R)

Means or technique by which information was recorded in or on the material base (e.g., punched, pressed, cut, molded, thermofax, x-ray).

$e - Support (R)

Physical material on or in which records are mounted, bound, or otherwise supported.

$f - Production rate/ratio (R)

Normal rate or ratio at which the information in the material must be used to be meaningful (e.g., how many revolutions per minute for recordings, the magnification for photographic reductions).

$h - Location within medium (R)

Location of the described materials within the material base and configuration (e.g., band, page, frame number).

$i - Technical specifications of medium (R)

Access requirements involving technical equipment.

$3 - Materials specified (NR)

Part of the described materials to which the field applies.

$6 - Linkage (NR)

See description of this subfield in Appendix A: Control Subfields.

$8 - Field link and sequence number (R)

See description of this subfield in Appendix A: Control Subfields.


340	##$3self-portrait $arice paper$b7" x 9"$ccolored inks$enone$hbetween entry for April 7 and April 19, 1843.


340	##$acanvas$b30 x 57 cm.$ccolored oil-base paints$ewood.


340	##$3case files$aaperture cards$b9 x 19 cm.$dmicrofilm$f48x.


340	##$3case files$aaperture cards$b9 x 19 cm.$dmicrofilm$f48x.


340	##$aparchment$b20 cm. folded to 10 x 12 cm.


340	##$dhandwritten$dtyped.

340 - Physical Medium (R)