Dublin Core to MARC Crosswalk

Network Development and MARC Standards Office
Library of Congress

Date issued: 2008-04-23

Previous version: http://www.loc.gov/marc/dccross_20010312.html

I. Introduction

The following is a crosswalk between the metadata terms in the Dublin Core Element Set and MARC 21 bibliographic data elements. The crosswalk may be used for conversion of Dublin Core metadata into MARC, for instance as a tool for developing XSLT transformations. For conversion of MARC 21 into Dublin Core, the MARC to Dublin Core Crosswalk should be used, since in this conversion many fields are mapped into a single Dublin Core element.

In the Dublin Core to MARC mapping, two mappings are provided, one for unqualified Dublin Core elements (i.e. the main fifteen elements as in Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, version 1.1) and the other for qualified (those in addition that appear only in DCMI Metadata Terms). The latter includes both refinements of the original fifteen as well as syntax and vocabulary encoding schemes.

MARC 21 fields are listed with field number, then two indicator values with field name/subfield name in parentheses. If both the field and subfield have the same name, the subfield name is not included. A blank (H'20') is indicated in this document by "#". The label is a shortened form of the element name.

Definitions are taken from Dublin Core Metadata Element Set, Version 1.1: Reference Description. For further information about Dublin Core elements, including application notes (given in Comment), refer to that document. All Dublin Core elements are optional and repeatable. In this document elements are listed in alphabetical order by Dublin Core label.

II. Dublin Core to MARC Crosswalk (15 elements in version 1.1 and refinements)

Contributor -- An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 720 ##$a (Added Entry--Uncontrolled Name/Name)
• Qualified:
  • Element refinements may be used from the MARC relator list for those specified roles that refine dc:contributor. If DC metadata includes a role refinement (only used for Contributor), use the term in 720$e or the code in 720$t. See: MARC Relator Terms and Dublin Core

Note: there is no way to specify whether the Contributor is a person or organization because it is not in the Dublin Core data. If it can reasonably be determined that the contributor is a person or organization, fields 700 1#$a (Added Entry--Personal Name) or 710 2#$a (Added Entry--Corporate Name) may be used.

Coverage -- The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which he resource is relevant.

• Unqualified:
  • 500$a (General note)
• Qualified:
  • Spatial: 522 ##$a (Geographic Coverage Note)
  • Temporal: 513 ##$b (Type of Report and Period Covered Note/Period covered)

• Syntax encoding schemes:
  • Box: 507$a (Scale Note for Graphic Material)
  • ISO3166: 043$c with $2 iso3166 (Geographic Area Code/ISO code)
  • Point: 507$a (Scale Note for Graphic Material)

• Vocabulary encoding scheme under spatial:
  • TGN: 651 #7 $a (Subject Added Entry--Geographic Name) with $2=tgn
  • Period: 045 0# $b (Time Period of Content/Formatted 9999 B.C. through C.E. time period)

Creator -- An entity primarily responsible for making the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 720 ##$a (Added Entry--Uncontrolled Name/Name) with $e=author

Note: there is no way to specify whether the Creator is a person or organization because it is not in the Dublin Core data. If it can reasonably be determined that the Creator is a person or organization, fields 100 1#$a (Main Entry--Personal Name) or 110 2#$a (Main Entry--Corporate Name) may be used for the first Creator, and 700 1#$a (Added Entry--Personal Name) or 7102#$a (Added Entry--Corporate Name) for others may be used.

Date -- A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 260 ##$c (Date of publication, distribution, etc.)
• Qualified:
  • Available: 307 ##$a (Hours, Etc.)
  • Created: 046$k (Special Coded Dates/Date created)
  • Date Accepted: 502##$a (Dissertation Note) with initial label "Date accepted"
  • Date Copyrighted: 260##$c (Date of publication, distribution, etc.) or 542 $g (Information Related to Copyright Status/Copyright date) Note: this field was defined in MARC in January 2008. Prefer 542 if field is available.
  • Date Submitted: 502##$a (Dissertation Note) with initial label "Date submitted"
  • Issued: 260 ##$c (Date of publication, distribution, etc.)
  • Modified: 046##$j (Special Coded Dates/Date modified)
  • Valid: 046##$m (Special Coded Dates/Date valid)

• Syntax encoding schemes:
  • Period: 045##c (Special Coded Dates/Date 1, C.E. date)
  • W3CDTF: 260 ##$c (Date of publication, distribution, etc.); date may also be generated in 008/07-10; see below under Notes. Remove hyphens in 008.

Description -- An account of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 520 ##$a (Summary, etc. note)
• Qualified:
  • Abstract: 520 ##$a (Summary, etc. note)
  • TableofContents: 505 0#$a (Formatted Contents Note)

Format -- The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 856 ##$q (Electronic Location and Access/Electronic format type)
• Qualified:
  • Extent: 300 ##$a (Physical Description)
  • Medium: 340 ##$a (Physical Medium)

• Syntax encoding scheme:
  • IMT: 856 ##$q (Electronic Location and Access/Electronic Format Type)

Identifier -- An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context.

• Unqualified:
  • If string begins http://: 856 40 $u (Electronic Location and Access/URI)
  • Otherwise: 024 8#$a (Other Standard Identifier/Standard number or code)
• Qualified:
  • Bibliographic Citation: 500 ##a (General note) with initial label "Bibliographic citation"

• Syntax encoding scheme:
  • URI: 856 40$u (Electronic Location and Access/Uniform Resource Locator)

Note: other types of identifiers (e.g. ISSN, ISBN) may be expressed in the form of URIs in dc:identifier.

Language -- A language of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 546 ##$a (Language note)
• Qualified:

• Syntax encoding schemes:
  • ISO 639-2: 0410#$a (Language code)
  • RFC 1766: 041 07$a (Language code) with $2=rfc1766
  • RFC 3066: 041 07$a (Language code) with $2=rfc3066
  • RFC 4646: 041 07$a (Language code) with $2=rfc4646

Publisher -- An entity responsible for making the resource available.

• Unqualified:
  • 260 ##$b (Publication, Distribution, etc. (Imprint)/Name of publisher, distributor, etc.)

Relation -- A related resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 787 0#$n (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Note)
• Qualified:
  • URI (Encoding scheme): 787 0#$o (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Other identifier)
  • Conforms To: 787 0#$n (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Other identifier) with $i=Conforms to
  • HasFormat: 776 0#$n (Additional Physical Form Entry/Note)
  • HasFormat: (Scheme=URI): 776 0#$o (Additional Physical Form Entry/Other identifier)
  • IsFormatOf: 776 0#$n (Additional Physical Form Entry/Note)
  • IsFormatOf: (Scheme=URI): 776 0#$o (Additional Physical Form Entry/Other identifier)
  • IsPartOf: 773 0#$n (Host Item Entry/Note)
  • IsPartOf (Scheme=URI): 773 0#$o (Host Item Entry/Other identifier)
  • HasPart: 774 0#$n (Constituent Unit Entry/Note)
  • HasPart (Scheme=URI): 774 0#$o (Constituent Unit Entry/Other identifier)
  • IsVersionOf: 775 0#$n (Other Edition Entry/Note)
  • IsVersionOf (Scheme=URI): 775 0#$o (Other Edition Entry/Other identifier)
  • HasVersion: 775 0#$n (Other Edition Entry/Note)
  • HasVersion (Scheme=URI): 775 0#$o (Other Edition Entry/Other identifier)
  • Is Based On: 786 0#$n (Data Source Entry/Note)
  • Is Based On (Scheme=URI): 786 0#$o (Data Source Entry/Other identifier)
  • Is Referenced By: 510 0#$a (Citation/References Note/Name of source)
  • Requires: 538 ##$a (System Details Note)
  • Is Required By: 787 0#$n (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Other identifier) with $i=Is required by
  • Replaces: 780 00$n (Preceding entry)
  • Replaces (Scheme=URI): 780 00$o (Preceding entry)
  • Is Replaced By: 785 00$n (Succeeding entry)
  • Is Replaced By (Scheme=URI): 785 00$o (Succeeding entry)
  • References: 787 0#$n (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Other identifier) with $i=References
  • References (Scheme=URI): 787 0#$o (Nonspecific Relationship Entry/Other identifier) with $i=References

Rights -- Information about rights held in and over the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 540 ##$a (Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note)
• Qualified:
  • Access Rights: 506##$a (Restrictions on Access Note)
  • License: 540##$a (Terms Governing Use and Reprofuction Note
  • License (if value is a URI): 540##$u

Source -- A related resource from which the described resource is derived.

• Unqualified:
  • 786 0#$n (Data Source Entry/Note)
• Qualified:

• Syntax encoding scheme
  • URI : 786 0#$o (Data Source Entry/Other identifier)

Subject -- The topic of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 653 ##$a (Index Term--Uncontrolled)
• Qualified:

• Vocabulary encoding schemes:
  • DDC: 082 ##$a (Dewey Decimal Call Number/Classification number)
  • LCC: 050 ##$a (Library of Congress Call Number/Classification number)
  • LCSH: 650 #0$a (Subject added entry--Topical term)
  • MeSH: 650 #2$a (Subject added entry--Topical term)
  • UDC: 080 ##$a (Universal Decimal Classification Number)

Title -- A name given to the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 245 00$a (Title Statement/Title proper)
  • If repeated, all titles after the first: 246 33$a (Varying Form of Title/Title proper)
• Qualified:
  • Alternative: 246 33$a (Varying Form of Title/Title proper)

Type -- The nature or genre of the resource.

• Unqualified:
  • 655 #7$a (Index Term--Genre/Form) with $2=local
• Qualified:
  • DCMI Type vocabulary (Encoding scheme): 655 #7$a (Index Term--Genre/Form) with $2=dct

See Section III for use to determine Leader/06 (Type of Record) values.

III. Additional Dublin Core Elements

• Accrual Method: 541##$c (Source of Acquisition Note)
• Accrual Periodicity: 310##$a (Current Publication Frequency)
• Audience: 521##$a (Target Audience Note)
• Education Level: 521##$a (Target Audience Note)
• Provenance: 561##$a (Ownership and Custodial History)

IV. Notes

In addition to the variable length fields listed in the mapping, a MARC 21 record will also include a Leader and field 008 (Fixed-Length Data Elements). Certain character positions in each of these fixed length fields of a USMARC record will need to be coded, although most will generate default values.

Leader: a fixed field comprising the first 24 character positions (00-23) of each record that provides information for the processing of the record. The following positions should be generated:

• Character Position 06: Type of record
  Leader/06 value should be set according to value in Type as follows (these values are from Dublin Core List of Resource Types (DC Type Vocabulary):

If no type is indicated, use value "a". If two type values are indicated, and one of these is "collection" use the other value for setting Leader/06. If more than two, use "m".

• Character Position 07: Bibliographic level
  • If Type value is collection, use value "c" (Collection)
  • All others, use value "m" (Monograph).
• Character Position 08: Type of control
  • Use value "#" (blank: no specific type of control).
• Character Position 09: Character coding scheme
  • Use value "#" (blank: MARC-8).
• Character Position 17: Encoding level
  • Use value "3" (Abbreviated level) or other value as appropriate to application
• Character Position 18: Descriptive cataloging form
  • Use value "u" (Unknown) to indicate that the descriptive cataloging form is unknown.

008 Fixed Length Data Elements: Forty character positions (00-39) containing positionally-defined data elements that provide coded information about the record as a whole or about special bibliographic aspects of the item being cataloged. For records originating as Dublin Core, the following character positions are used:

• Character positions 00-05: Date the MARC 21 record was created or converted (generate by date record entered system; formatted as YYMMDD)
• Character positions 07-10: Date of Publication (YYYY portion from Date if present). Qualified DC: Date.Issued in ISO 8601 (only YYYY portion).
• Character positions 35-37: Language. May be generated from data in Language if scheme=ISO 639-2.
• Other character positions can default to fill characters (ASCII 7C)

042$a Authentication Code: Use "dc" (identifies that MARC 21 record is derived from Dublin Core style record).

IV. Uses for mapping Dublin Core to MARC

A mapping between the elements in the Dublin Core and MARC 21 fields is necessary so that conversions between various syntaxes can occur accurately. Once Dublin Core style metadata is widely provided, it might interact with MARC records in various ways such as the following:

Enhancement of simple resource description record. A cataloging agency may wish to extract the metadata provided in Dublin Core style and convert the data elements to MARC 21 fields, resulting in a skeletal record. That record might then be enhanced as needed to add additional information generally provided in the particular catalog. Some projects convert data and use as basic record for reporting to national bibliography.

Searching across syntaxes and databases. Libraries have large systems with valuable information in metadata records in MARC format. It will be important for systems to be able to search metadata in different syntaxes and databases and have commonality in the definition and use of elements. A primary use for this mapping is for harvesting metadata records from different sources, where there may be a need to translate Dublin Core records to MARC or vice versa.

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