Functional Analysis of the MARC 21
Bibliographic and Holdings Formats

Updated and Revised by the
Network Development and MARC Standards Office
Library of Congress

April 6, 2006

CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Analysis with Tables
• Related Studies and Tools
• Update History

INTRODUCTION

Original Study

In 2001, the Network Development and MARC Standards Office (NDMSO) at the Library of Congress commissioned a study to examine MARC 21 from several perspectives:

• the FRBR model
• the AACR cataloging code model
• a set of user tasks that MARC 21 might logically support

The study used the models from IFLA's Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR) and the related Logical Structure of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules and was carried out by the consultant who was largely responsible for those studies, Tom Delsey, of Thomas J. Delsey Consulting. By sponsoring this analysis and making it available, the Network Development and MARC Standards Office and others hoped to use the information when analyzing or making decisions relating to format maintenance, system implementation, and data sharing. As a result, the study has proven to be an important tool for the continuing development of the MARC 21 standards.

Current Revised and Updated Edition

Since the study was first commissioned, NDMSO has updated it to include new and revised data elements stemming from MARC 21 updates. In 2003, the study was reformatted to allow for easier browsing and use.

NDMSO eliminated the appendix "Mapping of AACR to MARC Data Elements" because AACR work with FRBR is ongoing and thus, it could not be maintained accurately. The original 2002 tables may still be accessed from the original study site.

The revised study is available in PDF format (when viewing the PDF pages, you will need access to Acrobat Reader). In addition, the master table (from which all of the display tables in the study are generated) is available in a database format.

Links to the study are below. Please note that the document is extensive. Therefore, larger sections are divided into numbered sections for faster downloading. The number of pages in each section is indicated.

ANALYSIS WITH TABLES

• Introduction and Extending Mapping
  [82 pages in PDF]
  
• Table 1: Composite table: Mapping MARC Data Elements to FRBR and User Tasks
  [109 pages in PDF]
  Introduction
  [1] [57 pages in PDF]
  [2] [43 pages in PDF]
  Notes [8 pages in PDF]
  
• Table 2: Mapping of FRBR to MARC Data Elements [75 pages in PDF]
  Introduction
  
• Table 3: Mapping of MARC Data Elements to FRBR [84 pages in PDF]
  Introduction
  
• Table 4: Mapping of Record Processing Entities and Attributes to MARC Data Elements [29 pages in PDF]
  Introduction
  
• Access 2000 Database: All tabular data is included in an Access 2000 database. Users may reorder the data based on their individual needs or use the preformatted queries included with the database.

To access the database, please right click on the link and save the file to your hard drive. An ASCII delimited text file is also available.

RELATED STUDIES AND TOOLS

• Displays for Multiple Versions from MARC 21 and FRBR
• JSC Format Variation Working Group Update to MARBI

• FRBR Display Tool

Please contact the Network Development and MARC Standards Office (via e-mail at: ndmso@loc.gov) if you have any questions or corrections.

UPDATE HISTORY

2002-03-21:

Functional Analysis of the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings Formats

Appendix D

Appendix E

2002-08-13:

Appendix E -- added additional fields and other information from MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings 2001 updates; also made available in Access 2000 and in an ASCII delimited text file.

2003-07-10:

Appendix E -- added additional fields and other information from MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings 2002 updates

2003-07-14:

Appendix D -- added a definition to record attributes to accommodate the MARC 21 Bibliographic and Holdings 2002 updates

2003-09-17:

The analysis and tables were reorganized to enhance readability and usability

2004-06-18

The tables were updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 4

2004-06-23

The database was updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 4

2006-02-07

The tables were updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 5

2006-02-07

The database was updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 5

2006-03-31

The database was updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 6

2006-04-06

The tables were updated to include MARC data originating from Update No. 6