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DATE: May 27, 2016
REVISED:
NAME: General Field Linking with Subfield $8 in the Five MARC 21 Formats
SOURCE: German National Library
SUMMARY: This paper describes the reasons why a general designation of field linking with subfield $8 (Field link and sequence number) is needed. This applies to subfield $8 throughout the MARC format, i.e. MARC Bibliographic Data, MARC Authority Data, MARC Holdings Data, MARC Classification Data and MARC Community Information.
KEYWORDS: Subfield $8 (BD, AD, HD, CD, CI); Field link and sequence number (BD, AD, HD, CD, CI)
RELATED: 2014-02
STATUS/COMMENTS:
05/27/16 – Made available to the MARC community for discussion.
06/26/16 – Results of MARC Advisory Committee discussion: Most of the committee members preferred option 2, a new field link type "u" with the label "General linking, type unspecified", which better supports backwards compatibility. The paper was converted to a proposal and approved as submitted.
08/10/16 - Results of MARC Steering Group review - Agreed with the MAC decision to convert to and approve as a proposal.
Subfield $8 has been created to link related fields within a single MARC record. There are different reasons why fields are esteemed as being related. These are covered by a single byte, the "field link type".
According to MARC Bibliographic Appendix A: Control Subfields, subfield $8 is defined as follows (for reasons of brevity, examples in the documentation are omitted here):
$8 - Field link and sequence number
Identifies linked fields and may also propose a sequence for the linked fields. Subfield $8 may be repeated to link a field to more than one other group of fields. The structure and syntax for the field link and sequence number subfield is:$8 [linking number].[sequence number]\[field link type]
Please note that subfield $8 is defined differently in field 852 where it is used to sequence related holdings records. Please see the description of field 852, subfield $8 in the MARC 21 Format for Holdings Data for more information.
Linking number is the first data element in the subfield and required if the subfield is used. It is a variable-length whole number that occurs in subfield $8 in all fields that are to be linked. Fields with the same linking number are considered linked.
Sequence number is separated from the linking number by a period "." and is optional. It is a variable- length whole number that may be used to indicate the relative order for display of the linked fields (lower sequence numbers displaying before higher ones). If it is used it must occur in all $8 subfields containing the same linking number.
Field link type is separated from preceding data by a reverse slash "\". It is a code indicating the reason for the link and it follows the link number, or sequence number if present. Field link type is required except when $8 is used to link and sequence 85X-87X holdings fields. The following one-character field link type codes have been defined in MARC for use in subfield $8:
a - Action
Links one or more fields with another field to which the processing or reference actions relate. This code is typically used only when there is more than one 5XX that relate to another 5XX field.c - Constituent item
Used in a record for a collection, or a single item consisting of identifiable constituent units, to link the fields relating to the constituent units. All other non-linked data elements in the record pertain to the collection or item as a whole.p - Metadata provenance
Used in a record to link a field with another field containing information about provenance of the metadata recorded in the linked field.r - Reproduction
Used in a record for a reproduction to identify fields linked because they contain information concerning only the reproduction. Other descriptive information in the record pertains to the original (with the exception of field 007 (Physical Description Fixed Field), 008 (Fixed-Length Data Elements: Books, Music, Serials, or Mixed Material) position 23 (Form of item), field 245 subfield $h (Title Statement / Medium), and field 533 (Reproduction Note)).x - General sequencing
Used in a record to make a link between fields to show a sequence between them. The sequence could be one that orders the pieces of a long field that has been broken up, indicates the relative importance of fields within the sequence, or is used for some other sequencing purpose. Use of the sequence number in $8 is required when this code is used.
According to the MARC Bibliographic documentation, the "field link type is required except when $8 is used to link and sequence 85X-87X holdings fields." As an obligatory element, up to now one out of the values "a", "c", "p", "r" or "x" has to be chosen. In addition, if the field link type "x" for "general sequencing" is chosen, the documentation says that "use of the sequence number in $8 is required when this code is used".
In MARC Authority and MARC Community Information, only one field link type code is defined, "p" for "Metadata provenance". The documentation seems to imply that the field link type is mandatory.
It has to be noted that both MARC Holdings and MARC Classification do describe the usage of subfield $8 without a field link type, followed by different assumptions (Holdings: linking and sequencing 85X, 86X, or 87X fields; Classification: linking and sequencing related 6XX or 76X fields).
Using MARC Bibliographic, we do have cases when none of the existing field link types seems to be applicable. Fields within a single MARC record are linked, in order to pair or group them logically, specifically without the intention of expressing a sequence, and thus not providing a sequence number.
The most prominent region is the fields for Dewey Decimal Classification Numbers:
082 - Dewey Decimal Classification Number (R)
083 - Additional Dewey Decimal Classification Number (R)
085 - Synthesized Classification Number Components (R)
Here, the single elements given in fields 085 are in no specific sequence. The number building may be seen as a step-by-step process, but the exact sequence is not guaranteed. So the field link type "x" = "general sequencing" does not apply.
The field link type "c" = "constituent item" may be thought of as the parts of the full DDC number in 082 or 083 that are given in 085. The definition of "c" however describes the resource itself, not the metadata.
Other regions of the format may as well be taken into account (e.g. subject access information in 6XX).
We suggest a more general and less specified usage of $8 here.
The obligation of providing a field link type byte in each occurrence of the subfield $8 is to be discussed. In the future, usage of $8 may be allowed without carrying a field link type byte. So the sentence:
"Field link type is required except when $8 is used to link and sequence 85X-87X holdings fields."
can be omitted, or rewritten to a less restrictive instruction. The leading backslash "\" would have to be omitted as well as the field link type itself.
A new field link type may be defined, covering the cases where the specific field link type values "a", "c", "p", "r" or "x" do not fit. A possible value would be:
u - General linking, type unspecified
3.1. Fields 082, 083 and 085, subfields $8 without a field link type (option 1):
001 1076370020
003 DE-101
005 20151215223050.0
007 tu
020 ## $a9783898235167$cGewebe : EUR 59.70 (AT), EUR 58.00 (DE)$9978-3-89823-516-7
035 ## $a(OCoLC)921527625
040 ## $a1245$bger$cDE-101$d9999$erda
041 ## $aeng$ager
044 ## $cXA-DE-BW
082 04 $81$a779.994346228092$qDE-101$222/ger
083 0# $82$a779.9949459092$qDE-101$222/ger
085 ## $81$b779
085 ## $81$s704.949
085 ## $81$s943
085 ## $81$z1$s092
085 ## $81$z2$s4346228
085 ## $82$b779
085 ## $82$s704.949
085 ## $82$s949.4
085 ## $82$z1$s092
085 ## $82$z2$s49459
100 1# $0(DE-588)131723014$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/131723014$0(DE-101)131723014$aSpiering, Holger$d1967-$eFotograf$4pht
245 10 $a-Der- Bodensee$b= Lake Constance$cHolger Spierling ; mit Texten von Iris Lemanczyk ; Übersetzung: Global-Text, Heidelberg, Timothy Gilfoid
264 #4 $c© 2015
264 #1 $aMannheim$bEdition Panorama$c[2015]
300 ## $a231 Seiten$c30 cm x 41 cm
336 ## $aunbewegtes Bild$bsti$2rdacontent
336 ## $aText$btxt$2rdacontent
337 ## $aohne Hilfsmittel zu benutzen$bn$2rdamedia
338 ## $aBand$bnc$2rdacarrier
500 ## $aText in deutsch und englisch
700 1# $0(DE-588)122361156$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/122361156$0(DE-101)122361156$aLemanczyk, Iris$d1964-$eVerfasser$4aut
710 2# $0(DE-588)1066131236$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/1066131236$0(DE-101)1066131236$aEdition Panorama GmbH$4pbl
3.2. Fields 082, 083 and 085, subfields $8 with a new field link type "u" (option 2):
001 1076370020
003 DE-101
005 20151215223050.0
007 tu
020 ## $a9783898235167$cGewebe : EUR 59.70 (AT), EUR 58.00 (DE)$9978-3-89823-516-7
035 ## $a(OCoLC)921527625
040 ## $a1245$bger$cDE-101$d9999$erda
041 ## $aeng$ager
044 ## $cXA-DE-BW
082 04 $81\u$a779.994346228092$qDE-101$222/ger
083 0# $82\u$a779.9949459092$qDE-101$222/ger
085 ## $81\u$b779
085 ## $81\u$s704.949
085 ## $81\u$s943
085 ## $81\u$z1$s092
085 ## $81\u$z2$s4346228
085 ## $82\u$b779
085 ## $82\u$s704.949
085 ## $82\u$s949.4
085 ## $82\u$z1$s092
085 ## $82\u$z2$s49459
100 1# $0(DE-588)131723014$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/131723014$0(DE-101)131723014$aSpiering, Holger$d1967-$eFotograf$4pht
245 10 $a-Der- Bodensee$b= Lake Constance$cHolger Spierling ; mit Texten von Iris Lemanczyk ; Übersetzung: Global-Text, Heidelberg, Timothy Gilfoid
264 #4 $c© 2015
264 #1 $aMannheim$bEdition Panorama$c[2015]
300 ## $a231 Seiten$c30 cm x 41 cm
336 ## $aunbewegtes Bild$bsti$2rdacontent
336 ## $aText$btxt$2rdacontent
337 ## $aohne Hilfsmittel zu benutzen$bn$2rdamedia
338 ## $aBand$bnc$2rdacarrier
500 ## $aText in deutsch und englisch
700 1# $0(DE-588)122361156$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/122361156$0(DE-101)122361156$aLemanczyk, Iris$d1964-$eVerfasser$4aut
710 2# $0(DE-588)1066131236$0(uri)http://d-nb.info/gnd/1066131236$0(DE-101)1066131236$aEdition Panorama GmbH$4pbl
Associating data in BIBFRAME is generally done with classes. The types of associations that are needed should be analyzed to evaluate the technique that would be appropriate.
5.1. For subfield $8, is the need for a less specific designation of the field link type a clearly given one?
5.2. Can the issue be solved by a format element already available in the MARC format?
5.3. Would allowing the omission of a field link type be a feasible way (option 1)?
5.4. Or would the definition of a new and general field link type "u" be a better way (option 2)?
5.5. Are there any potential problems that should be taken into account?
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