MARC and the Year 2000

March 1998

Network Development and MARC Standards Office
Library of Congress

This document indicates data elements in the MARC formats that contain dates that could be affected by the century change in the year 2000. Formats containing the data element are indicated as follows:

• BD: USMARC Format for Bibliographic Data
  
• AD: USMARC Format for Authority Data
  
• CD: USMARC Format for Classification Data
  
• CI: USMARC Format for Community Information
  
• HD: USMARC Format for Holdings Data

FORMATTED DATES WITH 2-DIGIT YEARS

• Library of Congress Control Numbers (Field 001 and 010)
  Library of Congress control numbers (LCCNs) use the last 2 digits of the year as part of the number. This is a unique number that LC uses internally and includes on records distributed by LC in field 001 and in field 010. In the year 2000 the LCCN year digits will be expanded to 4.
  A document, Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN)--Restructuring to accommodate century change, issued in April 1997, details LC's plans.
• Date entered on file (Field 008/00-05)
  This field contains 6 digits that specify the date the record was first entered into machine-readable form. The date is given in the pattern yymmdd. Since MARC records were first created in 1968, no record can contain a year previous to that in this field. Therefore the 2-digit date will not become ambiguous until 2068. The date will remain 2-digit.
• Intent to cancel date (Field 008/08-11) (HD)
  This date contains 4 digits that indicate an intent to cancel, the effective date of a cancellation, or the date of the last expected part for a multipart or serial item. The date is given in the pattern yymm. Since MARC holdings records could not have been created before 1968, no record can contain a year previous to that in this field. Therefore the 2-digit date will not become ambiguous until 2068. The date will remain 2-digit.
  
• Date of report (Field 008/26-31) (HD)
  This date contains 6 digits that indicate the currency of the holdings information. The date is given in the pattern yymmdd. Since MARC holdings records could not have been created before 1968, no record can contain a year previous to that in this field. Therefore the 2-digit date will not become ambiguous until 2068. The date will remain 2-digit.
• Projected Publication Date (Field 263): $a(Projected publication date) (BD)
  This date contains 4 digits that indicate the projected date of publication for works that have not yet been published. It is given in the pattern yymm. Since MARC records were first created in 1968, no record can contain a year previous to that in this field. Therefore the 2-digit date will not become ambiguous until 2068. The date will remain 2-digit.

Note that the year 1968 has been used as the earliest possible date for the creation of MARC records. However, in some cases, the earliest possible date may be later, since some formats were not developed before the 1970s or 1980s (e.g., holdings).

Systems that use yy dates for sequencing operations will have to take into account that these dates will not be changed with the year 2000 (i.e., 00 will follow 99).

FORMATTED DATES WITH 4-DIGIT YEARS
The following formatted dates may appear in MARC records, but the format specifies that they be expressed with 4-digit years, thus they are all year-2000 compliant.

• Field 004 (Coded Dates Fixed Field) (CI)
  Field 004 in Community Information contains coded date information. The date is specified as 4 digits in the pattern yyyy. This field will be made obsolete in 1998 in favor of field 046, which will also specify 4 digits for these years.
  
• Field 005 (Date and Time of Latest Transaction)
  Field 005 contains 16 digits that indicate the date and time of the latest transaction and serves as a version identifier for the record. The data is recorded according to Representation for Calendar Date and Ordinal Date for Information Interchange (ANSI X3.30). The date is specified as 8 digits in the pattern yyyymmdd.
• Field 007/17-22--Motion pictures (Film inspection date) (BD)
  These field 007 positions indicate the most recent film inspection date. The date is specified as 6 digits in the pattern yyyymm.
• Field 008/07-14 (Date of publication) (BD)
  Field 008/07-10 positions contains the beginning date of publication and field 008/11-14 contains the ending date of publication (if applicable). The year dates in these positions are specified as 4 digits in the pattern yyyy.
• Field 013 (Patent Control Information): $d (Date) (BD)
  Field 013 contains in subfield $d the date that a patent or certificate was granted or the date of acceptance of an application. The date is specified as 8 digits in the pattern yyyymmdd.
  
• Field 033 (Date/Time and Place of an Event): $a (Formatted date/time) (BD)
  Field 033 contains in subfield $a the formatted date/time and/or coded place of creation, capture, or broadcast associated with an event. The date is specified as 8 digits in the pattern yyyymmdd
  
• Field 045 (Time Period of Content): $b (Formatted 9999 B.C. through A.D. time period) (AD, BD, CI)
  Field 045 may contain a time period in subfield $b preceded by a code for the era (c for B.C., d for A.D.). The date is specified as 10 digits in the pattern yyyymmddhh.
• Field 046 (Type of Date Code, Date 1, Date 2 (B.C. Dates)): $b (Date 1 (B.C. date), $c (Date 1 (A.D. date)), $d (Date 2 (B.C. date)), $e (Date 2 (A.D. date)) (BD)
  Field 046 contains in subfields $b, $c, $d, and $e date of item information when it cannot be recorded in the Fixed Length Data Elements (008/06-14). The data in this field is not fixed length, but full year is specified. Community Information Format field 004 dates are being added to this field, which is to be renamed Special Coded Dates.
  
• Field 355 (Security Classification Control): $g (Downgrading date), $h (Declassification date) (BD)
  Field 355 contains in subfield $g the date of downgrading and in subfield $h the date of declassification. There is no standard specified, although examples record it in the form yymmdd or yyyymmdd. Since MARC records were first created in 1968, no record can contain a year previous to that in this field. Therefore the 2-digit date will not become ambiguous until 2068. The format will specify 4-digit dates in all examples in the future.
  
• Field 533 (Reproduction note): $7/01-04 (Date 1), $7/05-08 (Date 2) (BD)
  Field 533 contains in subfield $7 dates associated with the reproduction. The date is specified as 4 digits in the pattern yyyy.
  
• Field 551 (Entity and Attribute Information Note): $k (Beginning date and ending date of attribute values) (BD)
  Field 551 contains the earliest and latest date for which the attribute values in the field are valid. Although there is a standard is not specified for recording the date, the date is given by example in the pattern yyyymmdd.
  
• Field 583 (Action Note): $c (Time of action) (BD, HD)
  Field 583 contains in subfield $c a time or date of an action. The date is specified as 8 digits in the pattern yyyymmdd.
  
• Field 685 (History Note): $d (Date of implementation of authoritative agency), $e (Local implementation date) (CD)
  Field 685 contains in subfield $d dates of implementation of the change. Although a standard is not specified for recording the date, the date is given by example in the pattern yyyymmdd.
  
• Field 843 (Reproduction Note): $7/01-04 (Date 1), $7/05-08 (Date 2) (HD)
  Field 843 contains in subfield $7 dates associated with the reproduction. The date is specified as 4 digits in the pattern yyyy.
  
• Fields 876-878 (Item Information Fields): $d (Date Acquired) (HD)
  Fields 876-878 contain in subfield $d the date an item was acquired. The date is specified as 8 digits in the pattern yyyymmdd.
  

TEXTUAL DATES
There are variable length fields in the MARC formats that include dates in textual form. The representation of the date in those fields is specified by the input rules used. Following are fields that usually include textual dates, although a date may also be part of data in many other fields.

• Field 050 (Library of Congress Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Field 055 (National Library of Canada Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Field 060 (National Library of Medicine Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Field 070 (National Agricultural Library Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Field 082 (Dewey Decimal Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Field 086 (Government Document Call Number): $d (Volumes/dates to which call number applies) (AD)
  
• Fields X00 (Personal Names): $d (Dates associated with a name), $f (Date of a work) (BD, AD, CD, CI)
  
• Fields X10 (Corporate Names): $d (Date of meeting or treaty signing), $f (Date of a work) (BD, AD, CD, CI)
  
• Field 111 (Meeting Name): $d (Date of meeting), $f (Date of a work) (BD, AD, CD, CI)
  
• Fields X30 (Uniform Titles): $d (Date of treaty signing), $f (Date of a work) (BD, AD, CD, CI)
  
• Field 240 (Uniform Title): $d (Date of treaty signing), $f (Date of a work) (BD)
  
• Field 245 (Title Statement): $f (Inclusive dates), $g (Bulk dates) (BD, CI)
  
• Field 246 (Varying Form of Title): $f (Designation of volume and issue number and/or date of a work) (BD, CI)
  
• Field 247 (Former Title or Title Variations): $f (Designation of volume and issue number and/or date of a work) (BD, CI)
  
• Field 260 (Publication, Distribution, etc. (Imprint)): $c (Date of publication, distribution, etc.) (BD)
  
• Field 261 (Imprint Statement for Films (Pre-AACR1 Revised)): $d (Date of production, release, etc.) (BD)
  
• Field 262 (Imprint Statement for Sound Recordings (Pre-AACR2)): $c (Date of production, release, etc.) (BD)
  
• Field 310 (Current Publication Frequency): $b (Date of current publication frequency) (BD)
  
• Field 321 (Former Publication Frequency): $b (Dates of former publication frequency) (BD)
  
• Field 362 (Dates of Publication and/or Volume Designation): $a (Dates of publication and/or sequential designation) (BD)
  
• Field 510 (Citation/References Note): $b (Dates of coverage of source) (BD)
  
• Field 513 (Type of Report and Period Covered Note): $b (Period covered) (BD)
  
• Field 518 (Date/Time and Place of an Event Note): $a (Date/time and place of an event note) (BD)
  
• Field 533 (Reproduction Note): $d (Date of reproduction), $m (Dates of publication and/or sequential designation of issues reproduced) (BD)
  
• Field 541 (Immediate Source of Acquisition Note): $d (Date of acquisition) (BD)
  
• Field 640 (Series Dates of Publication and/or Volume Designation): $a (Series dates of publication and/or volume designation) (AD)
  
• Field 642 (Series Numbering Example): $d (Volumes/dates to which series numbering example applies) (AD)
  
• Field 643 (Series Place and Publisher/Issuing Body): $d (Volumes/dates to which place and publisher/issuing body applies) (AD)
  
• Field 644 (Series Analysis Practice): $d (Volumes/dates to analysis practice applies) (AD)
  
• Field 645 (Series Tracing Practice): $d (Volumes/dates to tracing practice applies) (AD)
  
• Field 646 (Series Classification Practice): $d (Volumes/dates to classification practice applies) (AD)
  
• Field 650 (Subject Added Entry--Topical Term): $d (Active dates) (BD)
  
• Field 685 (History Note): $e (Local implementation date), $f (Title and publication date) (CD)
  
• Fields 76X (Linking Entries): $d (Place, publisher, and date of publication) (BD)
  
• Field 843 (Reproduction Note): $d (Date of reproduction), $m (Dates of publication and/or sequential designation of issues reproduced) (HD)
  

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