The authors’ goal is to provide an overview of the MARC standard aimed primarily at library staff other than cataloguers. This rather unusual approach goes against the general opinion in the profession – the one that only cataloguing staff needs to know and worry about MARC – and succeeds in de‐mystifying MARC for all non‐cataloguers.
The Guide is divided in two parts. Part I, under the title “The underlying fundamentals”, provides an introduction to bibliographic information and the role of the library catalogue in meeting the needs of library patrons. The authors explain here the basics of bibliographic control – cataloguing rules and standards – and of machine‐readable cataloguing records: “what are they, why do we need them and how do we get them?” After a brief overview of the history of cataloguing (print and computerized), they focus on MARC21 and today’s OPACs, exploring the purpose of the OPAC and how it is achieved with using MARC, and its indexing, searching, and display functions.
The closing chapters of Part I provide an overview of MARC21 terminology – an important tool for smooth communication between cataloguers and non‐cataloguers – and conclude with “who [in the library] needs to know what” of MARC21 and why. Not only are acquisitions, ILL, and circulation staff included, but also reference staff and library administrators. Since cataloguing staff needs a thorough knowledge of the MARC records and of the database, this Guide cannot provide them with all details they need to know.
The authors strongly emphasize the importance of systems staff learning about MARC: “Nothing is so disheartening in a library as a systems person who has no knowledge at all of MARC” (p. 61). The last paragraph addresses the systems person directly: “We know that you have a million fires to put out … [b]ut we promise you that, rather than making your job harder, acquiring a working knowledge of MARC will actually make it easier. Many hitherto mysterious details will suddenly become amazingly clear once you gain a solid knowledge of MARC. You will be able to perform herculean tasks and amaze your colleagues with miraculous works” (p. 62).
Part II deals with “the most common fields found in MARC21 bibliographic records”. It is best comprehended – in the reviewer’s opinion – if the learner follows the text and simultaneously looks at records in an online catalogue. The warning, not to use this guide as a MARC coding manual, is repeated at the beginning of this part.
The authors divide MARC21 fields in four groups: indexed, display, coded, and number fields, and devote a separate chapter to each one of these groups. The indexed fields group includes main and added entries, i.e. name, title, and subject headings. The authors take an excellent approach to introduce and explain them to the reader, taking her/him from the display of main and added entries on a catalogue card to the equivalent MARC fields in the electronic record. Then, they examine every field separately, starting from a search in the OPAC, following what the users would see in terms of search result display, and relating these to MARC coding. They examine the way in which particular MARC fields allow searching and control the display of search results.
Figure 7‐2 (p. 67), “Patterns in MARC headings tags”, is an excellent table illustrating symmetries and patterns in MARC coding. In the text that follows, these fields and their function in the catalogue are explored separately. The authors concentrate on the similarities among various fields, and their indicators and subfields, building on what the reader already knows from the previous text.
The display fields chapter deals with fields that contain bibliographic description, including title and statement of responsibility, imprint, physical description, and various notes. These fields form the description of the library material that the patron sees in the OPAC. While some of these fields are indexed, the entire content of this description is searchable through keyword search. As in the previous chapter, every field is examined separately. The importance of the indicators and their role in correct filing, searching, and display is emphasized.
The authors explain coded fields or, control fields – the most difficult part of MARC according to the reviewer – in terms of their use for limiting searches in the OPAC. Search qualifiers, such as date, language, type of material, and publication place/country, are linked back to their coding in the leader of the record and the 008 field, and then the sources and use of the fixed length codes is explained.
The last group includes number fields that consist of control number, control number identifier, ISBN, and ISSN. They are mostly used by cataloguing staff, for copy cataloguing, and by the catalogue system, for machine matching of duplicate records.
In the OPAC, they are useful for known item searches.
Chapter 11 of the Guide provides a good summary of the key points discussed. In chapter 12, there are five sample MARC21 records with questions for a final review.
Every chapter in the book includes a short quiz at the end, which helps in memorizing the key points that are discussed. The Guide includes a bibliography, a glossary of cataloguing terminology, and an index. There are three appendices: keys to the end‐of‐chapter quizzes and sample record questions; a complete list of MARC21 codes (as of February 2002); and a list of initial articles in various languages.
I find the authors’ approach to teaching MARC21 coding with focus on the OPAC and the library patron excellent. It re‐creates the missing link between the knowledge of public services staff and cataloguing staff by educating the former about what is behind the (im)proper functioning of the online catalogue, and explaining to the latter the crucial role of their work in the basic functioning of their library.
