Encoding Standards and the Presentation of Information

The Automation Period in Libraries

By the mid 1960s computers were being used for the production of machine readable catalog records, and by 1985 the NYPL had begun providing access to its catalog through public access computer terminals. Today, since all of our tasks today revolve around computers, we need to understand the general strengths and weaknesses of computers, and understand the strengths and weaknesses of online catalogs and other computerized collections of surrogate records.

Marking Up

In print there are formatting conventions. The printer applies the appropriate format when needed:

• Italics
• Bold
• Underline

For computers, however, there are encoding standards. The computer must be told when to "turn on" and "turn off" the textual mark:

• WordPerfect "reveal codes" option
• Various other "mark up" languages
• SGML: "Standard Generalized Markup" Language
• HTML: "HyperText Markup" Language

In both print and online, marked up (or "tagged" text provides for the unique styling (i.e. design) of resources, the ability for authors to structure resources , the ability for authors to emphasize points, and cues and clues to what a document might be about. 

Encoding Standards - HTML

Purpose: For the computer-to-computer transfer of information
Example: How your computer displays a web page (HTML compliant browser interacting with file hosted on server miles, and miles away)
Problem: Computers are dumb, therefore everything must be explicitly described.
WWW Solution: HTML is an encoding standard that is employed nearly universally by web page realtors  so that their content can be displayed by HTML-compliant computers.

Header () - where metadata is stored (not readable to human viewers BUT is readable by computers) a form of surrogate record.

OPAC records are encoded in HTML, so the design and display of each record can facilitate efficient perusing by end-users. However, HTML doesn't have a set of tags rich enough for the mark up of library surrogate records (e.g. there is no "author" tag in HTML).

Encoding Standards - MaRC

Purpose: For the computer-to-computer transfer of information
Example: How you library catalog knows what to do with the cataloging data it receives from a bibliographic entry. 
Problem: Computers are dumb, therefore everything must be explicitly described.
Solution: MaRC is an encoding standard that is employed nearly universally by librarians so that their surrogate (i.e. bibliographic) records can be shared by catalogs world wide

Basics of MaRC Encoding

MaRC tags encode the left side elements ("signposts") of cataloging records:

• "100=" Main entry, personal name with a single surname
• "245=" Title and Statement of responsibility area, pick up tile for a title added entry, file under "Ra..."

Additional Structureal elements of MaRC:

• Indicators
• Subfield Codes

MaRC tags specify the meaning of the data in its context:

• "260 00 |a New York" indicates NY as a place of publication
• "245 00 |a New York" indicates NY as a title

245 14 |a The American Foreign Legion:

• 4 = 4 non filing characters T (1) h(2) e(3) [space](4)

MaRC Mnemonics

Tags divide by 100s:

• 0XX       Control Information, numbers, codes (local)
• 1XX       Main Entry
• 2XX       Titles, edition, imprint (in general, the title, statement of responsibility, edition, and
                 publication information)
• 3XX       Physical description, etc.
• 4XX       Series statements (as shown in the book)
• 5XX       Notes
• 6XX       Subject added entries
• 7XX       Added Entries other than subject or series
• 8XX       Series added entries (other authoritative forms)

Parallel content:

• X00       Personal Names
• X10       Corporate Names
• X11       Meeting Names
• X30       Uniform titles
• X40       Bibliographic titles
• X50       Topical terms
• X51       Geographic names

Parallel content examples:

• 600 indicates that the subject (6XX) is a person (X00)
• 610 indicates that the subject (6XX) is a corporation (X10)
• 650 indicates that the subject (6XX) is a topic (X50)
• 100 indicates that the author (1XX) is a person (X00)
• 110 indicates that the author (1XX) is a corporation (X10)

The Missing "9s"

• Used by vendors or individual libraries to exchange additional data.
• Can appear in any position within the tag
• 9XX
• X9X
• XX9
• EXAMPLE:
• 269 = locally added publication data
• 590 = locally added contents note

A good key can be found via the Library of Congress.