MARC is an acronym for MAchine-Readable Cataloging. It is a 'communications standard [for] exchanging bibliographic, holdings, and other data'(2) between libraries. It defines a bibliographic data format that emerged from a United States Library of Congress-led initiative that began in the 1970s. It provides the protocol by which computers exchange, use, and interpret bibliographic information. Its data elements make up the foundation of most library catalogs used today. 2005 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December- → Deaths in June June 27: Shelby Foote June 27: John T. Walton June 26: Richard Whiteley June 25: John Fiedler June 25: Chet Helms June 24: Paul Winchell June 21: Jaime Cardinal Sin June 20: Jack Kilby... Bibliographies at the University Library of Graz Bibliography (from Greek βιβλιογραφία, lit. ... Data is the plural of datum. ... The Great Hall interior. ... In the field of telecommunications, a communications protocol is the set of standard rules for data representation, signalling, authentication, and error detection required to send information over a communications channel. ... The tower of a personal computer. ... Look up catalogue in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The MARC Standards Office is part of the Library of Congress.

The record structure of MARC is an implementation of ISO 2709, also known as ANSI/NISO Z39.2. This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ...

The future of the MARC formats is a matter of some debate in the worldwide library science community. On the one hand, the formats are quite complex and are based on outdated technology. On the other, there is no alternative bibliographic format with an equivalent degree of granularity. Granularity is the extent to which a system contains discrete components of ever-smaller size. ...

MARC record types

Authority records -- MARC authority records provide information about individual names, subjects, and uniform titles. An authority record establishes an authorized form of each heading, with references as appropriate from other forms of the heading.

Bibliographic records -- MARC bibliographic records describe the intellectual and physical characteristics of bibliographic resources (books, sound recordings, video recordings, and so forth).

Holdings records -- MARC holdings records provide copy-specific information on a library resource (call number, shelf location, and so forth).

MARC "flavours"

There are many national as well as international "flavours" (variants) of MARC, including

• USMARC: national MARC of the United States, now obsolete.
• MARC 21: the "harmonization" of USMARC and CAN/MARC
• AUSMARC: national MARC of Australia, published by the National Library of Australia in 1973; USMARC adopted in 1991
• BIBSYS-MARC: used by all Norwegian University Libraries, the National Library, all college libraries, and a number of research libraries.
• CAN/MARC: national MARC of Canada, now obsolete.
• CMARC: national MARC of the Republic of China, based on UNIMARC
• DANMARC: national MARC of Denmark, based on MARC21
• INTERMARC: MARC used by Bibliothèque nationale de France
• NORMARC: national MARC of Norway, based on MARC21
• UNIMARC: created by IFLA in 1977, it is the official MARC in France

MARC 21 is not a new format. The original American version of MARC became USMARC in the 1980s; there was also a separate Canadian version with minor differences called CAN/MARC. After making minor changes to both formats, the USMARC and CAN/MARC specifications were merged in 1997 to create MARC 21, the name intended to reflect the 21st century. The British Library has announced that it will no longer develop the UKMARC standard it had maintained since 1975, in favour of MARC 21. MARC is an acronym for MAchine-Readable Cataloging. ... National Library of Australia as viewed from Lake Burley Griffin The National Library of Australia is located in Canberra, Australia. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1973 calendar). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... National motto: None Official language Mandarin Chinese Capital and largest city Taipei President Chen Shui-bian Vice President Annette Lu Premier Su Tseng-chang Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 138th 35,980 km² 2. ... The new buildings of the library. ... The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is a worldwide organization created to provide librarians around the world with a forum for exchanging ideas, and promoting international cooperation, research and development in all fields of library activity. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The 21st century is the century that began on 1 January 2001 and will last to 31 December 2100. ... British Library Ossulston St entrance, with distinctive red logo. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ...

See also

• Z39.50

Z39. ...

External links

• Understanding MARC Bibliographic Machine Readable Cataloging, good for newbies
• Marc authority records
• MARC home page
• MARC frequently asked questions
• List of MARC country codes
• MARC Standards Office
• Usenet post about MARC