Holdings Formats Come of Age / The MARC Format for Holdings Data

10/2/2000
NELA Annual Conference
Worcester, MA

Workshop and discussion by:
Ruth Haas (Widener Library, Harvard University)
Frieda Rosenberg (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Presented by the New England Technical Services Librarians (NETSL) at the New England Library Association's Annual Conference, Worcester, Mass.

Co-sponsored by the North American Serials Interest Group (NASIG) and the NELA Academic Librarians Section

This well-attended and well-received program was presented in two ninety-minute parts, with an hour's break in between. The dedication shown by the attendees (very few left early or arrived late) is testimony to the fact that the MARC Format for Holdings Data (MFHD) may finally be coming into its own. As well, anecdotal evidence indicated that there were those who attended the 2000 New England Library Association Conference primarily to come to this session.

The presentation was, in addition, a selective preview of a new Serial Holdings Workshop from the Serials Cataloging Cooperative Training Program, which will officially be available from the Library of Congress in February 2001. The PowerPoint slides used were taken directly from a draft of this course, co-authored by Frieda Rosenberg and Thom Saudargas of the College Center for Library Automation in Tallahassee, Florida.

The program's two sections were coordinated approximately with its two time periods, with the two presenters, Ruth Haas and Frieda Rosenberg, alternating throughout the morning. The first section, "Holdings Formats Come of Age," introduced the multiple library functions served by MFHD, as well as a discussion of why it has taken so long for the format to become established in practice. Reasons for the latter include the traditional perception of holdings as "local" data that do not need to be shared as bibliographic data does, a plethora of local workflows, and propriety formats for data storage and display in automated systems. Nevertheless, at this point in time the benefits of standardized holdings data are beginning to be widely realized: among these are enhanced union listing and Z39.50 searching, library-to-library data exchanges, and improved linkages from indexes to local holdings. There followed a discussion of the relationships between the two tracks of standards creation: those for holdings display, particularly NISO Z39.71, and holdings communication, primarily MFHD.

The first section of the program concluded with information about the CONSER Publication Patterns and Holdings Initiative, which is dedicated to the creation of a "pattern and holdings archive." Such an archive would have many benefits for libraries, particularly the cooperative creation of sharable information for serials management that is both accurate and detailed. The CONSER experiment began officially on June 1, 2000, with pairs of 891 fields added into OCLC records, the first field containing captions and pattern data, the second including enumeration and chronology information. For more information, see the CONSER web site, at http://lcweb.loc.gov/acq/conser/patthold.html.

The second part of the program, which occupied two of the sessions' three hours, was a detailed exposition of MFHD itself. The presentation was augmented by handouts which included the information-filled PowerPoint slides, in addition to a five-page summary of the format elements. The presenters focussed on 1) the MFHD control fields (leader-008), plus location and access fields (852, 856); 2) the captions and patterns fields, including enumeration and chronology (853-865); and 3) the textual holdings fields (866-868). In addition to the coding of these elements, they explained concepts such as data compressibility and expansion, levels of enumeration and chronology, the varied relationships between 85X and 86X fields, and the appropriate uses of textual vs. coded holdings data.

Haas and Rosenberg provided coding exercises to be done on one's own (with an answer sheet graciously included). The program required more sustained concentration than most conference programs in this writer's experience, but it was regarded as time well spent by most. Written comments included "very thorough, well-organized, and informative," "excellent handouts which will help when back in the 'real world'," and "clear and precise outline and explanations." There was, in addition, a call for more: "This topic needs to be done again. As more consortia try to embrace MFHD we need to learn as much as possible."

David Miller
NETSL Writer/Editor
Levin Library, Curry College
Milton, Mass. 02186