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256 Computer File Characteristics (NR)

Record Type
BIB
Input Standards
Field (Full/Minimal)
Required if applicable/Required if applicable
1st Indicator Undefined
	Undefined
2nd Indicator Undefined
	Undefined
Subfields (R=Repeatable NR=Nonrepeatable)		Input Standards (Full/Minimal)
ǂa	Computer file characteristics (NR)	Mandatory/Mandatory
ǂ6	Linkage (NR)	System supplied/System supplied
ǂ7	Data provenance (R)	Optional/Optional
ǂ8	Field link and sequence number (R)	Optional/Optional

Definition

Computer file characteristics that include the type of file (e.g., Electronic program) and the number of records, statements, etc. (e.g., 1250 records, 5076 bytes).

For guidance on describing and encoding the attributes of audio recording carriers, see “Supplement 1” of the Music Library Association’s Supplements to Best Practices for Music Cataloging Using RDA and MARC21.

For information on punctuation, see the Punctuation section below.

Note: According to AACR2, this area is no longer used for electronic resources.

1st Indicator

Undefined. The 1st indicator position is undefined and contains a blank.

	Undefined

2nd Indicator

Undefined. The 2nd indicator position is undefined and contains a blank.

	Undefined

Subfields

ǂa Computer file characteristics

File characteristics that include the type of file and the number of records. In records formulated according to ISBD principles, the number of records, statements, bytes, etc., is enclosed in parentheses.

256

Electronic data (2 files : 800, 1250 records) and programs (3 files : 7260, 3490, 5076 bytes)

256

Electronic program (1 file : 200 statements)

256

Electronic programs (2 files : 4300, 1250 bytes)

ǂ6 Linkage

Data that link fields when non-Latin script is entered. This subfield is system supplied and does not appear in OCLC online displays. Do not manually add subfield ǂ6. For more information about subfield ǂ6, see Control Subfields.

ǂ7 Data provenance

For information about subfield ǂ7, see the Data Provenance Subfields section of Control Subfields.

ǂ8 Field link and sequence number

For information about subfield ǂ8, see Control Subfields.

Punctuation

For records containing ISBD punctuation, follow these instructions:

Enclose the number of files, records, statements, bytes, etc., in parentheses
Separate the number of files from the number of records, statements, bytes, etc., by a space-colon-space
Include incidental punctuation needed within any subfields, e.g., commas, periods (following abbreviations or initials), etc.
Optionally, add a terminal period at the end of the field unless the last subfield ends with an ellipsis or period (following an abbreviation or initial)

256

Electronic data (1 file : 350 records).

For records containing non-ISBD punctuation, see the cataloging instructions used to create the record.

For records containing minimal or no punctuation, include punctuation needed within any subfields. Otherwise, omit the punctuation outlined above.

256

Electronic data (1 file : 350 records)

For more information on punctuation, including OCLC policy, see section 2.8, Punctuation.

Indexing

Field 256 is not indexed.

MARC 21

For more information, including content designator history, see MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, field 256.

This page last updated: 2024-03-14 · Report an error in WorldCat · Submit a suggestion for this page · Get help with general cataloging questions