About this guide
Overview
Scope
Bibliographic Formats and Standards is a guide to the structure, coding practices, and input standards used in bibliographic records in the WorldCat® database. It provides definitions, guidelines, and examples for entering information into WorldCat.
Audience
Bibliographic Formats and Standards is designed to assist catalogers and other technical services staff making use of bibliographic records in WorldCat. This guide assumes you are familiar with Resource Description & Access or other recent cataloging standards as well as other standard cataloging reference material.
Web browser requirements
Bibliographic Formats and Standards supports recent versions of most major web browsers. The following browsers are supported:
- Google Chrome version 105 and higher
- Microsoft Edge version 105 and higher
- Mozilla Firefox version 121 and higher
- Safari version 15.4 and higher
Updates
This document is kept up-to-date by technical bulletins outlining changes to tagging conventions and coding practice for bibliographic records. Information appearing in technical bulletins is incorporated into this document on a regular basis. For a list of current technical bulletins, see Technical Bulletins.
Other changes and updates are incorporated into this document as needed. The latest revision date appears at the end of each page.
Designations
The following designations are used throughout this guide:
| Record Types | Meaning |
| BIB | WorldCat Bibliographic Records |
| LBD | Local Bibliographic Data |
| LHR | Local Holdings Records |
| Bibliographic Formats | Meaning |
| ALL | All formats |
| BKS | Books |
| CNR | Continuing Resources |
| COM | Computer Files |
| MAP | Maps |
| MIX | Mixed Materials |
| REC | Sound Recordings |
| SCO | Scores |
| VIS | Visual Materials |
| Character | Meaning |
 |
Blank, distinguished from a fill character |
 |
Fill character, distinguished from a blank |
| ǂ | Subfield delimiter |
Examples
Most examples provided are based on instructions found in Resource Description & Access. They are illustrative, not necessarily prescriptive. Because of the dynamic nature of WorldCat, some examples may not appear online now as shown in this document.
Additional examples
If you find a bibliographic record that illustrates a cataloging instruction or coding practice particularly well, you may share it with us. Send an e-mail message giving the OCLC record number and comments to askqc@oclc.org.
Acknowledgments
OCLC acknowledges the efforts of all the people who participated in producing Bibliographic Formats and Standards.
Contributors
OCLC acknowledges Nancy B. Olson for permission to adapt and use her chart from A Catalogers Guide to MARC Coding and Tagging for Audiovisual Material. DeKalb, Ill.: Minnesota Scholarly Press, 1993.
OCLC acknowledges Amigos Library Services for permission to adapt and use charts from Amigos Technical Memorandum T79-37, Formatting of Call Numbers.
OCLC acknowledges the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County for permission to adapt and use its chart Summary of Field 260 ǂc.
OCLC writers and reviewers
Bryan Baldus, Robert Bremer, Linda Gabel, Luanne Goodson, Shanna Griffith, Kate James, Megan Johnson, Morris Levy, Hayley Moreno, Charlene Morrison, Patty Treboni, Laura Ramsey, Robin Six, Jay Weitz, and Cynthia Whitacre.