MARC (
MAchine-
Readable Cataloging) is a set of
standards for encoding
metadata about
library materials.
A typical MARC record looks like this:
LEADER 00460cam 2200092 a 4500
001 ocm10850947
005 19941215083250.0
008 840601c19841983mau d 00011 eng
010 84010948 //r87
020 0816137471 :$c16.95
040 DLC$cDLC$dm/c
049 TNHu
050 1 PS3552.R49$bE85 1984
082 0 813/.54$219
092 LARGE$bTYPE, FICT
100 10 Briskin, Jacqueline.$wcn
245 10 Everything and more /$htext (large print)$cJacqueline Briskin.
260 0 Boston, Mass. :$bG.K. Hall,$c1984, c1983.
300 x, 727 p. ;$c25 cm.
500 Published in large print.
650 0 Large type books
There can be several fields in one record with the same identifier, such as multiple 650 (subject) fields for a work about more than one topic. Some days I wish we could all just go back to card catalogs.
MARC is described at the Library of Congress's site: http://www.loc.gov/marc/