Record Matching Guidelines

This information has been adapted and edited from:  Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Chapter 4: “When to Input a New Record” / OCLC.  3^rd ed.  HTML version.  Last revised, May 2003.  (http://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en/about/)

Although it is impossible to cover every case, the guidelines below should help you determine whether an existing record in the MassCat database (or CatExpress) matches the item you are cataloging.

Please remember that finding errors in an existing record in the MassCat database does not justify importing a new record from CatExpress or requesting that a new record be created by the Cataloging Center.  Instead if you find an error in a record in the MassCat database, please report it to the Cataloging Center using the forms found in the “Reporting Bibliographic Problems or Duplicate Records” section of the Cataloging Center Website (http://www.masscat.org/cataloging/catcenter.htm)

These guidelines are based on Anglo-American Cataloging Rules 2^nd Edition (AACR2) 1998 revision and the Library of Congress’s application of these rules.

General Information:

Differences indicative of a distinct bibliographic item usually occur in more than one field.  If a difference occurs in a single field of the record, determine whether the record you are looking at is describing a separate bibliographic item with only one significant difference from the item you are cataloging, or whether the difference in the record you are looking at is in fact an error or a difference in opinion from the cataloger.  If in doubt, use the existing record – do not import a new record or request a new record.

The Guidelines:

The following format abbreviations are used when discussing fields within a record.  When an abbreviation is listed after the field name, it indicates that the information only applies to records for that particular format:

The following terms are used when discussing comparisons.  The terms are defined to allow for a clearer understanding:

What follows is a brief analysis of the most common fields within a record and what differences in information (including the absence or presence of particular information) contained within those fields would justify the creation of a new record.

Library of Congress Control Number (MARC field 010):

The absence or presence of this field alone does not justify a new record.  A difference in control numbers issued by the same agency may justify a new record.  Compare other fields within the record such as title, publication, edition and notes fields to be sure there are other differences in the record before you determine that the record does not match your item.

International Standard Book Number -ISBN (MARC field 020):

The absence, presence or difference in this field alone does not justify a new record.  Compare other fields within the record such as title, publication, edition and notes fields to be sure there are other differences in the record before you determine that the record does not match your item.

International Standard Serial Number – ISSN (MARC field 022):

The absence, presence or difference in this field alone does not justify a new record.  Compare other fields within the record such as title, publication, edition and notes fields to be sure there are other differences in the record before you determine that the record does not match your item.

Publisher Number (MARC field 028):

The absence, presence or difference in this field alone does not justify a new record.  Compare other fields within the record such as title, publication, edition and notes fields to be sure there are other differences in the record before you determine that the record does not match your item.

Author Main Entry (MARC fields 100, 110, 111, 130):

The absence, presence or difference in choice or form of author main entry fields do not justify a new record.

Title (MARC field 245 subfield ‡a = title proper, MARC field 245 subfield ‡n = number of part or section of a work, MARC field 245 subfield ‡p = name of part or section of a work):

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• The absence, presence or difference in bracketed information, capitalization, diacritics, ellipses, initial articles, punctuation or special characters
• The absence, presence or difference in expanded forms of non-English abbreviations, numerals, etc.
• The variation in length of title resulting from judgment of what constitutes the title proper (e.g., a difference in the placement of subfield ‡b)
• Variation resulting from difference in choice of chief source of information
• Variation resulting from difference in selection of title proper (e.g., Keats' poetry vs. Poetry)

Specific differences in the wording of the title proper (other than those noted above) justify a new record.

Subtitle (MARC field 245 subfield ‡b):

The absence or presence of a subtitle does not justify a new record. To justify a new record, use the criteria under field 245 subfields ‡a, ‡n, ‡p (title proper).

Statement of Responsibility (MARC field 245 subfield ‡c):

The absence or presence of a statement of responsibility in the title field does not justify a new record. Statements of responsibility may be present in fields 245 subfield ‡c, a note field, or omitted.

Medium (MARC field 245 subfield ‡h):

The absence or presence of information about the medium as contained in field 245 subfield ‡h does not justify a new record. A difference in information contained in field 245 subfield ‡h alone does not justify a new record. Compare physical description information as contained in MARC field 300 and fields 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.

Edition (MARC field 250):

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• The absence or presence of "book club edition" statements if that is the only difference
• The absence or presence of "first edition" statements if that is the only difference
• The absence or presence of "paperback edition" statements if that is the only difference
• Variation in position of edition information in the record (for example, edition information present in MARC field 500 instead of MARC field 250)

The following differences justify a new record:

• Variation in date designation associated with edition (e.g., Draft, Jan. 1989 vs. Draft, May 1989)
• Variation in numbered edition statements (e.g., 2nd ed. vs. 3rd ed.)
• Variation in statements indicating a difference in content (e.g., Teacher ed. vs. Student ed.)
• Variation in statements indicating abridgment, enlargement, etc.
• Variation in statements indicating "draft," "preliminary," "revision," etc.
• Variation in statements indicating geographic coverage (e.g., Midwest ed. vs. Western ed.)
• Variation in statements indicating language content (e.g., Spanish ed. vs. Italian ed.)

Edition statements appearing on some foreign language publications (e.g., Romance language imprints) reflect printing information rather than edition information. If the edition statement appears in conjunction with the printer's name or the number of copies printed, generally consider the edition statement to reflect printing information and use the existing record.  In all other cases, use judgment.

Place of publication, distribution, etc. (MARC field 260 subfield ‡a):

Absence or presence of place of publication information does not justify a new record.

The following differences in MARC field 260 subfield ‡a do not justify a new record:

• The absence or presence of a place of publication if known only from an outside source (e.g., [Ohio?] vs. [S.l.] )
• Change of place among issues or parts of a serial or multipart item
• Change of place within the same country between printings of the same edition
• Variation in choice of place for items with more than one place of publication (e.g., if an item is published in London and New York, a British library enters only London, but a U.S. library enters London and New York)
• Variation in multiple places of publication as long as the first place is the same (e.g., an item published in Denmark may show only Kobenhavn, but the same item issued in the U.S. shows Kobenhavn and Philadelphia)
• Variation in the form of the name of the place (e.g., Cologne vs. Köln)

Other than those noted above, differences in the place of publication justify a new record.

Name of publisher, distributor, etc. (MARC field 260 subfield ‡b):

The following differences do not justify a new record: 

• Variation in choice of publisher for an item having more than one publisher
• Variation in choice of a publisher when the publishers are part of the same organization (e.g., Puffin vs. Penguin)
• Variation in fullness of the publisher's name (e.g., John Wiley & Sons vs. Wiley)
• Absence or presence of a publisher if known only from an outside source (e.g., [A.B. Smith] vs. [s.n.])
• Absence or presence of multiple publishers, distributors, etc., as long as one on the item matches one on the record, and vice versa
• Change of publisher among issues or parts of a serial or multipart item

Specific differences in the publisher (other than those noted) justify a new record.

Date of publication, distribution, etc. (MARC field 260 subfield ‡c):

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Absence or presence of a publication or copyright date
• Variation in printing, manufacture or distribution date alone
• Variation in copyright dates if the publication dates are the same
• Variation in opening and closing dates for incomplete multipart items or looseleaf publications

The date represents the date of publication of the edition specified in field 250, not the date of a subsequent printing. A difference in the date of publication of an edition justifies a new record.  If the date is unknown or estimated (e.g., [n.d.] vs. [1965?]), use judgment.

Extent of item (MARC field 300 subfield ‡a):

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• Variation in preliminary paging, post paging or separate numbering
• Variation in recording data because of different cataloging rules
• Variation in the number of parts for an incomplete multipart item (e.g., record indicates 5 v. and the library now has v. 6-7)
• Minor variations because of bracketed or estimated data
• Minor variations in paging if that is the only difference
• Variation caused by local binding
• Variation in paging because of a section (e.g., an index being numbered in one printing and unnumbered in another printing)

Specific differences in the extent of item (other than those noted) justify a new record.

Other physical details (MARC field 300 subfield ‡b):

The absence or presence of field 300 subfield ‡b does not justify a new record.

• BKS, SER, MAP, SCO. A difference in field and subfield alone generally does not justify a new record.
• VIS, REC, COM. Specific technical differences (e.g., analog vs. digital, b&w vs. col., mono. vs. stereo., sd. vs. si., 33-1/3 rpm vs. 78 rpm, etc.) justify a new record.

Dimensions (MARC field 300 subfield ‡c):

The absence or presence of field 300 subfield ‡c does not justify a new record.

• BKS, SER, SCO. A difference of more than 2 cm., which is not a result of local binding or trimming, may justify a new record.
• MAP. Minor variations in size because of different measurement techniques or folded dimensions do not justify a new record.
• VIS, REC, COM. Specific differences in the size of the medium (e.g., 3-3/4 in. vs. 5-1/4 in., 4-3/4 in. vs. 12 in., 8 mm. vs. 16 mm.) justify a new record.

Accompanying material (MARC field 300 subfield ‡e):

The absence, presence or difference in field 300 subfield ‡e does not justify a new record. Accompanying material may be cataloged separately or described in a note.

• VIS. Specific differences in the medium of recorded accompaniment to projected media (e.g., cassette vs. disc) justify a new record.

Series Statement (MARC fields 400, 410, 411, 440, 490):

The absence or presence of 4xx fields does not justify a new record.

The following differences do not justify a new record:

• The absence, presence or difference in series statement of responsibility
• Change of series among issues or parts of a serial or multipart item. (If the item is issued in a different series, a new record is justified.)
• Variation in form of series statement
• Variation in tracing decision or form (e.g.,  series statement in field 440 instead of field 490 with field 830)

Notes (MARC fields 5xx – the note fields are too numerous to list individually here):

The absence or presence of 5xx fields, other than those noted below, does not justify a new record.

• Notes indicating the need for different equipment in the case of audiovisual media (e.g., Beta vs.VHS) justify a new record.
• Notes indicating differences in the language, edition, format, or content of the item may justify a new record.
• Choice of a specific 5xx field vs. a general field 500 note does not justify a new record.
• Notes indicating the presence of accompanying material do not justify a new record.
• Notes relating solely to holdings, in-house binding, missing pages and other imperfections, etc. do not justify a new record.
• Other differences in the 5xx fields do not justify a new record. If in doubt, compare fields 245 through 4xx for other differences to justify a new record.

"With" Note (MARC field 501):

The absence, presence or difference in this field justifies a new record. Field 501 should not be used to show local binding practice and does not justify a new record in such cases.

Formatted Contents Note (MARC field 505):

The absence or presence of this field does not justify a new record.

• A contents note showing less complete contents or coverage does not justify a new record.

• A contents note showing actual differences in the content of the item justifies a new record. Compare fields 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.

Reproduction Note (MARC field 533):

The absence or presence of this field justifies a new record. Having the information in field 500 instead, does not justify a new record.

• Specific differences in form (e.g., microfilm vs. microfiche) justify a new record.
• A difference in polarity of a microform does not justify a new record.
• A difference in reproduction publication dates does not justify a new record.
• A difference in reproduction publishers justifies a new record. However, a change in publishers between issues or parts of a serial or multipart item does not justify a new record.

System Details Note (MARC field 538):

The absence or presence of this field does not justify a new record, however:

• COM. Specific differences in system requirements (e.g., disk characteristics, technical details, etc.) may justify a new record. Compare fields 245 through 5xx for other differences to justify a new record.
• VIS. Differences in video system (e.g., Beta vs. VHS) justify a new record.

Subject Headings (MARC fields 6xx):

In general, the absence, presence or difference in these fields does not justify a new record.

Additional Author or Title Entries (MARC fields 7xx):

In general, the absence, presence or difference in these fields does not justify a new record.

Series Added Entries (MARC fields 800, 810, 811, and 830):

In general, the absence, presence or difference in these fields does not justify a new record.

Local Use Information (MARC fields 9xx):

In general, the absence, presence or difference in these fields does not justify a new record.