Optional Fields in New NARs

General

While the following fields are not mandatory, consider adding them if they would provide valuable information that could be used to identify or differentiate the person or other entity.

043 Fields: Geographic Area Codes

046 Fields: Special Coded Dates

If the information is readily available, add an 046 field even if the information is already recorded in a 670 field.  

053 Fields: LC Classification Numbers for Literary Authors

You may record an LC classification number for a literary author in the 053 field in a NAR. Only include the $a portion of the call number.

If you find the number in the 050 of a bibliographic record created and input by LC (040 $a DLC $c DLC), input it in an 053 with second indicator “0.”

If you are unable to find a literary work by the author in LC’s catalog, you can input it in an 053 field with second indicator “4” followed by the MARC institution code in a subfield $5.

Multiple 053 fields may be used for literary authors who write in more than one language. Qualify the 053 with the language in $c (without using parentheses) in such cases.

053  0  $a PS3527.A15 $c English
053  0  $a PG3476.N3 $c Russian

053 fields should never be used on undifferentiated name records or to record PZ numbers.

For more information, see the LC Classification Manual (SCM F 632) and the relevant section of the LC Descriptive Cataloging Manual (DCM Z1).

To record an LC classification number in a NAR locally, update the record in ORBIS using an 090 field. 

368 Field. Other Attributes of Person or Corporate Body

370 Field. Associated Place

371 Field. Address

372 Field. Field of Activity

373 Field. Associated Group

374 Field. Occupation

375 Field. Gender

377 Field. Associated Language

378 Field. Fuller Form of Personal Name

380 Field. Form of Work

381 Field. Other Distinguishing Characteristics of Work or Expression

5xx Field. See Also from Tracing

781 Field. Geographic Subdivision


See LC’s RDA in MARC and MARC 21 Format for Authority Data for additional information.


Document originally created by the Authority Control Advisory Committee; revised and maintained by the Authorities & Identities Advisory Group.

Comments to: Tachtorn Meier and Jia Xu

Last modified: 
Wednesday, June 21, 2023 - 10:13am