BIBCO Standard Record Metadata Application Profile (BSR MAP)
Version/ID Code (if any): January 2013
Governing Standards Agency: Program for Cooperative Cataloging /de facto
Description: Program for Cooperative Cataloging /de facto
Notes on relevance: BIBCO participants contribute monographic bibliographic records to international databases, meeting or exceeding the elements of the BIBCO Standard Record. BIBCO records include headings backed by complete authority work, both descriptive and subject.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/aba/pcc/bibco/index.html
Classification and Shelflisting Manual (CSM)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2008
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: Provides guidance on establishing LC class numbers and assigning them to library materials as well as shelflisting and additions to call numbers. Originally created as an in-house manual for LC catalogers, CSM is now widely used as the authoritative manual for LCC.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=16 (purchase)
CONSER Cataloging Manual (CCM)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2002 edition, annual updates
Governing Standards Agency: PCC/de facto
Description: Provides an easily readable, illustrated approach to AACR2 and the LCRIs as they apply to serials and a set of common guidelines to facilitate cooperative cataloging and record sharing. The CCM codifies many long-standing but previously unwritten practices developed by LC catalogers to handle situations not expressly covered by a rule or LCRI. CCM is the most authoritative word on serials cataloging. The companion publication, CEG (CONSER Editing Guide), explains how to create and tag an online record once the content of the cataloging has been determined. The CCM explains how to determine that content.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=21 (purchase)
CONSER Editing Guide (CEG)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2003, updated twice per year
Governing Standards Agency: PCC/de facto
Description: Sets forth the policies, procedures, and technical guidelines (MARC 21 fields and data elements) to be followed within the CONSER program, and also widely used by serials catalogers beyond the CONSER program.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=22 (purchase)
CONSER Standard Record Metadata Application Profile (CSR MAP)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2010
Governing Standards Agency: Program for Cooperative Cataloging/de facto
Description: The CONSER standard record for serials has been developed with the intention of meeting user needs. The standard emphasizes access points over extensive descriptive detail favoring instead controlled subject and name access points. The mandatory data elements that make up the Metadata Application Profile (MAP) and instructions for providing these elements set the standard for the CONSER record and replace the previous full, core, and minimal record CONSER element lists.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/conserdoc.pdf
See also: Serials
Descriptive Cataloging Manual, Z1 (DCM Z1)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: DCM Z1 instructions address the creation and update of name and series authority records. LC staff members and libraries participating in the Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) component of the Program for Cooperative Cataloging (PCC) contribute records to the national authority file, following instructions in DCM Z1.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/dcmz1.pdf
Graphic Materials
Version/ID Code (if any): 1982 with updates; cumulative update published in 2002
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: Guidelines for cataloging graphic materials within the general structure and theory of AACR2. Library cataloging methods have been reconciled with the principles of archives and museum documentation in an attempt to facilitate the cataloging of graphic materials and, furthermore, to link graphics records with a national system used for books and serials.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/gm/graphmat.html
Library of Congress Program for Cooperative Cataloging Policy Statements (LC-PCC PS)
Version/ID Code (if any): frequently updated
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress, Program for Cooperative Cataloging/de facto Description: Documents policy decisions by Library of Congress and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging for application of RDA.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/aba/rda/lcps_access.html
Library of Congress Rule Interpretations (LCRIs)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2002, updated through 2010
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress, Program for Cooperative Cataloging/de facto
Description: Documents policy decisions by Library of Congress and the Program for Cooperative Cataloging for application of AACR2, providing for a common practice. Often considered the de facto national cataloging standard. No longer updated and discontinued in print, but still available in Cataloger’s Desktop.
Available at: Available in Cataloger’s Desktop: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=162 (purchase); 2006-2010 freely available at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/PDFdownloads/lcri/index.html
Map Cataloging Manual
Version/ID Code (if any): 1991 with updates
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: A cataloging manual with guidance on map cataloging practice and policies, to ensure consistency of map cataloging.
Available at: No longer issued in print; available in Cataloger’s Desktop: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=162 (purchase)
OCLC Bibliographic Formats and Standards
Version/ID Code (if any): 4th edition
Governing Standards Agency: OCLC/de facto
Description: A guide to machine-readable cataloging records in WorldCat. It provides tagging conventions, input standards and guidelines for entering information into WorldCat.
Available at: https://www.oclc.org/bibformats/en.html
Subject Headings Manual (SHM)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2008, updated twice per year
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: Originally conceived as an in-house manual for cataloging staff at Library of Congress, now used internationally as the authoritative manual for subject cataloging policy and practice when assigning Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH). No longer issued in print; available in Catalogers’ Desktop.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=162 (purchase)
Bibliographic Framework Initiative (BIBFRAME)
Version/ID Code (if any): ongoing
Governing Standards Agency: LOC
Description: Initiated by the Library of Congress, BIBFRAME provides a foundation for the future of bibliographic description, both on the web, and in the broader networked world that is grounded in Linked Data techniques. A major focus of the initiative is to determine a transition path for the MARC 21 formats while preserving a robust data exchange that has supported resource sharing and cataloging cost savings in recent decades.
Available at: https://www.loc.gov/bibframe/
Functional Requirements for Authority Data (FRAD)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2009
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/recommended practice
Description: FRAD is a companion document to the earlier FRBR conceptual model developed by IFLA. FRAD expands on FRBR by adding additional attributes to each of the Group 1, 2, and 3 entities; a new Group 2 entity (Family); and new entities intended to support the authority control process (Name, Identifier, Controlled Access Point, Rules, and Agency). Perhaps the strongest promise of the FRAD model is support for multi-lingual catalogs that can display different forms of names for various entities depending on a user’s location or language preferences. In addition to expanded entities and attributes, FRAD defines a different set of user tasks for authority data than FRBR did for bibliographic data; here, the user tasks are: Find, Identify, Contextualize, and Justify.
Available at: http://www.ifla.org/publications/ifla-series-on-bibliographic-control-34
Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records (FRBR)
Version/ID Code (if any): 1998
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/recommended practice
Description: A conceptual model of the bibliographic universe, FRBR was created to better understand the user tasks catalogs can and should support, and to suggest how bibliographic data might be viewed in support of these tasks. The most commonly known features of the FRBR report are its four user tasks (Find, Identify, Select, and Obtain) and the Group 1 Entities which categorize the products of intellectual and artistic endeavors (Work, Expression, Manifestation, and Item). The FRBR report has other features as well, including Group 2 Entities representing the creators of Group 1 Entities (Person and Corporate Body), Group 3 Entities which are the subjects of Works (Group 1 Entities, Group 2 Entities, plus Concept, Object, Event, and Place), and minimal standards for national bibliographic records.
Available at: http://www.ifla.org/publications/functional-requirements-for-bibliographic-records
Functional Requirements for Subject Authority Data (FRSAD)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2010
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/recommended practice
Description: The FRSAD initiative is intended to provide a more complete conceptual model for FRBR Group 3 entities in their role serving as the subjects of FRBR Works. The 2010 report abandoned the FRBR Group 3 entity structure (Concept, Object, Event, Place) in favor of conceptual entities (Thema) that are known by name tokens (Nomen).
Available at: http://www.ifla.org/node/1297
Library Reference Model (LRM)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2017
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/recommended practice
Description: LRM is the consolidation of the separately developed IFLA conceptual models: FRBR, FRAD, FRSAD. The result is a single, streamlined, and logically consistent model that covers all aspects of bibliographic data and that at the same time brings the modeling up-to-date with current conceptual modeling practices. IFLA LRM was designed to be used in linked data environments and to support and promote the use of bibliographic data in linked data environments.
Available at: https://www.ifla.org/publications/node/11412
Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, 2nd Edition, Revised (AACR2)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2nd Edition, 2002 revision, 2005 update
Governing Standards Agency: Joint Steering Committee for Revision of AACR/ad hoc-de facto
Description: AACR2 was the primary descriptive content standard used in the library field in the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. Its use is almost exclusive to libraries, although there have been calls for the archives and museum communities to adopt it for the description of “bibliographic” types of materials. AACR2 has been replaced by RDA, though many older records still retain their AACR2 standards.
Available at: the Anglo-American Cataloging Rules homepage (purchase)
Analyzed Layout and Text Object (ALTO)
Version/ID Code (if any): Version 2.0
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de jure
Description: ALTO is a XML Schema that details technical metadata for describing the layout and content of physical text resources, such as pages of a book or a newspaper. It most commonly serves as an extension schema used within the Metadata Encoding and Transmission Schema (METS) administrative metadata section. However, ALTO instances can also exist as a standalone document used independently of METS.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/alto/
Cataloging Cultural Objects (CCO)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2006
Governing Standards Agency: Visual Resources Association Foundation/de facto
Description: CCO is a content standard for the description of works of art, architecture, and material culture. It was developed in partnership between the Visual Resources Association and the Getty Foundation, and as such attempts to meet the needs of both the visual resources (frequently tied to libraries) and museum communities.
Available at: the CCO Commons
Describing Archives: a Content Standard (DACS)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2nd edition (2013; revised March 2015)
Governing Standards Agency: Society of American Archivists/de facto
Description: DACS is a product and publication of the Society of American Archivists and thus reflects the descriptive priorities of the archival community. It replaces the older Archives, Personal Papers, and Manuscripts (APPM) content standard. It primarily focuses on the description of personal papers and institutional records. DACS is generally used in a multi-level description environment although it is possible to apply it for item-level description as well.
Available at: The Society of American Archivists webpage - PDF download, or web version (free)
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books) (DCRM(B))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2007 (2011 update)
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: Provides cataloging rules for rare books--printed textual monographs receiving special treatment within a repository. Thoroughly revised and expanded from its predecessor (Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Books, 2nd edition, 1991), it includes 19th- and 20th-century books. Introductory sections involve: objectives and principles and pre-cataloging decisions, to help with local decisions about the level of detail to provide; an appendix of scanned images of early letters and symbols accompanied by their correct transcriptions; and new appendices on collection-level cataloging, core-level cataloging, variations requiring the creation of a new bibliographic record, and individual issues of serials.
Available at: the Cataloging Distribution Service (purchase)
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Cartographic) (DCRM(C))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2008
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: provides instructions for cataloging rare cartographic materials, that is, cartographic materials of any age or type of production receiving special treatment within a repository.
Available at: http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrmc/
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Graphics) (DCRM(G))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2008
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: provides guidelines and instructions for descriptive cataloging of graphic materials, other than maps, receiving special treatment within a repository. Graphic materials include still images of all types, such as prints, drawings, photographs, posters, postcards, pictorial advertisements, cartoons, comic strips, portraits, landscapes, book illustrations, born-digital pictures, etc. Special treatment usually results from the fragility, rarity, and enduring value of the materials, including potential aesthetic, iconographical, and documentary value. DCRM(G) may be used for graphic materials of any age or type of production, published or unpublished.
Available at: http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrmg/
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Manuscripts) (DCRM(MSS))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2004
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: provides guidance for the cataloging of individual manuscripts, picking up roughly where AMREMM leaves off in the early modern period.
Available at: http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrmmss/
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Music) (DCRM(M))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2015
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: The scope of the rules developed for publication as DCRM(M) was originally intended to cover early printed music (from the beginnings in 1501) through the supplanting of movable type by the engraving process. However, the JTG soon decided that the manual would cover all forms of “historical” music publishing, including engraving and lithography. The JTG then decided that DCRM(M) would also include rules for cataloging manuscript music from 1600 on. It is important to recognize that this scope covers music that falls into the purview of the MARC 21 Music Format (Leader/06 coded c or d), meaning printed or manuscript notated music in score format; not music without notation or incidental music found within textual works.
Available at: http://rbms.info/dcrm/dcrmm/
Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Serials) (DCRM(S))
Version/ID Code (if any): 2008
Governing Standards Agency: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Description: ACRL Rare Books and Manuscripts Section/de facto
Notes on relevance: Provides instructions for cataloging printed serials whose rarity, value, or interest make more detailed description necessary or desirable. DCRM(S) is one of a family of manuals that form the Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials, and is based on Descriptive Cataloging of Rare Materials (Books), on The Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, second edition, 2002 revision (AACR2), and subsequent updates, on ISBD(A): International Standard Bibliographic Description for Older Monographic Publications (Antiquarian), Second Revised Edition, 1991, on the CONSER Cataloging Manual (CCM), and on the CONSER Editing Guide (CEG).
Available at: the Cataloging Distribution Service (purchase)
Dublin Core Metadata Element Set
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.85-2007
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/de jure
Description: Defines 15 metadata elements for resource description in a cross-disciplinary information environment. The Dublin Core Usage Guidelines sometimes suggest (but do not require) specific content guidelines or controlled vocabularies.
Available at: https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=57
Holdings Statements for Bibliographic Items
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.71-2006 (Rev 2011)
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/de jure
Description: The standard specifies display requirements for holdings statements for bibliographic items. This promotes consistency in the communication and exchange of holdings information for items in any physical or electronic medium.
Available at: https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/download.php/18121/Z39.71-2006_%28R2011%29.pdf
Institutional Identifiers (I2) Institutional Identification: Identifying Organizations in the Information Supply Chain
Version/ID Code (if any): NISO RP-17-2013
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/recommended practice
Description: The recommended practice defines the requirements for a standard identifier for institutional identification in the supply chain. It provides background on the collaboration agreement between the NISO I² Working Group and the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) International Agency to use the ISNI standard (ISO 27729) and the ISNI-IA's infrastructure for institutional identification, rather than publish a separate standard for institutions.
Available at: http://www.niso.org/workrooms/i2
International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2011
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/de facto
Description: ISBD is a standard from IFLA designed to make bibliographic description more consistent across a wide range of applications. It serves two distinct functions: to define the selection and order of data elements to be recorded and to prescribe punctuation to be used inside a bibliographic description. ISBD is divided into eight “areas” of description: title and statement of responsibility; edition; material or type of resource specific; publication, production, distribution, etc.; physical description; series; note; and resource identifier and terms of availability. The structure of AACR2 is strongly informed by the ISBD areas of information.
Available at: the IFLA publications website (purchase)
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 2108:2005
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique international identifier for monographic publications. Published as an international standard and in wide use since the 1970s, it has been adopted in over 160 countries. Assigning an ISBN not only enables each publication to be uniquely identified but also enables rich product metadata to be associated with a particular publication record as well as the accumulation of sales data by specific title, edition, and format. ISBNs can be readily displayed as machine readable bar codes.
Available at: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=36563 (purchase)
International Standard Music Number (ISMN)
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 10957.1993
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: The International Standard Music Number identifies publications consisting of musical notation, whether for sale, hire, or gratis.
Available at: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=18931 (purchase)
International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI)
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 27729:2012
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: The International Standard Name Identifier will enable the public identities of parties involved in media content industries to be uniquely identified so that they can be clearly disambiguated where otherwise there might be doubt. The parties to be identified may be involved in any stage of activity from creation to production, management, and content distribution chains and can be a natural or legal person, fictional character, or groups of such parties.
Available at: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=44292 (purchase)
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 3297:2007
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: The International Standard Serial Number (ISO 3297) identifies serial publications and other continuing resources, whether available in print or digital formats.
Available at: http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail?csnumber=39601 (purchase)
International Standard Serial Numbering (ISSN) (Inactive)
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.9-1992 (R2001)
Governing Standards Agency: American National Standards Institute/National Information Standards Organization/de jure (inactive)
Description: This standard defined the structure and presentation of a code to uniformly identify serial publications in print and nonprint formats. This standard set forth the format and characteristics of the ISSN and designated a central authority for code administration.
Available at: https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=35
Metadata Authority Description Schema (MADS)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2.0
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress Network Development & MARC Standards Office/de facto
Description: MADS is a companion to MODS, intended to encode authority data that is referenced by MODS bibliographic records. The structure and design of MADS are heavily influenced by the MARC Authority format. As such, it provides for the encoding of headings and cross references traditionally established by the library community, including personal names, corporate names, name/title entries, title entries, subject, genres, and geographic places. While MADS allows for more of a complete description of an entity than MARC Authority does, it still retains a focus on documenting and justifying choice of headings. MADS elements use the same name as MODS elements whenever feasible. MADS is maintained by the Library of Congress, and its content is managed by the MODS/MADS Editorial Committee.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mads/
Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS)
Version/ID Code (if any): 3.4
Governing Standards Agency: LC Network Development and MARC Standards Office/de facto
Description: MODS was developed by the Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office as a MARC-compatible metadata format expressed in XML and using language-based element names. MODS takes a similar approach to resource description as MARC,
with some rearranging, removing, and adding of data elements. MODS is frequently used as a descriptive metadata structure standard inside METS metadata wrappers for storage or exchange of digital objects.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mods/
ONIX for Books Product Information Message
Version/ID Code (if any): Release 3.0 is current
Governing Standards Agency: EDItEUR/trade
Description: The international standard for representing and communicating book industry product information in electronic form.
Available at: http://www.editeur.org/83/Overview/
Resource Description and Access (RDA)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2013 with updates
Governing Standards Agency: RDA Steering Committee
Description: RDA is intended to replace AACR2 as the predominant content standard in the library community. It is intended to be useful beyond the library community as well. While primarily focused on descriptive metadata, some instructions cover technical, rights, and structural metadata. RDA pushes the boundaries of a content standard, referring to sets of rules as “elements” which makes it closer to a structure standard than AACR2. Different communities will likely find either RDA’s rules aspect or its data element aspect more interesting than the other. RDA element sets and value vocabularies have been registered in the Open Metadata Registry. The initial version of RDA was released in the summer of 2010 and included placeholders for several planned chapters.
Available at: the RDA Toolkit website (subscription purchase)
A new beta toolkit was released in 2018: https://www.rdatoolkit.org/3Rproject/
Visual Resources Association Core Categories (VRA Core)
Version/ID Code (if any): 4.0
Governing Standards Agency: Visual Resources Association/de facto
Description: The Visual Resources Association Core Categories represent an early successful effort of a professional community to develop a metadata standard tailored to its own needs. VRA Core was originally built upon the Dublin Core base, adding features needed for the description and management of visual resources. It allows for the separate description of Images, Works, and Collections, reflecting the need of image repositories to manage data about the reproductions to which they provide users access separately from the metadata about works of art, architecture, and material culture themselves. The current version features two options for implementation: “unrestricted,” which defines the VRA Core data elements, and “restricted,” which enforces data constraints on certain elements to predefined vocabularies or date formats.
Available at: http://www.vraweb.org/projects/vracore4/
American Library Association (ALA) Filing Rules
Version/ID Code (if any): 1980
Governing Standards Agency: American Library Association/de facto
Description: These rules apply to the arrangement of bibliographic records of library materials whether displayed in card, book, or online format. This is an example of letter-by-letter filing. Another publication, ALA Rules for Filing Card Catalogs (by Pauline A. Seeley, 2nd edition, 1968, still in print), uses the basic order of alphabetical, word-by-word filing.
Available at: http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=2732 (purchase)
American Library Association (ALA) / Library of Congress (LC) Romanization Tables: Transliteration Schemes for Non-Roman Scripts
Version/ID Code (if any): each table revised separately
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress and American Library Association/de facto
Description: Tables for transliterating text from non-Roman scripts into the Roman script. Revision of existing tables and creation of new tables follows a process for joint approval by American Library Association and the Library of Congress.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html
Data elements and interchange formats -- information interchange -- representation of dates and times
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 8601:2004(E)
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: This international standard is applicable whenever representation of dates in the Gregorian calendar, times in the 24-hour timekeeping system, time intervals and recurring time intervals or of the formats of these representations are included in information interchange. It is used for RDA descriptions encoded in MARC (046 field), though complex or approximate dates are given in EDTF format.
Available at: http://dotat.at/tmp/ISO_8601-2004_E.pdf
Encoded Archival Description (EAD)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2002
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office and Society of American Archivists Technical Committee for Encoded Archival Description (TS-EAD)/de facto
Description: EAD is a markup language for archival finding aids. It provides XML elements for structural and presentational data typically found in finding aid documents. While EAD is a markup language in the sense that it “flags” data structures as they appear in a pre-existing text, it is also the primary source of (semi-)structured descriptive metadata in archives.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/ead/
Extended Date/Time Format (EDTF)
Version/ID Code (if any): 1.0
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: This specification defines features to be supported in a date/time string, features considered useful for a wide variety of applications. It takes the form of a profile of / extension to ISO 8601, the international standard for the representation of dates and times. ISO 8601 describes a large number of date/time formats, but it does not handle complex situations such as probable dates or ranges of dates. EDTF is used for such dates in RDA descriptions encoded in MARC (046 field).
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/datetime/pre-submission.html
Extended Latin Alphabet Coded Character Set for Bibliographic Use (ANSEL)
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.47-1993 (R2003)
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/de jure
Description: Character sets are a basic building block of automated information systems. Z39.47 provides a table of coded values for the representation of characters of the extended Latin alphabet in machine-readable form for thirty-five languages written in the Latin alphabet and for fifty-one romanized languages.
Available at: https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/document.php?document_id=6450
Format for information exchange
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 2709.2008
Governing Standards Agency: ISO/de jure
Description: Specifies the requirements for a generalized exchange format which will hold records describing all forms of material capable of bibliographic description as well as other types of records. It does not define the length or the content of individual records and does not assign any meaning to tags, indicators or identifiers, these specifications being the functions of an implementation format. The standard describes a generalized structure, a framework designed especially for communications between data processing systems and not for use as a processing format within systems.
Available at: http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=41319 (purchase)
Guidelines for the Construction, Format, and Management of Monolingual Controlled Vocabularies
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.19-2005
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/de jure
Description: Presents guidelines and conventions for the contents, display, construction, testing, maintenance, and management of monolingual controlled vocabularies. It focuses on controlled vocabularies that are used for the representation of content objects in knowledge organization systems including lists, synonym rings, taxonomies, and thesauri.
Available at: https://www.niso.org/publications/ansiniso-z3919-2005-r2010
Guidelines for Alphabetical Arrangement of Letters & Sorting of Numerals & Other Symbols
Version/ID Code (if any): NISO TR03-1999
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/technical report
Description: This technical report provides rules for the alphabetical arrangement of headings in list of all kinds, such as bibliographies, indexes, dictionaries, directories, inventories, etc. It also covers the sorting of Arabic or Roman numbers, and other symbols. It consists of seven rules that cover problems which may arise in alphanumeric arrangements of headings. The technical report is based on the traditional orders of letters in the English alphabet and that of the numerals is ascending arithmetical order. It does not address issues concerning meaning or type of headings. The rules can generally be applied by human begins as well as by computers. Each rule is followed by illustrative examples.
Available at: https://www.niso.org/publications/niso-tr03-1999-guidelines-alphabetical-arrangement-letters-sorting-numerals-other
ISO 8601 Date and Time Format
Version/ID Code (if any): ISO 8601-3
Governing Standards Agency: NISO
Description: ISO 8601 describes an internationally accepted way to represent dates and times using numbers. When dates are represented with numbers they can be interpreted in different ways. For example, 01/05/12 could mean January 5, 2012, or May 1, 2012. On an individual level this uncertainty can be very frustrating, in a business context it can be very expensive. Organizing meetings and deliveries, writing contracts and buying airplane tickets can be very difficult when the date is unclear. ISO 8601 tackles this uncertainty by setting out an internationally agreed way to represent dates:
YYYY-MM-DD
For example, September 27, 2012 is represented as 2012-09-27.
Available at: https://www.iso.org/iso-8601-date-and-time-format.html
Library of Congress (LC) Filing Rules
Version/ID Code (if any): 1981
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/recommended practice
Description: Designed to enable the Library of Congress, with the least amount of effort, to arrange large bibliographic files to satisfy a variety of needs.
Available at: Out of print, available in Cataloger’s Desktop http://www.loc.gov/cds/products/product.php?productID=162 (purchase)
Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC)
Version/ID Code (if any): MARC 21
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress Network Development & MARC Standards Office and Library and Archives Canada Standards Division/de jure
Description: MARC was first developed in the late 1960s at the Library of Congress; it represented the first major attempt to encode bibliographic data in machine-readable form. MARC uses a mixture of fixed and variable fields to record information. The variable fields are themselves a mixture of coded and textual data. The MARC format is defined in ISO 2709, which prescribes numeric field names that contain alphanumeric subfields. The MARC format in use in the US is known as MARC 21. UNIMARC is a variant common in Europe. While there are five formats in the MARC 21 suite, the Bibliographic and Authority formats are those most commonly used.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/marc/
Machine Readable Cataloging in XML (MARCXML)
Version/ID Code (if any): N/A
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office/de jure
Description: MARCXML, first released in 2002, is a representation of the ISO2709 MARC format in an XML syntax. MARCXML is designed to be fully interchangeable with MARC 21 - records can be moved back and for the between the two formats without any loss of data. The MARCXML Schema, however, allows any 3-number field name and any alphanumeric subfield name, not restricting values to those defined in MARC 21. MARCXML is primarily used as an intermediate step between MARC 21 and other XML formats, as MARCXML can be converted to other XML formats with XSLT, which is not possible directly from MARC 21.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/marcxml/
Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS)
Version/ID Code (if any): 1.9.1
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress Network Development and MARC Standards Office/de facto
Description: METS is an XML metadata standard intended to package all the information needed to represent a complex object, including both primary files and metadata that describes them. It defines its own structure for representing files and the relationships between them, and allows embedding or referencing descriptive, technical, rights, source, and digital provenance metadata defined by other schemas. METS has various levels of support in digital asset management systems, including DigiTool, Greenstone, and the Archivists’ Toolkit. This standard grew out of early work on representing complex digital objects by the Making of America II project. METS is maintained at the Library of Congress and through a volunteer Editorial Board.
Available at: http://www.loc.gov/standards/mets/
Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)
Version/ID Code (if any): N/A
Governing Standards Agency: W3C Recommendation 18 August 2009/recommended practice
Description: SKOS is a Semantic Web-driven method of encoding structured vocabularies in RDF. The RDF SKOS vocabulary focuses on describing concepts, which are represented by terms, and documenting relationships between concepts. SKOS-encoded data is a key building block in the Semantic Web’s Linked Data movement. While SKOS can be used for encoding thesauri like those commonly used in the cultural heritage community, it fits less well for other types of controlled vocabularies common in this community, such as name authorities. A high-profile use of SKOS in the cultural heritage community is the LC Linked Data Service Authorities and Vocabularies service: http://id.loc.gov.
Available at: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/
Text Encoding Initiative Header (TEI Header)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2.3.0
Governing Standards Agency: Text Encoding Initiative Consortium/de jure
Description: Supplies the descriptive and declarative information making up an electronic title page prefixed to every TEI-conformant text: the “virtual title page” of a TEI document.
Available at: http://www.tei-c.org/release/doc/tei-p5-doc/en/html/ref-teiHeader.html
Universal Machine Readable Cataloging (UNIMARC)
Version/ID Code (if any): 1977 with revisions by format through 2005
Governing Standards Agency: IFLA/de jure
Description: UNIMARC was developed to facilitate the international exchange of bibliographic data in machine-readable form. It is an international MARC format which accommodates various national MARC records, acting as a sort of “backbone format.” It is actually comprised of a family of formats: Bibliographic, authorities, classification and holdings.
Available at: https://www.ifla.org/publications/unimarc-formats-and-related-documentation
Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: Getty Research Institute/de facto
Description: The AAT is one of a suite of controlled vocabularies maintained by the Vocabulary Program at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles. It focuses on generic terms for the description of works of art, architecture, and material culture. The AAT is organized hierarchically within eight facets: associated concepts, physical attributes, styles and periods, agents, activities, materials, and objects, and brand names. The vocabulary may be searched one term at a time freely on the web, and is available for license in bulk.
Available at: Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus Online (search)
Available as linked open data: Yes
Bilindex
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: Floricanto Press/de facto
Description: General thesaurus of Spanish language equivalents to Library of Congress Subject Headings. Also available are specialized thesauri for high-technology and medical terminology.
Available at: Bilindex website (purchase)
Available as linked open data: No
Book Industry Standards and Communications (BISAC)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2016 edition
Governing Standards Agency: BISG’s Subject Codes Committee/de facto
Description: BISAC is a subject vocabulary for books created by the publishing industry, specifically the Book Industry Study Group (BISG). It is arranged hierarchically and includes codes as well as textual labels for entries. BISAC is commonly used in bookstores and has been seen in action in Google Book Search. The vocabulary may be browsed freely on the web, and database access is available for purchase.
Available at: Book Industry Study Group website's Complete BISAC Subject Headings List
Available as linked open data: No
Children’s Subject Headings (CSH)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated, print cumulation issued annually
Governing Standards Agency: LC Children’s and Young Adult’s Cataloging Program (CYAC)/ de facto
Description: Children’s subject heading cataloging (formerly called the Annotated Card Program, or AC Program) provides data tailored to the needs of children and young adults who use school and public libraries. The headings used represent three categories: standard LCSH, modified LCSH, and headings established for exclusive use in children’s subject heading cataloging. Currently CYAC catalogers do not catalog nonfiction works, although examples of nonfiction treatment are available. The list of headings (CSH) guidelines for application are available online, and CSH terms are included in LCSH.
Available at: Library of Congress CSH List (guidelines), Library of Congress Authorities, and Library of Congress Linked Data Service (search)
Available as linked open data: Yes
Data Dictionary--Technical Metadata for Digital Still Images
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.87-2006
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/de jure
Description: This standard defines a set of metadata elements for raster digital images to enable users to develop, exchange, and interpret digital image files. The dictionary has been designed to facilitate interoperability between systems, services, and software as well as to support the long-term management of and continuing access to digital image collections.
Available at: https://www.niso.org/publications/ansiniso-z3987-2006-r2017-data-dictionary-technical-metadata-digital-still-images
Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC)
Version/ID Code (if any): 23rd edition
Governing Standards Agency: OCLC/Dewey Editorial Policy Committee (EPC)/de facto
Description: The Dewey Decimal Classification is primarily used in public libraries and is currently in its 23rd edition. Dewey divides knowledge into 10 primary classes, with further subdivisions possible in multiples of 10. A process of “number building” is used to read the Dewey schedules and construct a potentially long number combining different intellectual aspects of a resource.
Available at: OCLC Dewey Services
Available as linked open data: No (OCLC research project Dewey.info in development)
E-Book Special Interest Group
Version/ID Code (if any): N/A
Governing Standards Agency: NISO Special Interest Group/special interest group
Description: The SIG is comprised of dozens of participants from all parts of the NISO community: librarians, publishers, services for publishers, and software vendors. It is exploring a range of industry best practices and standards related to the creation, distribution, discovery, delivery and preservation of digital book content. The E-Book SIG is envisioned as being responsible for continuously monitoring and reviewing the state of the industry for e-books and suggesting areas for new initiatives within NISO or areas where NISO can engage with other communities on e-book work underway outside of NISO. The group will host thought leader meetings and commission relevant research to advance the state of the industry. Since membership will remain open, anyone may participate in the SIG via the Core group or the Observer/Monitor Group.
Available at: https://www.niso.org/standards-committees/e-book-special-interest-group
Faceted Application of Subject Terminology (FAST)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: OCLC/de facto
Description: FAST adapts LCSH vocabulary with a simplified syntax, to retain the rich vocabulary while making the schema easier to understand, control, apply, and use. Individual terms in the FAST vocabulary are divided into eight distinct categories: Personal names, Corporate names, Geographic names, Events, Titles, Time periods, Topics, and Form/Genre.
Available at: OCLC Research: FAST
Available as linked open data: Yes
Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata (CSDGM)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2.0
Governing Standards Agency: Federal Geographic Data Committee/de facto
Description: The standard commonly referred to as FGDC (although FGDC is the maintenance agency, and CSDGM is the actual element set) is a large and early metadata standard for geospatial information created by agencies of the US federal government. The FGDC web site describes the scope of this standard as to allow users to “determine the availability of a set of geospatial data, to determine the fitness [of] the set of geospatial data for an intended use, to determine the means of accessing the set of geospatial data, and to successfully transfer the set of geospatial data.” The current production version of FGDC is 2.0, from 1998. Since this time, an international standard for geospatial information (ISO 19115) has emerged. CSDGM should eventually be superseded by the North American Profile (NAP) of ISO 19115:2003, Geographic Information.
Available at: http://www.fgdc.gov/standards/standards_publications/index_html
Guidelines on Subject Access to Individual Works of Fiction, Drama, Etc. (GSAFD)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2nd edition
Governing Standards Agency: American Library Association Subject Analysis Committee/de facto
Description: The Guidelines constitute a recommendation for national standard practice in the provision of genre and subject access to individual works of fiction, drama, poetry, humor, and folklore in all formats. ALA Editions published the 2nd edition in 2000. It is out of print, but authority records for GSAFD terms can be downloaded from the GSAFD site at Northwestern University.
Available at: http://experimental.worldcat.org/gsafd/
Available as linked open data: No
Information Services and Use: Metrics & Statistics for Libraries and Information Providers Data Dictionary
Version/ID Code (if any): ANSI/NISO Z39.7-2004
Governing Standards Agency: ANSI/NISO/de jure
Description: Identifies categories for basic library statistical data reported at the national level and provides associated definitions of terms. Deals with the following areas: reporting unit and target population, human resources, collection resources, infrastructure, finances, and services. In addition, it identifies new measures associated with networked services, databases, and performance. Not intended to be comprehensive in scope, it presents a framework for comparable library data by describing common elements pertaining to libraries of various types in the US. It does not address detailed statistics for specific areas where it seems more appropriate for experts in those areas to make recommendations (e.g., music, government documents, maps).
Available at: https://groups.niso.org/apps/group_public/project/details.php?project_id=7
Library of Congress Classification (LCC)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: The Library of Congress Classification is used primarily in academic libraries. It is divided into 21 basic classes, each of which starts with one or more uppercase letters. Full class numbers use a mixture of letters and numbers, with subtopics offset by a period. Libraries typically append Cutter numbers at the end of LC class numbers to create a full call number for physical shelving of materials. Classification Web is a web-based subscription service that provides full-text display of all LCC schedules as well as LC subject and name headings.
Available at: Library of Congress Classification and as Classification Web at the Classification Web information site (info) and Classification Web (for subscribers)
Available as linked open data: Yes
Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms for Library and Archival Materials (LCGFT)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated, print-ready PDF 2016 edition
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: A genre/form thesaurus which was separated from LCSH. Genre/form terms describe what an item is, not what it is about. Form is defined as a characteristic of works with a particular format and/or purpose. Genre refers to categories of works that are characterized by similar plots, themes, settings, situations, and characters. Unlike some other systems which always make a distinction between genres and forms, terms in LCGFT often combine the two (e.g., Horror films). The genre/form thesaurus is separate from LCSH and first appeared in print in 2010, in the 32nd edition of LCSH and will continue as part of LC's web-based subscription product, Classification Web.
Available at: Classification Web (subscription purchase); Library of Congress Linked Data Service (search); Library of Congress Cataloging & Acquisitions section (print-ready PDF, free)
Available as linked open data: yes
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated, print-ready PDF 38th edition
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: LCSH is a long-standing controlled vocabulary maintained by the Library of Congress, covering topical subjects, genres, and geographic places among other related areas of study. It is a pre-coordinated vocabulary, built upon the principle of literary warrant. Libraries can contribute new terms for consideration via the SACO initiative. Despite its function as a controlled vocabulary, LCSH is not a fully enumerated list, allowing the presence of “standard subdivisions” on explicitly authorized terms according to human-readable rules.
Available at: Classification Web (subscription purchase); Library of Congress Linked Data Service (search); Library of Congress Cataloging & Acquisitions section (print-ready PDF, free)
Available as linked open data: yes
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Version/ID Code (if any): revised annually
Governing Standards Agency: National Library of Medicine/de facto
Description: MeSH is produced by the US National Library of Medicine for the description of biomedical journal literature, books, and other formats collected by the Library. It is also used for subject indexing in the PubMED database. The MeSH vocabulary contains a full syndetic structure of broader, narrower, and “use for” terms. The full vocabulary is available online for individual searches and downloads in XML and ASCII formats.
Available at: NIH Library Catalogs and Services site (free)
Available as linked open data: yes
Presentation & Identification of E-Journals (PIE-J)
Version/ID Code (if any): NISO RP-16-2013
Governing Standards Agency: NISO/recommended practice
Description: PIE-J offers guidance to e-journal publishers and providers that will help ensure that e-journal content can be reliably discovered, cited, and accessed by users over time. These recommended practices have a deliberately narrow focus on e-journals, whether born digital or retroactively digitized and focus on only those elements of an e journal that relate to the presentation of title information and supporting metadata, plus practices related to title identification and content access over time.
Available at: https://www.niso.org/publications/rp-16-2013-pie-j
Sears List of Subject Headings
Version/ID Code (if any): 21st edition
Governing Standards Agency: H. W. Wilson/de facto
Description: The Sears List of Subject Headings is a general-use controlled vocabulary for describing library collections, geared towards smaller public and school libraries. It includes topical, form, and geographic headings as well as proper names. Like LCSH, the Sears List uses a pre-coordinated structure, but its terminology is intentionally more generic and less specialized.
Available at: H.W. Wilson website (purchase); Library of Congress Linked Data Service (search)
Available as linked open data: yes
Thesaurus of Geographic Names (TGN)
Version/ID Code (if any): continuously updated
Governing Standards Agency: Getty Research Institute/de facto
Description: TGN is a structured vocabulary for place names and associated information about places. Places in TGN include administrative political entities (e.g., cities, nations) and physical features (e.g., mountains, rivers). Current and historical places are included.
Available at: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names Online
Available as linked open data: in progress, information on the Getty Vocabularies as LOD project
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials I: Subject Terms (TGM I)
Version/ID Code (if any): 1995, with updates
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: TGM I is a controlled vocabulary for the description of subjects of visual (graphic) works. It is developed and maintained at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division as a supplement to LCSH, as greater granularity for image description is often needed beyond what LCSH provides. The TGM I has been integrated together with the TGM II in order to form a unified vocabulary, but the two are still often discussed separately.
Available at: Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials website (free); Library of Congress Linked Data Service (Search)
Available as linked open data: yes
Thesaurus for Graphic Materials II: Genre and Physical Characteristic Terms (TGM II)
Version/ID Code (if any): 2004, with updates
Governing Standards Agency: Library of Congress/de facto
Description: TGM II is a controlled vocabulary for the description of genres for visual (graphic) works. Its scope is both genre in terms of physical form (Lantern slides) and content (e.g., Landscape photographs). It is developed and maintained at the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division as a supplement to LCSH, as greater granularity for image description is often needed beyond what LCSH provides. The TGM II has been integrated together with the TGM I in order to form a unified vocabulary, but the two are still often discussed separately.
Available at: Library of Congress Thesaurus for Graphic Materials website (free); Library of Congress Linked Data Service (Search)
Available as linked open data: yes
