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Music Library Association Best Practices for base material

Prerecording

Prerecording

Record the element if feasible for certain types of audio carriers. For guidance and examples refer to Supplements to Best Practices for Music Cataloging Using RDA and MARC21 , Supplement 1: Guidelines for Describing and Encoding Attributes of Audio Recording Carriers.

Recording

Recording

In MARC: Record as a structured description using field 340 subfield $a. If terms from different sources are used in the same field, record a separate instance of the field for each term source used.

For field 007, refer to Manifestation: material.

Option

In MARC: Apply the option if recording a base material, with or without an applied material, in field 007 for sound recordings.

LC/PCC practice: Do not apply the option in most cases. If there is doubt that a material is base, use Manifestation: material.

Recording an unstructured description

Option

Apply the option if no appropriate controlled term is available.

Option

LC/PCC practice: Cataloger's judgment.

Option

LC/PCC practice: Do not apply the option.

Recording a structured description

Option

Apply the option. Prefer terms from the RDA Material vocabulary encoding scheme.

Option

In MARC: If recording a term from the recommended vocabulary encoding scheme, indicate the source of information using the $2 code rdamat.

Condition Option

Apply the option as a last recourse.

Recording an identifier

Recording an IRI

Document Date: 2025/06/06
Document: https://stage.rdatoolkit.org/en-US_ala-8f1a5b4c-a308-3039-9fcd-cedc426d3049

  • Previous: Music Library Association Best Practices for applied material
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