MARC21 Data Entry Checklist for Scholarly Standardization

📋 Sirah Research Hub

MARC21 Data Entry Checklist for Scholarly Standardization

Use this checklist during your first data-entry session to balance the complexities of honorifics, multiple languages, and the distinction between physical and virtual records.

1 Fixed Fields & Control Tags The Identity

• LDR/07 Bibliographic Level: Set to m (Books/Theses) or a (Journal Articles/Chapters).
• 008/15-17 Language: Use standard codes (e.g., urd, ara, eng).
• 008/24 Nature of Contents: Set to b for Bibliographies or m for Theses.
• 040 $a/$b Hub identification and cataloging language.

2 Author & Title The Core

• 100 $a Main Author: Use authorized versions (e.g., Ibn Hishām, ʻAbd al-Malik).
• 245 $a/$b Title/Subtitle: Keep honorifics (SAW) if on cover; matching rules handle them in the background.
• 246 $a Varying form of Title: Useful for transliterated Urdu/Arabic titles.
• 082 $a DDC Classification: Standard Sirah DDC is 297.63.

3 Specialized Sirah Tags Hub Value

• 502 $b/$c/$d (Theses): Degree type, Institution, and Year.
• 510 $a (Virtual Records): Citation Source (e.g., Sher Nowrooz Khan, No. 142).
• 773 $t/$g/$w (Articles): Analytical link to the Host Journal or Book.
• 856 $u (Digital Link): URL to PDF or landing page.

4 Subject Headings Searchability

• 600 00 $a Standard Subject: Muhammad, $c Prophet, $d -632.
• 600 00 $x General subdivision (e.g., Biography, Miracles, Prophetic office).
• 600 00 $v Form subdivision (e.g., Bibliography, Juvenile literature, Theses).

5 Local Item Data Location

• 952 $a Home Library: Set to your code (e.g., SNK, NLP).
• 952 $p Accession Number: Use prefixes like SNK-1001.
• 952 $7 Not for Loan: Set to 1 (Virtual) or 0 (Physical).

💡 Pro-Tips for Success

The "Copy" Trick: Use Koha’s "Edit as New (Duplicate)" to maintain consistency in Publisher (260) and Subject (600) tags.

Authority Check: Always use the "Tag Editor" icon next to the Author field to link records to a single authorized name entry.