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MDS Technical Notices

Check the latest Technical Notices for MDS products.

Index of MARC Distribution Services

About the MARC Distribution Services

Standards -- Delivery Media and Formats -- Test Files -- Documentation -- Copyright -- Replacement Files -- How to Order -- MDS File Transfer via Internet FTP: Information and Registration/Order Form

LC Cataloging Files

MDS--Complete Service: the primary MARC bibliographic resource from LC.

Separate Subset Services

Books All -- Books English -- Books U.S. -- Maps -- Music -- Serials -- Visual Materials -- Computer Files

Books All in UKMARC Format

LC Authority Files

Name Authorities -- Subject Authorities -- Classification

U.S. Copyright Office Files

Copyright Cataloging: Monographs, Documents, and Serials -- Copyright Select

Foreign National Library Cataloging Files

British National Bibliography Records in MARC Format -- National Library of Canada (Books Canada)

About the MARC Distribution Services

MARC (MAchine-Readable Cataloging) is the national standard for the exchange and distribution of cataloging data. Backed by the authority of the Library of Congress, MARC is your source of machine-readable cataloging records. Choose from a wide range of MARC Distribution Services (MDS) via Internet FTP.

MARC Distribution Services offer a world of cataloging

The premier source for bibliographic records:
Cataloging for materials in hundreds of languages--some as diverse as Swahili and Arabic... with some non-roman alphabet languages like Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, and Yiddish available in original scripts. National level cataloging for almost all English-language imprints.

Standards

All bibliographic and authority records are in the MARC Communications format (unless otherwise noted in service descriptions) and adhere to the standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for the interchange of bibliographic information.

Media, Formats, etc.

Internet FTP! Obtain information sheet and sign-up via the Web.

MARC records, which may be downloaded via Internet FTP pick-up, are available in MARC 21 (2709) and MARCXML formats. For more information on MARCXML schema see http://www.loc.gov/marc/marcxml.html

All MDS records are available in the MARC 8 character set or the Unicode (UTF8) character set.

Test Files

Want to sample one of the MDS services before you purchase?
Test files are available in MARC XML format in addition to MARC 21 (2709) format (see MDS technical notice for details). Contact CDS at cdsinfo@loc.gov for information on how to access the test files.

MARC 21 Concise documentation is available on the web at www.loc.gov/marc.

Documentation

Subscribers to MDS services automatically receive selected MARC documentation as follows:

Subscribers to MDS bibliographic file services receive copies of:

• MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data
• MARC Code List for Countries
• MARC Code List for Languages
• MARC Code List for Geographic Areas
• MARC Code List for Organizations
• MARC Code Lists for Relators, Sources, and Description Conventions
• MARC 21 Specifications for Record Structure, Character Sets, and Exchange Media

Subscribers to MDS--Name Authorities and Subject Authorities receive copies of:

• MARC 21Format for Authority Data
• MARC 21 Specifications for Record Structure, Character Sets, and Exchange Media
• MARC 21 Code List for Geographic Areas
• MARC 21 Code List for Relators, Sources, and Description Conventions

Subscribers to the Copyright Cataloging files receive a copy of Library of Congress Copyright Distribution Format.

For complete descriptions and prices of Library of Congress MARC documentation if purchased separately, check the MARC Documentation section of our catalog.

Copyright

Records in the MARC Distribution Services originating with the Library of Congress are copyrighted by the Library of Congress for use outside the United States. Subscribers are granted copyright permission to selectively redistribute records outside the United States; contact LC prior to any distribution.

Replacement Issues

CDS charges a fee for replacement files and accompanying reports 90 days after the files have been made available to you.
Replacements of weekly services are billed at 1/52nd of the subscription cost for each issue claimed. Replacement of monthly services are billed at 1/12th of the subscription cost for each issue claimed. Replacement reports cost $10.00 each.

Because we update these databases frequently, you may not receive all of the records contained in the original file.

Cancellations: If you cancel an MDS subscription after the service has begun, CDS will bill you on a prorated basis for all issues sent to you up to the date you cancel. Other refunds or credits are given only when CDS is in error.

All record counts listed for MDS services are approximate.

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LC Cataloging Files

Complete Service

Here is LC's entire bibliographic resource conveniently packaged! The Complete Service gives you all of the MARC records contained in the Books All (including Books English and Books U.S.), Maps, Music, Serials, Visual Materials, and Computer Files services. Languages written in non-roman script appear in romanized form. Records are available as separate files. All components of the Complete Service are also available as separate services, as described below. Available in MARC 21 format and MARCXML.

2008 Subscription: Books, Serials, computer files, maps, music, visual materials, and computer files available weekly. Approximately 1,019,000 records; including 316,000 new records.

2008 Price (with Weekly Books All): $19,155

2008 price: $21,905

Retrospective: 1968-2007. 10,516,800 records. File size: 8,312 MB. Avg. record length: 790 bytes.

2008 price: $27,750

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Separate subset services of MDS--Complete

Books All

LC's entire MARC database for book cataloging. Features catalog records for print monographs written in nearly all the world's languages and published anywhere. Includes Cataloging in Publication (CIP) records and minimal level cataloging records. Records for monographs published in non-roman alphabets provide cataloging data in romanized form only.
Includes a subset of the older REMARC records known as the "OCLC Replacement Records" (see http://www.loc.gov/cds/notices/premarc.html for a fuller description of these records).

Records include materials in the following languages (with the beginning dates indicated):

• 1968: English
• 1973: French
• 1975: German, Portuguese, Spanish
• 1976-1977: All remaining records for languages written in roman alphabets
• 1979: Romanized South Asian languages and Cyrillic alphabet languages
• 1980: Romanized Greek
• 1983-1985: Romanized Chinese, Japanese, Korean
• 1983-1989: Romanized Hebrew, Yiddish
• 1983-1990 Romanized Arabic and Persian

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Books All includes all records contained in the Books English and Books U.S. services (see the following two services for individual descriptions of these files), as well as Books Arabic, Books, CJK, Books Hebrew, and LC Manuscripts. Approximately 700,000 records; including 250,000 new records. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Price (with Weekly Books All): $13,925
2008 Price (with Daily Books All): $16,675

Retrospective: 1968-2007. 8,500,000 records. File size: 6,200 MB. Avg. record length: 729 bytes.

2008 price: $20,430

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Books English

Books English is a subset of Books All, which is also available separately.

MARC records for monographs published in the English language anywhere in the world and cataloged by the Library of Congress. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 450,000 records; including 175,000 new records.

2008 price: $9,600

Retrospective: 1968-2007. 4,300,000 records. File size: 3,400 MB. Avg. record length: 790 bytes.

2008 price: $12,325

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Books U.S.

Books U.S. is a subset of Books All, which is also available separately.

The best source of cataloging available for books printed in the United States. Contains MARC records for monographs bearing U.S. imprints cataloged by LC. Includes all languages; the majority of records are for English language materials. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 300,000 records; including 100,000 new records.

2008 Price: $7,670

Retrospective: 1968-2007. 2,700,000 records. File size: 2,321 MB. Avg. record length: 859 bytes.

2008 Price: $7,890

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Maps

Part of the MDS--Complete Service, which is also available separately. MARC records for all single and multi-sheet maps, map sets, and maps treated as serials. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 17,000 records; including 5,000 new records.

2008 Price: $1,170

Retrospective: 1973-2007. 260,000 records. File size: 270 MB. Avg. record length: 1,038 bytes.

2008 Price: $1,335

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Music

Part of the MDS--Complete Service, which is also available separately. MARC records created or edited by LC for printed and manuscript music and for music and non-music sound recordings. Some are minimal level cataloging records. Records include all languages. Languages written in non-roman script appear in romanized form. Note: Records for books about music and sound recordings are part of MDS--Books All, Books U.S.,and Books English. Records for serials of and about music and sound recordings are part of MDS--Serials. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 80,000 records; including 30,000 new records.

2008 Price: $1,170

Retrospective: 1984-2007. 430,000 records. File size: 415 MB. Avg. record length: 965 bytes.

2008 Price: $1,595

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Serials

Part of the MDS--Complete Service, which is also available separately. MARC 21 records for CONSER serials either cataloged or processed by LC or by CONSER (Cooperative Online Serials Program) participants. Also includes records with ISSN assignments and U.S. Newspaper Program cataloging. Records include all languages. Now contains original script Chinese, Japanese, and Korean records. Other languages written in original script are in romanized form. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 200,000 records; including 25,000 new records.

2008 Price: $4,740

Retrospective: 1973-2007. 1,132,000 records. File size: 1,180 MB. Avg. record length: 1,042 bytes.

2008 Price: $6,050

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Visual Materials

Part of the MDS--Complete Service, which is also available separately. MARC records for all motion pictures, video recordings, filmstrips, transparencies, slides, and non-projectable graphics cataloged by LC. Records include all languages. Languages written in non-roman script are in romanized form. At the end of 1991, the A/V cooperative datasheet cataloging program was discontinued. Therefore, current records are limited to the cataloging of motion picture/video recordings and pictorial materials retained for LC collections. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

Note: Records for serials of or about visual materials are part of MDS--Serials.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 20,000 records; about 5,000 new records.

2008 Price: $1,170

Retrospective: 1972-2007. 185,000 records. File size: 240 MB. Avg. record length: 1,297 bytes.

2008 Price: $1,335

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Computer Files

Cataloging records for machine-readable data files and computer software. Both CIP and full-level cataloging records are included. Of particular interest to librarians working with collection development, ordering, and cataloging of computer software. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

Note: Records for serial computer files are included in MDS--Serials.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 2,000 records; including 1,000 new records.

2008 Price: $960

Retrospective: 1990-2007. 9,800 records. File size: 13 MB. Avg. record length: 1,326 bytes.

2008 Price: $670

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LC Authority Files

Name Authorities

MARC records for personal, corporate, conference, and geographical name headings, uniform titles, and series established by LC and cooperating libraries under the National Coordinated Cataloging Operations (NACO) program. Names written in non-roman script appear in romanized form only. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 450,000 records; including 250,000 new records.

2008 Price: $10,565

Retrospective: 1977-2007. 7,000,000 records. File size: 3,350 MB. Avg. record length: 479 bytes.

2008 Price: $10,675

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Subject Authorities

MARC records for subject headings established by LC. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 18,000 records; including 6,000 new records.

2008 Price: $2,990

Retrospective: 1986-2007. 305,000 records. File size: 141 MB. Avg. record length: 462 bytes.

2008 Price: $1,525

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MDS Classification

MARC Classification records for all Library of Congress Classification printed schedules from A-Z. Weekly issues include new, changed, and deleted records. Available in MARC 21 and MARCXML formats.

This service distributes records only; no software is included for display or manipulation of the data.

2008 Subscription: Available weekly. Approximately 20,000 records of which 10,000 are new.

2008 Price: $3,975

Retrospective: 1997-2007. 630,000 records. File size: 246 MB. Average file length: 390 bytes.

2008 Price: $3,975

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LC Reference Files

U.S. Copyright Office Files

Copyright Cataloging: Monographs, Documents, and Serials

The only information file available which contains such copyright information as author, title, copyright claimant name, and registration number. Represents cataloged registrations and relevant documents entered into the U.S. Copyright Office database since 1978. Available in ANSI Z39.2 standard (Bibliographic Information Interchange) format.

2008 Subscription:Available weekly. Approximately 800,000 records; including 700,000 new records. Now includes all Copyright Serials records.

2008 Price: $28,700

Retrospective: 1978-2007. 20,500,000 records. File size: 7,486 MB. Avg. record length: 365 bytes.

2008 Price: $50,225

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Copyright Select

Take advantage of customized copyright searching. The U.S. Copyright database contains over 14 million records--cataloged copyright registrations from 1978 to the present. Now, this massive file can be acquired in smaller custom-tailored sets to meet your needs. Based on your selection criteria, you receive only those records (for monographs and documents) that pertain to your "profile." An affordable alternative if you need less than half of the complete U.S. Copyright database (see Copyright Cataloging: Monographs and Documents service.) Available in ANSI Z39.2 standard (Bibliographic Information Interchange) format.

Call for price quotes based on your profile.

2008 Subscription:Available weekly. Record quantity depends on your profile.

Retrospective: All records created since 1978 that meet your selection criteria.

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Other National Library Cataloging Files

British National Bibliography Records in MARC 21 Format

How To Order: Contact the British Library at the address below.

The British Library
National Bibliographic Service
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: 44-1937-546585
Fax: 44-1937-546586
E-mail:robert.hill@bl.uk

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Books Canada

No longer distributed by CDS. How To Order: Contact Library and Archives Canada at http://www.collectionscanada.ca/6/17/s17-204-e.html

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Files for UKMARC Systems

These files are available for UKMARC systems--but not part of the Complete Service:

Books All in UKMARC Format

The entire MARC database of catalog records for monographs in UKMARC. For file description see the Books All description.

2008 Subscription:The Library of Congress distributes its files to the British Library weekly. Within a few days, the British Library converts the records into UKMARC and makes the converted records available to customers.

2008 Price: $13,925

Price, Retrospective File: Available On Request

Order Information contact CDS directly:

Questions about the conversion service should be directed to:

Marketing & Support
The British Library
National Bibliographic Service
Boston Spa, Wetherby
West Yorkshire LS23 7BQ
UNITED KINGDOM
Tel: 44-1937-546585
Fax: 44-1937-546586

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