Skip to main content
OCLC Support

06. Tags and subfields with subfield indicators consisting of 3 characters – authority format - specifications per field

Introduction

On this page, we have grouped together authority format tags with a similar structure. Per category of tags, we have marked the subfield indicators consisting of three characters with green. You can also see that we have defined a default which is displayed when only two characters of the subfield indicators are present. The consequence of the latter is that the “default” punctuation, i.e. the most commonly used punctuation, is generated.
Initially, it may appear that there are many cases in which a subfield indicator of three characters must be used, but in fact you can summarize those to only a few situations that appear in different tags.

$a Surname and forenames/initials/prefixes

CBS MARC tag PICA+ tag Personal Name - tag description
M100 020A Heading – Personal Name
M400 050A See From Tracing – Personal Name
M500 060A See Also From Tracing – Personal Name
M700 080A Established Heading Linking Entry – Personal Name

 

Cataloguing format Preceding punctuation sign PICA+ format Explanation / remarks
$a A comma-space behind the surname will automatically generate PICA+ subfield $A. $a, $A

CBS MARC 21 cataloguing format:
$a Surname and forenames/initials/prefixes

PICA+ format:
$a Surname
$A Forenames/initials/prefixes

$c Titles and words associated with name / Dates associated with a name

CBS MARC tag PICA+ tag Personal Name - tag description
M100 020A Heading – Personal Name
M400 050A See From Tracing – Personal Name
M500 060A See Also From Tracing – Personal Name
M700 080A Established Heading Linking Entry – Personal Name

 

Cataloguing format Preceding punctuation sign PICA+ format Explanation / remarks
$c   $c

Titles and words associated with a name

The default generated punctuation is ,_ i.e. comma-space (in combination with other punctuation).

($c Opening parenthesis $C

Dates associated with a name

The generated punctuation is _( i.e. space-opening parenthesis (in combination with other punctuation).

 

$d Date of meeting or treaty signing / $g Miscellaneous information

CBS MARC tag PICA+ tag Tag description
    Corporate Name
M110 020K Heading – Corporate Name
M410 050K See From Tracing – Corporate Name
M510 060K See Also From Tracing – Corporate Name
M710 080K Established Heading Linking Entry – Corporate Name
    Meeting Name
M111 020L Heading – Meeting Name
M411 050L See From Tracing – Meeting Name
M511 060L See Also From Tracing – Meeting Name
M711 080L Established Heading Linking Entry – Meeting Name
    Uniform Title
M130 021E Heading – Uniform Title
M430 051E See From Tracing – Uniform Title
M530 061E See Also From Tracing – Uniform Title
M730 081E Established Heading Linking Entry – Uniform Title

 

Cataloguing format Preceding punctuation sign PICA+ format Explanation / remarks
)$d Closing parenthesis $D

Date of meeting or treaty signing

A closing parenthesis (followed by additional punctuation) is generated.

$d   $d

Date of meeting or treaty signing

The generated punctuation is dependent on the following subfield; but it will not be a closing parenthesis (followed by additional punctuation).

,$g Comma $G

Miscellaneous information

The generated punctuation is in most cases ,_ i.e. comma-space (in combination with other punctuation).

:$g Colon $H

Miscellaneous information

The generated punctuation is in most cases _:_ i.e. space-colon-space (in combination with other punctuation).

.$g Period $I

Miscellaneous information

The generated punctuation is in most cases ._ i.e. period-space (in combination with other punctuation).

$g   $g

Miscellaneous information

The generated punctuation is dependent on the preceding subfield. When you want to have control over the punctuation, you can use the three positions subfield indicators, mentioned above.

$n Number of part/section of a work / $p Name of part/section of a work

CBS MARC tag PICA+ tag Tag description
    Personal Name
M100 020A Heading – Personal Name
M400 050A See From Tracing – Personal Name
M500 060A See Also From Tracing – Personal Name
M700 080A Established Heading Linking Entry – Personal Name
    Corporate Name
M110 020K Heading – Corporate Name
M410 050K See From Tracing – Corporate Name
M510 060K See Also From Tracing – Corporate Name
M710 080K Established Heading Linking Entry – Corporate Name
    Meeting Name
M111 020L Heading – Meeting Name
M411 050L See From Tracing – Meeting Name
M511 060L See Also From Tracing – Meeting Name
M711 080L  Established Heading Linking Entry – Meeting Name
    Uniform Title
M130 021E Heading – Uniform Title
M430 051E See From Tracing – Uniform Title
M530 061E See Also From Tracing – Uniform Title
M730 081E  Established Heading Linking Entry – Uniform Title

 

Cataloguing format Preceding punctuation sign PICA+ format Explanation / remarks
.$n Period $N

Number of part/section of a work

The generated punctuation is ._ i.e. period-space

,$n Comma $O

Number of part/section of a work

The generated punctuation is ,_ i.e. comma-space

$n   $n

Number of part/section of a work

The default generated punctuation is ._ i.e. period-space.

.$p Period $P

Name of part/section of a work

The generated punctuation is ._ i.e. period-space

,$p Comma $Q

Name of part/section of a work

The generated punctuation is ,_ i.e. comma-space

$p    $p

Name of part/section of a work

The default generated punctuation is ._ i.e. period-space.

Other tags and subfields

MARC tag Tag description CBS MARC tag PICA+ tag Cataloguing format Preceding punctuation sign PICA+ format Explanation / remarks
020 International Standard Book Number

M020

015K

       
        :$c Colon $C

Terms of availability

The generated punctuation is _:_ i.e. space-colon-space (in combination with other punctuation).

        $c
 
  $c

Terms of availability

The default generated punctuation is _:_ i.e. space-colon-space (in combination with other punctuation).

045 Time Period of Content M045 016J        
        -$b Dash $B

Formatted 9999 B.C. through C.E. time period (the second subfield $b when first indicator = 2 range of dates/times)

The generated punctuation is - i.e. dash.

        $b   $b

Formatted 9999 B.C. through C.E. time period

The default generated punctuation is _;_ i.e. space-semicolon-space.

        -$c Dash $C

Formatted pre-9999 B.C. time period (the second subfield $c when first indicator = 2 range of dates/times)

The generated punctuation is -&n i.e. dash.

        $c   $c

Formatted pre-9999 B.C. time period

The default generated punctuation is _;_ i.e. space-semicolon-space.