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MARC 21 view (Fundamentals)

Discover procedures for tasks that you may perform (e.g., create, derive, reformat, etc.) as you work with MARC 21 records.

 Note: If you are a WMS library or using full WorldShare Record Manager, please see MARC 21 view.

You can create a MARC 21 WorldCat bibliographic record by:

  • Deriving bibliographic records in MARC 21, which creates a new bibliographic record from an existing record that is similar to the new record you are creating.
  • Using a material type template, which creates a bibliographic record based on a material type.

Before creating a MARC 21 WorldCat bibliographic record, search WorldCat to make sure that:

  • No existing bibliographic record matches the item exactly. By verifying that no one has previously added a record for the item, you can prevent duplicate records from being created.
  • No existing record matches the item closely enough to derive the new record from it.

 Learn more in a training video: Copy cataloging in Record Manager Fundamentals