007 Physical Description Fixed Field (NR)
Indicators and subfield codes
This field has no indicators or subfield codes; the data elements are positionally defined by category of material. Categories of material are listed alphabetically by code.
Character Positions
Map (007/00=a)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Physical medium
05 Type of reproduction
06 Production/reproduction details
07 Positive/negative aspect
Electronic resource (007/00=c)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Dimensions
05 Sound on medium or separate
06-08 Image bit depth
09 File formats
10 Quality assurance targets
11 Antecedent/source
12 Level of compression
13 Reformatting quality
Globe (007/00=d)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Physical medium
05 Type of reproduction
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03-04 Class of braille writing
05 Level of contraction
06-08 Braille music format
09 Special physical characteristics
Projected graphic (007/00=g)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Base of emulsion
05 Sound on medium or separate
06 Medium for sound
07 Dimensions
08 Secondary support material
Microform (007/00=h)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Positive/negative aspect
04 Dimensions
05 Reduction ratio range
06-08 Reduction ration
09 Color
10 Emulsion on film
11 Generation
12 Base of film
Nonprojected graphic (007/00=k)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Primary support material
05 Secondary support material
Motion picture (007/00=m)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Motion picture presentation format
05 Sound on medium or separate
06 Medium for sound
07 Dimensions
08 Configuration of playback channels
09 Production elements
10 Postive/negative aspect
11 Generation
12 Base of film
13 Refined categories of color
14 Kind of color stock or print
15 Deterioration stage
16 Completeness
17-22 Film inspection date
Kit (007/00=o)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
Notated music (007/00=q)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
Remote-sensing image (007/00=r)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Altitude of sensor
04 Attitude of sensor
05 Cloud cover
06 Platform construction type
07 Platform use category
08 Sensor type
09-10 Data type
Sound recording (007/00=s)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Speed
04 Configuration of playback channels
05 Groove width/groove pitch
06 Dimensions
07 Tape width
08 Tape configuration
09 Kind of disc, cylinder, or tape
10 Kind of material
11 Kind of cutting
12 Special playback characteristics
13 Original capture and storage technique
Text (007/00=t)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
Videorecording (007/00=v)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
02 Undefined
03 Color
04 Videorecording format
05 Sound on medium or separate
06 Medium for sound
07 Dimensions
08 Configuration of playback channels
Unspecified (007/00=z)
00 Category of material
01 Specific material designation
Field definition and scope
This field contains codes that describe the physical characteristics of the copy of the bibliographic item for which holdings are retouched. The physical characteristics are usually derived from information in the related MARC bibliographic record, especially from field 300 (Physical Description) and/or one of the 5xx note fields.
Field 007 has a generic tree structure, whereby values given in 007/00 (Category of material) determine the data elements defined for subsequent character positions. Because the definitions of the codes in field 007 are dependent upon the character position in which they occur, the coding of any character position mandates that each preceding character position contains a code or fill character (|).
The codes defined for the first character position (007/00, Category of material) are described below. Complete character position definitions and content designator guidelines for other positions in field 007 for each category of material for which the field is defined are in the MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data.
Field 842 (Textual Physical Form Designator) may contain the category of material in textual form.
Guidelines for applying content designations
Character positions
007/00 Category of material
a - Map
Code a is used for all cartographic materials except globes.
007 aj|canzn
[Item is a map (007/00 and 01); in color (03); and on paper (04)]
c - Electronic resource
Code c indicates that the item involves a medium intended to be used or processed by a computer.
007 cj|na
[Item is an electronic resource (007/00); magnetic disk (01); dimensions 3 1/2 in. (04)]
d - Globe
Code d indicates that the item is a globe which is defined as the model of a celestial body, usually the earth or the celestial sphere, depicted on the surface of a sphere.
007 db|cen
[Item is a globe (007/00) of the moon (01); in color (03); made of plastic (04)]
f - Tactile material
Code f indicates that the item is tactile material which is defined as material intended to be read or interpreted by touch.
g - Projected graphic
Code g indicates that the item is projected graphic material which is defined as a two-dimensional representation intended to be projected without motion by means of an optical device, for example, a filmstrip, slide, or transparency (includes x-rays).
007 go|cjbff
[Item is projected graphic material (007/00);a filmstrip (01); in color (03); on safety film (04); the sound is separate from the medium (05) on magnetic tape in a cassette (06); and the filmstrip is 35 mm (07).]
h - Microform
Code h indicates that the item is a microform. Microform is a generic term for any medium, transparent or opaque, bearing microimages. A microimage is a unit (e.g., a page) of textual, graphic, or computer-generated material that is contained on aperture cards, microfiche, microfilm, microopaques, or other microformats and that is too small to be read without magnification. Microforms may be reproductions of existing textual or graphic materials or they may be original publications.
007 he|bmb024baca
[Item is a microform (007/00) (originally a printed work that has been filmed for reproduction in the microfiche format); released as a microfiche (01); has negative polarity (03); is approximately 4x6 in. (04); has a normal reduction ratio (05) of 24:1 (06-08); is monochromatic (09); has an emulsion of silver halide (10); is a service copy (11); and is on safety base film (12).]
k - Nonprojected graphic
Code k indicates that the item is nonprojected graphic material. This is defined generally, as a two-dimensional pictorial representation, whether opaque (for example, print, photoprint, drawing) or transparent, but not intended to be projected for viewing (for example, a photographic negative).
007 kl|ao
[Item is a nonprojected graphic (007/00); a technical drawing (01); in a single color (03); is on paper (04); has no secondary support material (05).]
m - Motion picture
Code m indicates that the item is a motion picture, which is defined as a series of still pictures on film, with or without sound, designed to be projected in rapid succession to produce the optical effect of motion.
007 mr|caaadmnartauac198606
[Item is a motion picture (007/00); on reel (01); in color (03); standard sound aperture (04); on medium (05); optical track (06); 16 mm. (07); monaural sound (08); production elements not applicable (09); positive emulsion (10); reference print/viewing copy (11); safety base (triacetate) (12); three-layer color (13); kind of color film stock unknown (14); no apparent deterioration (15); complete film (16); and film inspected June 1986 (17-22).]
o - Kit
Code o indicates that the item is a kit, which is defined as a mixture of various components issued as a unit and intended primarily for instructional purposes. No one component is identifiable as the predominant component of the item. Examples are packages of assorted materials, such as a set of K-12 social studies curriculum material (books, workbooks, guides, activities, etc.), or packages of educational test materials (tests, answer sheets, scoring guides, score charts, interpretative manuals, etc.).
007 ou
q - Notated music
Code q indicates that the item is notated music, which is defined as graphic, non-realized representations of musical works, both in printed and digitized manifestations. It includes musical scores and/or parts, diagrammatic representations, tablature, instructions for change compositions, pictures or paintings intended as musical compositions, square note notation, klavirskribo, chant notation, neumes, braille, and other ways of representing the four components of musical sound: pitch, duration, timbre, and loudness. Notated music is often the means for communicating to the performer(s) how the musical work notated therein is to be realized in sound.
007 qu
r - Remote-sensing image
Code r indicates that the item is a remote-sensing image or remote-sensing map. This is an image produced by a recording device that is not in physical or intimate contact with the object under study.
s- Sound recording
Code s indicates that the item is a sound recording, defined as a disc, tape, film, cylinder, or wire on which sound vibrations have been registered so that the sound may be reproduced, or paper rolls on which the notes of a musical composition are represented by perforations in the paper and from which sound can be mechanically produced.
007 sd|bsmennmplud
[Item is a sound recording (007/00); released as a sound disc (01); with speed of 33 1/3 rpm (03); is stereo (04); with microgrooves (05); on a 12 in. disc (06); is mass-produced (09); on plastic (10); with lateral cutting (11); any special playback characteristics are unknown (12); and digital capture and storage (13).]
t - Text
Code t indicates that the item is text, defined as printed or manuscript material that is accessible to the naked eye (e.g., a book, a pamphlet, a broadside).
007 ta
[Item is regular print text.]
007 td
[Item is in a loose-leaf binder.]
v - Videorecording
Code v indicates that the item is a videorecording, defined as a recording on which visual images, usually in motion and accompanied by sound, have been registered. It is designed for playback by means of a television set.
007 vf|caahos
[Item is a videorecording (007/00); in a cassette (01); in color (03); in the Beta format (04); has sound on medium (05); on videotape (06); tape width is ½ in. (07); with stereophonic sound (08).]
z - Unspecified
Code z indicates that the item is not identified by one of the other 007 code values or that its multiple physical forms are not being specifically denoted.
007 zm
[Item is a collection containing different material categories and separate 007 fields are not being input for the various components.]