M E M O R A N D U M

To:  IO Cataloging Congress
CC:  SIRSI OPAC Advisory Group, Members of the Council of Head Librarians
(following approval by IOCC)
From:  856/956 Style Guide Task Force: Pamela Sandstrom (chair, IPFW), Marla Baden (IPFW), Rosanne Cordell (IUSB), Shelanda Graham (IUPUI), Jo McClamroch (IUB), Pam Owens (IUB), Andrea Singer (IUB), plus members of original 856 Task Force: Mary Popp, James Castrataro, Gary Charbonneau, Mecheal Charbonneau, Harriette Hemmasi
Subj:  856/956 notes in IUCAT records: Cataloging Guidelines and Style Guide Examples
Date:  June 5, 2002

856/956 Notes in IUCAT: Cataloging Guidelines and Style Guide Examples
    Created by: 856/956 Style Guide Task Force
    Date created: April 21, 2002
    Revised by: IO Cataloging Congress
    Date revised: May 16, 2002
    [Minor revisions to links listed in section 3.3 and library names in 4.1 (all changes marked in red) made by: Spencer Anspach on Feburary 25, 2009. Prior version archived at http://www.indiana.edu/~catcong/20020516.856-956Notes.html]

Table of Contents

    1.0 Background
    1.1 Charge to the 856/956 Style Guide Task Force
    2.0 Objectives for the 856 and 956 Descriptions
    2.1 Use of the 856 versus 956 MARC Tag
    2.2 Number of 856/956 Fields in a Bibliographic Record
    3.0 General Policy on 856/956 Subfields
    3.1 Order of Subfields
    3.2 Punctuation, Spacing, and Capitalization of Subfields
    3.3 Preferred Usage for Common Word/Phrase Variations
    4.0 Detailed Policy on Elements and Layout of 856/956 Subfields
    4.1 Subfield |a -- Notes about geographic restrictions on access, specifically name of campus(es) or library(ies)
    4.1.1 Style guide examples of subfield |a
    4.2 Subfield |3 -- Notes about coverage, content, or holdings, used when the URL refers only to a portion or subpart of the materials specified
    4.2.1 Style guide examples of subfield |3
    4.3 Subfield |u -- Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
    4.4 Subfield |z -- Notes about restrictions on access
    4.4.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about restrictions on access
    4.5 Subfield |z -- Notes about navigation
    4.5.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about navigation
    4.6 Subfield |z -- Notes about needed software
    4.6.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about needed software
    5.0 Local Decisions
    6.0 856/956 Label Wording and Placement in the Web catalog

1.0 Background

At a joint meeting on July 23, 2001, the IO Cataloging Congress (IOCC) and the SIRSI OPAC Advisory Group discussed plans for descriptions of 856 and 956 notes in IUCAT records. The recommendations agreed upon by both groups were drafted, and in a final version dated September 19, 2001, were presented to the members of the Council of Head Librarians (CHL) in October for approval. Implementation of the procedures outlined below has been underway in some cataloging units since the July meeting. In October, Harriette Hemmasi called for volunteers to form a subcommittee of IOCC, the SIRSI OPAC Advisory Group, and the Acquisitions Congress to develop a procedural document and style manual for 856/956 notes.

In February 2002, members of the Bloomington OPAC Advisory Group asked IOCC to consider changing part of the implementation plan approved by CHL. The specific point in question was whether all access information would be recorded in subfield |a, rather than partially in subfields |a and |z as described in the September 19, 2001 plan.

The proposed policy change was presented and discussed at the first meeting of the 856/956 Style Guide Task Force on April 5, 2002. At that meeting, representatives from cataloging, OPAC, and acquisitions groups from several campuses reached consensus about the following cataloging guidelines for 856/956 notes. Those decisions have been incorporated into the document below.

Generally, subfield |a would be used alone to describe geographic (campus or library) restrictions on access. If warranted, and keeping maintenance of such notes in mind, subfield |3 would be used to describe coverage or content, and subfield |z would be used to provide further description of such access restrictions, navigation, or needed software. In the limited number of cases in which access is restricted to a single campus or library location and detailed notes are warranted, notes normally described in subfields |3 or |z may be included in subfield |a for simplicity, at the discretion of the cataloging unit.

1.1 Charge to the 856/956 Style Guide Task Force

The 856/956 Style Guide Task Force is charged with developing a style guide of local free-text notes appearing in the 856 and 956 MARC fields of IUCAT records. These notes provide users with concise instructions about linking to authorized electronic resources.

The document presenting cataloging guidelines approved by the IO Cataloging Congress (IOCC) and the style guide developed by 856/956 Style Guide Task Force will be maintained on the IOCC Web site, updated through submissions sent to IOCC by cataloging, acquisitions, or public services units within Indiana University Libraries. The primary audience for the style guide will be acquisitions staff and catalogers, who will refer to these examples to improve consistency and readability in the wording and punctuation of notes. Public services staff are encouraged to review and test the usability of notes, and provide feedback to IOCC.

Updates to the style guide should record the author and date of latest revision. Notes on the methodology for finding additional examples in IUCAT should be included under each subfield.

2.0 Objectives for the 856 and 956 Descriptions

Enhanced descriptions in the 856 and 956 fields of IUCAT records are designed to:

2.1 Use of the 856 versus 956 MARC Tag

2.2 Number of 856/956 Fields in a Bibliographic Record

3.0 General Policy on 856/956 Subfields

3.1 Order of Subfields

    |a
    |3
    |u
    |z (may be repeated)

3.2 Punctuation, Spacing, and Capitalization of Subfields

3.3 Preferred Usage for Common Word/Phrase Variations

The Indiana University Style Guide (available at http://www.indiana.edu/~iupubs/style-intro.html) is useful for resolving questions regarding spelling, usage, or capitalization. IU Office of Publications plans to revise the online and printed versions of this guide. [Page no longer accessible. Current version available at http://creativeservices.iu.edu/resources/guide/] An additional resource that is unfortunately no longer updated is the UITS Standard Terms List (available at http://www.indiana.edu/~uitspubs/terms/index.html). [Page no longer accessible. Available only from Internet Archive: http://web.archive.org/web/20060912050058/http://www.indiana.edu/~uitspubs/terms/index.html]

Examples included in the style guide should reflect IU Libraries' preferred usage for words or phrases with common variations. Examples include:

4.0 Detailed Policy on Elements and Layout of 856/956 Subfields

Detailed policy on subfields, including a style guide of extended examples of 856/956 notes, appears in this section. General policy on subfields is summarized in Section 3.0.

Examples have been assembled from IUCAT records to illustrate the preferred wording and order of notes in 856/956 fields. Examples of incorrect format are shown in strikeout text followed by recommended corrections. No attempt has been made to check the validity of the URLs or actual ownership in these examples. Within subfields, examples are arranged alphabetically by title of resource.

4.1 Subfield |a -- Notes about geographic restrictions on access, specifically name of campus(es) or library(ies)
    REQUIRED UNLESS OWNED BY OR ACCESSIBLE TO ALL LIBRARIES

4.1.1 Style guide examples of subfield |a

4.2 Subfield |3 -- Notes about coverage, content, or holdings, used when the URL refers only to a portion or subpart of the materials specified
    LOCAL DECISION

4.2.1 Style guide examples of subfield |3

4.3 Subfield |u -- Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
    REQUIRED

4.4 Subfield |z -- Notes about restrictions on access
    LOCAL DECISION -- BUT STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

4.4.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about restrictions on access

Examples retrieved by searching Keywords Anywhere, ALL libraries, for "online" or "password," or "subscription required"

4.5 Subfield |z -- Notes about navigation
    LOCAL DECISION

4.5.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about navigation

Examples retrieved by searching Keywords Anywhere, ALL libraries, for "click" or "scroll"

4.6 Subfield |z -- Notes about needed software
    LOCAL DECISION

4.6.1 Style guide examples of subfield |z -- Notes about needed software

Examples retrieved by searching Keywords Anywhere, ALL libraries, for "adobe" or "software"

5.0 Local Decisions

Each campus should make local decisions about the way the policy will be implemented in the four areas describing coverage or restrictions on access, navigation, or needed software.

Each campus should also decide whether to include 856/956 fields in various record formats. If feasible, the preferred practice is to use a separate record for the electronic format. It is a local decision whether to add 856/956 fields to an existing paper and/or microform record, and whether to include identical URLs on all records (see examples in Part 2, subfield |a). Existing (or new) policies should be cross-referenced here.

Prescribed use of subfield |a is not optional, nor is the distinction between shared and separate 856/956 fields. An exception is being made for resources that are restricted to a single campus or library location and for which detailed notes are warranted, permitting notes normally described in subfields |z or |3 to be included in subfield |a for simplicity, at the discretion of the cataloging unit.

6.0 856/956 Label Wording and Placement in the Web catalog

The OPAC Working Group and its Screen Design Subcommittee (a group composed of catalogers and public services librarians) will research alternative labels for the URL (856) or Local URL (956) fields, such as "Online access" or "Online version," and conduct usability tests to determine whether these will be better understood by our users. The two groups will also investigate whether displays and labels should differ based on the indicator value, and whether the location of the field should display immediately after the title, at the end of the record near the holdings statement, or above the 504 MARC tag at the beginning of the notes fields. The differences in placement of 856/956 fields in Brief View and Long View should also be regularized.