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Bibliotheca Alexandrina launches the online version of MARC 21 Format for Classification Data in Arabic

15 Jan 2018

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina launches the fifth and final online version of MARC 21 Formats; namely MARC 21 Format for Classification Data in Arabic. MARC 21 Format for Classification Data carries classification information, with a special focus on classification schemes that are enhanced to best serve Arab libraries classify their collections.

The Arabic online version is accessible from the Arabic Library Standards website (www.bibalex.org/ALS). It is a free version that provides Arab cataloguers with a selection of the core MARC 21 Format for Classification Data fields, and adopts a tailored field description structure. The online versions cover until Update 19, featuring the complete Format Summary of the formats.

The online version of MARC 21 Format for Classification Data in Arabic introduces the release of the full print edition of the mentioned format, that will be in one volume. Intended to be available for acquisition, the print edition is a complete Arabization of the original MARC 21 Format for Classification Data as published by the Library of Congress.

MARC 21 Format for Classification Data in Arabic serves classifiers who work with different classification schemes, even local ones. Moreover, it is very useful in maintain and developing classification schedules systems, Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs) and retrieval systems.

It is worth mentioning that MARC 21, with its five formats, is a standard by which bibliographic, authority, holdings and classification data, and community information is documented in a machine-readable form, and one of the most important systems in data creation and sharing between libraries. It is also the most widely supported encoding standard by integrated library systems, meeting the needs of both libraries and patrons, equally.

For further details about the Arabic edition of MARC 21 Formats, please visit:
https://www.bibalex.org/als/en/page/marc21-overview.