I’m working on a handful of projects about the history of MARC, and one of the things that would be really useful to me is a good, concise history of the family of MARC formats. I haven’t been able to find quite what I’m looking for, so I decided to make it!
The timeline below is my first, very imperfect attempt at mapping out the big markers in the history of MARC. A couple of caveats: it is very much the result of my interests and my knowledge (other people would likely highlight other milestones); it is very US-centric (given my familiarity with and interest in MARC21 and USMARC); it is incomplete (I know it is missing things, and hopefully I will add to it over time). I also don’t love this timeline format, but I decided to use this simple but unlovely Wordpress plugin until I find something better.
I’d love feedback, suggestions, criticism, etc. Tell me what I’ve forgotten, point me to other sources, correct me on things I got wrong! But in the meantime, please enjoy the history of our goofy but lovable data format.
Color code: blue is general policy and history; green is bibliographic format; red is all other formats; yellow is format integration.
[svtimeline]
[svt-event title=”CLR report on automation at Library of Congress” date=”1963” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC Pilot Project (MARC I)” date=”1965-1968” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC II introduced at ALA” date=”1967-07” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”LC releases specification for MARC II” date=”1967-08” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC II operational” date=”1969-03” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Serials and maps formats released” date=”1970” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Film format released” date=”1971” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Original manuscript and music formats released” date=”1973” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARBI takes on role of MARC Advisory Committee” date=”1973” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC Authorities Format published” date=”1976” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Review based on publication of AACR2” date=”1978-1979” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Bibliographic formats published together as MARC Format for Bibliographic Data (MFBD)” date=”1980” class=”svt-cd-yellow” ] Each field had “validity designators” for different forms of material. [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”The USMARC Principles: The Underlying Principles published” date=”1982” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Format integration broadly undertaken” date=”1983-1988” class=”svt-cd-yellow” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”USMARC Format for Holdings Data published” date=”1984” class=”svt-cd-red” ] First edition [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Format Integration guiding principles published at MARBI Midwinter meeting” date=”1984” class=”svt-cd-yellow” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”New edition of Authorities format published” date=”1987” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Discussion Paper 16: Format Integration Considerations released and discussed” date=”1987 (Spring/Summer)” class=”svt-cd-yellow” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Proposal 88-1 (Format Integration) voted on and approved, with amendments, by USMARC Advisory Committee and later by LC” date=”1988 (Late Summer)” class=”svt-cd-yellow” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”USMARC Format for Bibliographic Data published, incorporating format integration changes” date=”1988” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”New version of USMARC Format for Holdings Data published” date=”1989” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Provisional format for community information approved by MARC Advisory Committee” date=”1992” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”New edition of USMARC Format for Authority Data published” date=”1993” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”USMARC Format for Community Information published (first edition)” date=”1993” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”New edition of USMARC Format for Bibliographic Data published” date=”1994” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”USMARC and CAN/MARC communities work on integration” date=”1994-1997” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Update No. 2 to 1994 edition of authority format published, bringing USMARC and CAN/MARC into alignment” date=”1997-03” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”Update No. 3 to 1994 edition bibliographic format published, bringing USMARC and CAN/MARC into alignment” date=”1997-07” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC 21 published” date=”1999” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC 21 Format for Authority Data published” date=”1999” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC 21 Lite Bibliographic Format published” date=”1999-02” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC 21 Formats for Authority Data, Holdings Data, and Community Information published” date=”2000” class=”svt-cd-red” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”MARC 21 XML released” date=”2002-05” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”British Library adopts MARC 21 to replace UKMARC” date=”2004-06” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”New edition of MARC 21 LITE Bibliographic Format published” date=”2006” class=”svt-cd-green” ] [/svt-event]
[svt-event title=”RDA/MARC Working Group formed” date=”2008” class=”svt-cd-blue” ] [/svt-event]
[/svtimeline]
Sources
- Format Integration and its Effect on the USMARC Bibliographic Format, 1992 ed. (Washington: Library of Congress)
- Library of Congress. MARC21 format specifications.
- McCallum, Sally H. (1990). "Format Integration : Handling the Additions and Subtractions." Information Technology and Libraries, 9(2), 155–161.
- Seikel, Michele, & Steele, Thomas (2011). "How MARC Has Changed: The History of the Format and Its Forthcoming Relationship to RDA." Technical Services Quarterly, 28(3), 322–334. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2011.574519