An international standard format for the description of bibliographical records developed by the Library of Congress during the 1960s to facilitate the creation and dissemination of computerized cataloging from one library to another. By 1973, the MARC format had become the international standard for dissemination of library cataloging data.
There are several versions of MARC in use in the world, the most predominant being MARC21, UKMARC used primarily in the United Kingdom, danMARC used in Denmark and UNIMARC used in other European countries.
The MARC Standards homepage: http://www.loc.gov/marc/
See also: Common Communication Format; Descriptive cataloging
Birger Hjørland
Last edited: 18-08-2007