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Section VII: Itemization and Compression in MARC21 Holdings Records

Note: This document covers only holdings fields input during cataloging. It does not discuss the holdings fields related to serials control.

Itemization and compression

• Itemization means recording the enumeration and, if applicable, the chronology of each part held. Each part is explicitly recorded. In an itemized statement, captions, if present, are repeated before each item. Separate each element of an itemized statement by a blank space.
  Examples:
  • 866 41 |81|av.1 v.2 v.3 v.4
  • 866 41 |81|apt.1 <32 reels> pt.2 <33 reels> pt.3 <19 reels>
  • 866 41 |81|apt.1 <reel 1-7> pt.2 <reel 1-20> pt.3 <reel 1-20>
  • 866 41 |81|av.1 v.2 + 1 map v.3-4 v.5 + 1 map [only vols. 2 and 5 contain maps]
    
• Compression means recording the holdings as a range of enumeration and, if applicable, chronology. Holdings are compressed whenever there is a continuous run (i.e., no gaps).
  Examples:
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1 v.2 v.3 v.4"
    would compress to:
    v.1-4
    
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1 v.2:pt.1 v.2:pt.2 v.2:pt.3 v.3 v.4" [v. 2 is complete in 3 parts]
    would compress to:
    v.1-4
    
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1 v.2:pt.1 v.2:pt.2 v.2:pt.3 v.3 v.4" [v. 2 is incomplete]
    would compress to:
    v.1-2:pt.3,v.3-4
• Compress Level 4 statements at the lowest level of enumeration and, if applicable, chronology.
  Examples:
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1:pt.1 v.1:pt.2 v.1:pt.3 v.2:pt.1 v.2:pt.2 v.2:pt.3"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 4 as:
    866 41 |81|av.1:pt.1-v.2:pt.3
    
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1:pt.1(1990:Jan.) v.1:pt.2(1990:June) v.1:pt.3(1990:Oct.) v.2:pt.1(1991:Jan.) v.2:pt.2(1991:June) v.2:pt.3(1991:Oct.)"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 4 as:
    866 41 |81|av.1:pt.1(1990:Jan.)-v.2:pt.3(1991:Oct.)
    
  • The itemized statement
    "1987:winter 1987:spring 1987:summer 1987:fall 1988:winter 1988:spring 1988:summer 1988:fall"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 4 as:
    1987:winter-1988:fall
    
• Compress Level 3 statements at the highest level of enumeration and, if applicable, chronology.
  Examples:
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1:pt.1 v.1:pt.2 v.1:pt.3 v.2:pt.1 v.2:pt.2 v.2:pt.3"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 3 as:
    866 31 |81|av.1-2
    
  • The itemized statement
    "v.1:pt.1(1990:Jan.) v.1:pt.2(1990:June) v.1:pt.3(1990:Oct.) v.2:pt.1(1991:Jan.) v.2:pt.2(1991:June) v.2:pt.3(1991:Oct.)"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 3 as:
    866 31 |81|av.1(1990)-v.2(1991)
    
  • The itemized statement
    "1987:winter 1987:spring 1987:summer 1987:fall 1988:winter 1988:spring 1988:summer 1988:fall"
    is compressed and recorded at Level 3 as:
    866 31 |81|a1987-1988

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Last modified: July 31, 2007