Chinese Marc (of Cnmarc)

MARC is a standardized and universal computer read-out catalogue format used by IFLA. Every library uses the format to store and pass document source data to realized the sharing of the computer resource, combining with the work experiences, the paper discusses how to use the CNMARC format to make a catalogue of Chinese and foreign books by computer. At first, the paper introduces the production and development of Chinese Machine Readable Catalog (CNMARC), analyzes its structure. By comparatively analyzing the data recorded in CALIS and the National library, explains further that the rules for CNMARC recording is not unified, and puts forward the problems and their ameliorating methods to perfect the practices of CNMARC. And then compares and analyzes the differences between USMARC and CNMARC from the aspects of identifiers for description, format design and contents as well as the impact on the transformation of them, and presents suitable transforming method. Discusses the necessity and feasibility of unifying the cataloging format of Chinese and foreign books in CNMARC and clarifies further the significance of unifying the cataloging format, considering the situation of domestic press for publishing Chinese and foreign language books. And then introduces UNIMARC. UNIMARC format is an exchangeable format which implements the information communication and sharing among the international intelligence sections. And then discusses some questions of the standardization about MARC data, emphasizes that only when catalogers stand to the catalog codes and obey data processing rules, can the library ensure the quality of the data and the database. And the standardization of MARC data is the base to the online catalogue. At last looks at the 15 elements of Dublin Core , compares the Dublin Core format with that of MARC and suggests that 21st century will see co-existence of both Dublin Core and MARC. Beginning with the analysis of characteristic of network resource, the paper trying to indicate the direction of the CNMARC format development and perfection under network environment.