Question

Control fields in MARC-21 have the following : (A) Fixed length Data Elements (B) Control Number Identifier (C) Data Content (D) Physical Description Fixed Field Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. (A), (B) and (D) only
• B. (A), (C) and (D) only
• C. (A), (B), (C) and (D)
• D. (B), (C) and (D) only

Hint:

Remember that MARC control fields are the "00X" fields (e.g., 001, 007, 008). They are structured, fixed-length, and full of codes for computers, unlike the variable fields (1XX, 2XX, etc.) that have textual data for humans.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Define MARC-21 Control Fields. MARC-21 control fields (tags 00X) contain coded information used for machine processing of the record. They do not have indicators or subfield codes.

Step 2: Analyze the options in the context of 00X fields. \[\begin{array}{rl} \bullet & \text{(A) Fixed length Data Elements: This is characteristic of control fields. For example, the 008 field has 40 characters, each position having a specific meaning.} \\ \bullet & \text{(B) Control Number Identifier: The 001 field contains the control number, a unique identifier for the record.} \\ \bullet & \text{(C) Data Content: Control fields absolutely contain data content, but it's coded data rather than textual data (e.g., 'eng' for English language).} \\ \bullet & \text{(D) Physical Description Fixed Field: This refers to the 007 field in MARC-21, which contains coded information about the physical characteristics of an item. It is a control field.} \\ \end{array}\]

Step 3: Conclude. All the listed items are characteristics or examples of control fields in the MARC-21 format.