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WorldCat Validation release notes, August 2025

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Release Date: 26 August 2025

Introduction

This release of changes to WorldCat Validation involves the following new features, enhancements, and bug fixes.

  • New features and enhancements:
    • OCLC-MARC Validations of New MARC Codes Announced 14 February 2025-2 July 2025
      • Classification Scheme Source Codes
      • Description Convention Source Codes
      • Genre/Form Code and Term Source Codes
      • MARC Code List for Relators
      • Name and Title Authority Source Codes
      • National Bibliography Number Source Codes
      • Standard Identifier Source Codes
      • Subject Heading and Term Source Codes
    • MARC 21 Bibliographic Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)
    • MARC 21 Authority Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)
    • MARC 21 Holdings Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)
    • Field 023 is now valid for use in Bibliographic, Holdings, and Authority formats
    • The data provenance category code bcp47 is now available in bibliographic and authority data provenance subfields
    • In fields 336, 337, and 338, subfield $2 is no longer required if subfield $0 starts with http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/
    • OCLC-MARC field 956 has been revised to better align with field 856
    • LC/NACO Authority File-related elements
  • Bug fixes
    • Subfield $6 is now ignored when determining if duplicate fields are present
    • In Authority records, field 075 now requires either subfield $a or $b to be present when subfield $2 is present
    • In Authority records, field 376 now allows subfields $a, $b, $c, or $d to be the sole subfield present

These enhancements and fixes are the result of announcements of new MARC elements and codes by the Library of Congress as well as feedback and requests from members of the OCLC community.

New features and enhancements

OCLC-MARC Validations of New MARC Codes Announced 14 February 2025-2 July 2025

You may now use all new MARC Codes announced by the Library of Congress in the following LC Technical Notices:

Classification Scheme Source Codes

The following source code has been added to the Classification Scheme Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • ccolon - Colon classification

Description Convention Source Codes

The following source code has been added to the Description Convention Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • rismg - Cataloging guidelines for the Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM)

Genre/Form Code and Term Source Codes

The following source codes have been added to the Genre/Form Code and Term Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • doll - Dictionary of letterblocking (Unlocking History Research Group)
  • oabt - Opening Artists' Books: artists' book terms

MARC Code List for Relators

The following relators have been added to the MARC Code List for Relators list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • waw [writer of afterword] - A person, family, or organization contributing to a resource by providing an afterword to the original work.
  • wfw [writer of foreword] - A person or organization responsible for adding solid lines, shading and additional details to the initial pencil drawings in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, animation, etc.

The definition for "adapter" (code "adp") has been rewritten to allow for expanded usage.

  • adp [adapter] - A person or organization who modifies the content of existing work for a different medium or audience, as in adapting a novel for a motion picture, creating a young reader’s version of a book, or reworking a musical composition.

The following relators have been deprecated on the MARC Code List for Relators list and should no longer be used.

  • aft [author of afterword, colophon, etc.] - The term "author of afterword, colophon, etc." (code "aft") has been deprecated. Users should use "writer of afterword" (code "waw").
  • aui [author of introduction, etc.] - The term "author of introduction, etc." (code "aui") has been deprecated. Users should use "writer of foreword" (code "wfw"), "writer of introduction" (code "win") or "writer of preface" (code "wpr") instead.

Name and Title Authority Source Codes

The following source code has been added to the Name and Title Authority Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • conorcg - CONOR.CG authority files of personal and corporate names (Cetinje: National Library of Montenegro (Đurđe Crnojević)
  • nli - National Library of Israel authority file
    [NOTE: this code replaces nliaf which should no longer be used]

Name and Title Authority Source Codes

The following source codes have been added to the Standard Identifier Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • cnsn - Chinese CN serial number (Beijing: National Press and Publication Administration)

Standard Identifier Source Codes

The following source codes have been added to the Standard Identifier Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • mggo - MGG online (Kassel: Bärenreiter-Verlag Karl Vötterle GmbH & Co. KG ; Berlin: J.B. Metzler ; New York: Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale Inc.)

Subject Heading and Term Source Codes

The following source codes have been added to the Subject Heading and Term Source Codes list for usage in appropriate fields and elements.

  • neo - Norske emneord (Oslo: Biblioteksentralen, Bokbasen and National Library of Norway)
  • poha - POHA thesaurus (Beirut: Palestinian Oral History Archive, American University of Beirut)

MARC 21 Bibliographic Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)

You may now begin to use the following changes to Bibliographic elements implemented as part of OCLC-MARC Bibliographic Update for August 2025, based on the MARC 21 Bibliographic format changes announced in MARC 21 Bibliographic Update No. 40 (June 2025).

  • In existing Bibliographic field 856 (Electronic Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present.
  • In existing Bibliographic field 857 (Electronic Archive Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present.

MARC 21 Authority Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)

You may now begin to use the following changes to Authority elements implemented as part of OCLC-MARC Authority Update for August 2025, based on the MARC 21 Authority format changes announced in MARC 21 Authority Update No. 40 (June 2025).

Note: These changes apply only to the OCLC-MARC Authority validation rule set that includes all valid elements of MARC 21 Authority Format and cannot be used in the LC/NACO Authority File.

  • In existing Authority field 856 (Electronic Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present.
  • In existing Authority field 857 (Electronic Archive Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present. 

Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) participants cannot use these authority format changes in the LC/NACO Authority File at this time. The Library of Congress and OCLC will announce the implementation of these elements for use in name and subject authority records in the LC/NACO Authority File at a future date.

MARC 21 Holdings Update No. 40 (Announced June 2025)

You may now begin to use the following changes to Authority elements implemented as part of OCLC-MARC Holdings Update for August 2025, based on the MARC 21 Holdings format changes announced in MARC 21 Holdings Update No. 40 (June 2025).

Note: These changes apply only to the OCLC-MARC Authority validation rule set that includes all valid elements of MARC 21 Authority Format and cannot be used in the LC/NACO Authority File.

  • In existing Holdings field 845 (Terms Governing Use and Reproduction Note),  subfield $f has been renamed to Standardized terminology for use and reproduction rights (formerly Use and reproduction rights). New subfields $0 (Authority record control number or standard number) and $1 (Real World Object URI) have been defined.
  • In existing Holdings field 856 (Electronic Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present.
  • In existing Holdings field 857 (Electronic Archive Location and Access), when subfield $7 is present, either subfield $g or subfield $u must be present. Previously, the presence of subfield $7 required subfield $u to be present.

Field 023 is now valid for use in Bibliographic, Holdings, and Authority formats

You may now use Bibliographic field 023 (Cluster ISSN), Authority field 023  (Cluster ISSN), and Holdings field 023 (Cluster ISSN).

Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) participants cannot use these authority format changes in the LC/NACO Authority File at this time. The Library of Congress and OCLC will announce the implementation of these elements for use in name and subject authority records in the LC/NACO Authority File at a future date.

The data provenance category code bcp47 is now available in Bibliographic and Authority data provenance subfields

Data Provenance Category Code bcp47 is now available for use in applicable data provenance subfields in Bibliographic and Authority fields.

In Bibliographic fields 336, 337, and 338, subfield $2 is no longer required if subfield $0 starts with http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/

  • In Bibliographic fields 336 (Content Type), 337 (Media Type), and 338 (Carrier Type), subfield $2 (Source) is no longer required when subfield $0 (Authority record control number or standard number) is present in the field and starts with http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/contentTypes, http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/mediaTypes, or http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/carriers, respectively.

OCLC-MARC field 956 has been revised to better align with field 856

Existing OCLC MARC Bibliographic field 956 has been updated in light of changes that have been made to MARC Bibliographic field 856 over the past few years.

LC/NACO Authority File-related elements

The following changes have been made to the OCLC-MARC Authority validation rule set for the LC/NACO Authority File.
Included are selected Authority elements previously documented mostly in the following MARC 21 Format for Authority Data Updates issued by the Library of Congress:

For guidance in the use of the MARC Authority elements listed below in NACO Authority records, please see the next quarterly updates of the LC Descriptive Cataloging Manual Z1: Name and Series Authority Records, DCM Z1 for short, and the LC Guidelines Supplement to the MARC 21 Format for Authority Data, 2002 Edition with Subsequent Updates, also known as "The Blue Pages," which are scheduled for 29 August 2025. For MARC Authority elements not listed below, continue to follow the instructions in those documents.

Newly validated MARC Authority elements

  • In existing Authority field 022 (International Standard Serial Number), new subfields $0 (Authority record control number or standard number) and $1 (Real World Object URI) have been defined. [Update No. 32 (June 2021)]
  • New Authority field 023 (Cluster ISSN) has been defined. [Update No. 37 (December 2023)]
  • In existing Authority field 046 (Special Coded Dates), subfields $3 (Materials specified), $x (Nonpublic note), and $z (Public note) have been defined. [Update No. 32 (June 2021)]
  • In existing Authority field 082 (Dewey Decimal Call Number), new subfields $0 (Authority record control number or standard number) and $1 (Real World Object URI) have been defined. [Update No. 38 (June 2024)]
  • In existing Authority field 083 (Dewey Decimal Classification Number), new subfields $0 (Authority record control number or standard number) and $1 (Real World Object URI) have been defined. [Update No. 38 (June 2024)]
  • In existing Authority field 373 (Associated Group), new subfields $4 (Relationship) and $i (Relationship information) have been defined. [Update No. 34 (July 2022)]
  • In existing Authority field 376 (Family Information), new subfield $d (Other designation) has been defined. [Update No. 37 (December 2023)]
  • In existing Authority field 383 (Numeric Designation of Musical Work or Expression), 1st indicator values blank (No information provided), 0 (Work), and 1 (Expression) have been defined. [Update No. 38 (June 2024)]
  • In existing field 672 (Title Related to the Entity), subfields $4 (Relationship) and $i (Relationship information) have been defined [Update No. 33 (November 2021)]

Note: With the addition of new field 023, subfields $l and $m in field 022 are now obsolete and they will be invalidated in a future validation release.

Invalidated MARC Authority elements

  • In existing field 781 (Subdivision Linking Entry-Geographic Subdivision), subfield $1 (Real World Object URI) is no longer a valid subfield. [LC Guidelines: October 2023]

Bug fixes

Subfield $6 is now ignored when determining if duplicate fields are present

In Bibliographic fields, subfield $6 is no longer used for comparing fields to identify duplicate fields. As a result, if 2 fields are identical, but one is linked to a field containing non-Latin data and the other is not linked, they will now be reported as duplicate fields.

In Authority records, field 075 now requires either subfield $a or $b to be present when subfield $2 is present

In Authority field 075 (Type of Entity), subfields $a (Type of entity term) or $b (Type of entity code) must be present when subfield $2 (Source) is present. Previously, the presence of subfield $2 required subfield $b to be present.

 Note: These changes apply only to the OCLC-MARC Authority validation rule set that includes all valid elements of MARC 21 Authority Format and not to the validation rule set for the LC/NACO Authority File.

In Authority records, field 376 now allows subfields $a, $b, $c, or $d to be the sole subfield present

In Authority field 376 (Family Information), subfields $a (Type of family), $b (Name of prominent member), $c (Hereditary title), and $d (Other designation) are each now allowed to be the only subfield present in the field.

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