Interpreting MARC: Where’s the Bibliographic Data?
code4lib Journal, (September 2010)Abstract
'The MARC data format was created early in the history of digital computers. In this article, the author entertains the notion that viewing MARC from a modern technological perspective leads to interpretive problems such as a confusion of "bibliographic data" with "catalog records." He explores this idea through examining a specific MARC interpretation task that he undertook early in his career and then revisited nearly four years later. Revising the code that performed the task confronted him with his own misconceptions about MARC that were rooted in his worldview about what he thought "structured data" should be and helped him to place MARC in a more appropriate context.'
