MARC 583 Action Note

This article is currently a draft.

MARC field 583 in the bibliographic and holdings formats contains information about processing, reference, and preservation actions. Reference actions may include a brief statement about solicitation to acquire material, whether the solicitation is active or inactive, and the date of the last item of correspondence. Preservation actions may include a review of condition, queuing for preservation, and completion of preservation. Field 583 is repeatable to record information about different actions.

Commonly-used tags

First indicator - Privacy

1 - Not private 

Second indicator - Undefined

Subfield Codes

 ǂ3 - Materials specified (NR)

ǂa - Action (NR)

• Required subfield
• Use controlled vocabulary terms from Preservation & Digitization Actions: Terminology for MARC 21 Field 583

ǂb Action identification

• May be used to cite a local database record number (such as the conservation database) when more extensive treatment documentation exists or to cite a grant or other project number

ǂc - Time/date of action (R)

• Required subfield
• Use format yyyymmdd
• If month or day is unknown, leave blank
• The date in the ǂc lets you know that "as of this date" such-and-such was the case. We use it for books in Hamnet when damage is noted (so reading room staff know that an item was damaged before it was given to the reader, if they come across something when checking the book in).

ǂk - Action agent (R)

• Catalogers, put your own initials for "condition reviewed"; otherwise, don't use

ǂl - Status (R)

• Use terms from controlled vocabulary terms from [Preservation & Digitization Actions: Terminology for MARC 21 Field 583] when ǂa (Action) is condition reviewed
• If standard vocabulary doesn't apply, or to provide additional information, use ǂx (non-public note) or ǂz (public note) if appropriate.

(list below last updated Feb. 2, 2013):

acidic paper	insect damaged	rehoused poorly
alkaline paper	loose	repaired previously
annotated	marginalia	scratched
blocked	missing	stained
brittle	mold damaged	sticky shed
damaged	mutilated	torn
defaced	not intact	undamaged
delaminated	obscured	vinegar syndrome
do not treat	obsolescent format	warped/cockled
faded	oxidized	water damaged
flaked/cracked	rebacked
foxed	redox

• If the damage is bibliographically significant (e.g. plates missing) notify the relevant cataloger (or Head of Cataloging) so that an "Imperfect" note can be added.

ǂx - Nonpublic note (R)

ǂz - Public note (R)

ǂ2 - Source of term (NR)
ǂ2 pda
ǂ5 - Institution to which field applies (NR)

• Always add ǂ5 DFo, even when the bibliographic record describes a unique item

Examples

583 1_ ǂa conserved ǂc 19760000 ǂz re-lined ǂk Olin Conservation Inc. ǂ2 pda ǂ5 DFo 
583 1_ ǂa conserved ǂb Cons DB 985171 ǂc 20090206 ǂk Folger staff ǂ2 pda ǂ5 DFo 
583 1_ ǂa condition reviewed ǂc 20080119 ǂz running tears, seal needs consolidation ǂk HRW ǂ2 pda ǂ5 DFo 
583 1_ ǂa condition reviewed ǂc 20140114 ǂl brittle ǂz front wrapper detached ǂk DJL ǂ2 pda ǂ5 DFo 
583 1_ ǂa condition reviewed ‡c 20140211 ǂz openings R2.3 and Y1,2 determined not to contain mold ǂk Adrienne Bell ǂ2 pda ǂ5 DFo