2-- Descriptive Information Block

Definition and Scope of Fields

This block contains those areas covered by the ISBD with the exception of notes and standard numbers. Definitions and further information on the use on the ISBD data elements are found in the ISBD documents.

Fields

200 Title and Statement of Responsability

205 Edition Statement

206 Material Specific Area: Cartographic Materials - Mathematical Data

207 Material Specific Area: Serials Numbering

208 Material Specific Area: Printed Music Specific Statement

210 Publication, Distribuition, Etc.

211 Projected Publication Date

215 Physical Description

225 Series

230 Material Specific Area: Electronic Resource Characteristics

Notes on Field Contents

Unless stated otherwise in a particular field, ISBD punctuation is not entered at subfield boundaries or at the end of a field. The exception is the equals sign ?=? which denotes parallel information. Since it would not always be certain for a given subfield marker whether or not an equals sign is necessary, the sign should be entered explicitly whenever it occurs in the description.

In certain fields in the 2-- block, guidance is given as to the ISBD punctuation which is generated from the subfield identifier. This is intended only as a rough guide and the appropriate ISBD is in all cases the authority.

Data elements in this block should not be generated automatically from data elements in other parts of a source record in instances where the source record lacks these elements. For example, if the source record does not have a data element 'statement of responsibility as found on the item', the access point fields (equivalent to UNIMARC 7--) should not be used to generate one since there will be no way of ensuring that data in such a generated field would add anything to the descriptive area of the record. Similarly a series statement (field 225) should not be generated automatically from a series access point (field 410). Nevertheless, since the 200 $a subfield is mandatory, a title from the source record must be entered in this subfield whether or not it is in ISBD form.

In cases where the full range of subfields cannot be used (for example, when a record is converted from another format), the accompanying documentation should give details.

205 ##$a3rd ed., 2nd (corrected) impression [should be 3rd ed.$b2nd ...]

Fields or other related entities

Record Label

descriptive cataloguing (character position 18).If a UNIMARC record does not for whatever reason contain data entered according to the provisions of ISBD, then character position 18 of the RECORD LABEL, descriptive cataloguing form, should contain the code ?n? for non-ISBD form or ?i? for partial or incomplete form, depending on the amount of divergence.