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Catalog using Cyrillic scripts

Discover how to catalog using Cyrillic scripts in Connexion client.

About using Cyrillic script

Cataloging

Use Cyrillic script data for cataloging items in languages that use the Cyrillic script (for example, Russan, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ukrainian). Use Cyrillic script data the same way you use other non-Latin script data in the client.

See Work with international records and Guidelines for contributing non-Latin script bibliographic records to WorldCat for details specific to non- Latin scripts. See also general procedures describing how to:

Authorities

Cyrillic scripts can also be used to add variant name headings to authority records. Cyrillic script data in authority records is limited to the MARC-8 character set.

Tools for using non-Latin scripts

  • MARC-8 character verification (Edit > MARC-8 Characters > Verify) - Verify characters separately from record validation.

     Caution: MARC-8 character verification is not appropriate for verifying Cyrillic characters outside the MARC-8 character set. The OCLC system validates these Cyrillic characters when you validate the record.

  • Link/unlink (Edit > Linking Fields > Link [or Unlink]) - Visually link or unlink non-Latin script data fields with equivalent Latin script (romanized) data fields (bibliographic records only) 
  • Export options for data fields (Tools > Options > International) - Determine (for bibliographic records only): 
    • Whether to export both equivalent Latin script (romanized) data and non-Latin script data or only one or the other 
    • Position of data if you export both Latin and non-Latin script data 
    • Sort order 
  • Export and import using UTF-8 Unicode or MARC-8 character sets. The UTF-8 Unicode option allows you to work with non-MARC-8 characters in the client for your local records (settings for export are in Tools > Options > Export, click Record Characteristics, and settings for import are in File > Import Records, click Record Characteristics).

     Caution:  If Cyrillic records outside the MARC-8 character set are in the record you wish to export or import, you must export and import them in Unicode format.

Cyrillic script entry and character set

Script entry methods

  • If your system default language is not the one you want to use for cataloging Cyrillic materials, you can install the languages you need in Windows. When you install a language, Windows provides an input keyboard for entering Cyrillic script. See more about input methods for languages that use non-Latin scripts
  • OCLC provides an alternative Cyrillic script keyboard developed for RLIN21 cataloging software. You can download the Cyrillic keyboard here.

    RLIN21 keyboards include characters specific to each script (covering multiple languages that use Cyrillic script), whereas Microsoft keyboards include script characters specific to a single language. 

MARC-8 character sets supported

The client supports the following basic and extended Cyrillic character sets defined in MARC 21 Specifications for Record Structure, Character Sets, and Exchange Media:

Unicode character sets supported

The client also supports Cyrillic characters outside the MARC-8 character set. These characters are defined in Unicode version 6.2.0 as U+0400, U+0460 to U+0461, U+0464 to U+0469, U+046C to U+0471, U+0476 to U+048F and U+0492 to U+04FF.

Script identifiers in bibliographic records

The client adds the following data to subfield ǂc of field 066 in Cyrillic records to indicate the presence of Cyrillic characters:

  • N] (Basic Cyrillic) 
  • Q] (Extended Cyrillic) 
  • Cyrl when Unicode characters outside the MARC-8 character set are present 

Romanized data

See the ALA-LC Romanization Table for the various languages that are written in Cyrillic script on the Library of Congress website

Indexing for Cyrillic script searches

Notes on searching

  • Use word or phrase search indexes and browse indexes. 
  • Word searches find the data string you enter anywhere in the indexed field. Phrase searches find the data string starting with the first character in a field or subfield and including each character in exact order. Browsing scans an index for the closest match to the character string followed by any other data. 
  • If you use qualifiers to limit a search, type them in Latin script. 
  • Do not use derived searching. 
  • Do not truncate searches (asterisk (*) at the end of a search term). You can use browsing for automatic truncation (enter only as many characters as needed for a match, without using an asterisk at the end). 
  • If you want to retrieve all Cyrillic script records or see sample records, use the "character sets present" search index (label vp:) with the assigned code cyr.
    • To find all Cyrillic script records, enter vp:cyr as a Command Line Search only.
       Note: If a search for all Cyrillic script records alone retrieves too many WorldCat records (limit 1,500 records), you must limit the search and try again (e.g., vp:cyr/1991-2vp:cyr and mt:bks; etc.).

See general procedures and search techniques for searching WorldCat.

Cyrillic character indexing specifics

All capital or uppercase/capital forms of Cyrillic letters are indexed the same as the corresponding small or lowercase/small forms of Cyrillic letters.

For example, Cyrillic capital letter yu (Cyrillic capital letter yu) is indexed the same as Cyrillic small letter yu (Cyrillic small letter yu).

Enter either a capital or small version of a Cyrillic letter in a search and retrieve results for both.