Technical Bulletins

Find technical bulletins outlining changes to tagging conventions and coding practice for bibliographic, authority, and holdings records in addition to new MARC codes.

All Technical Bulletins have been incorporated into Bibliographic Formats and Standards and/or Authorities: Format and Indexes. Technical Bulletins not listed are obsolete. Please discard them or mark them obsolete.

 Note: Name Authority Cooperative (NACO) and Subject Authority Cooperative (SACO) participants should use only the authority format changes documented in OCLC Technical Bulletins prior to OCLC-MARC Format Update 2014, Phase 1 (Technical Bulletin 263). OCLC will announce the implementation of the remaining elements for use in name and subject authority records as they are implemented by the Library of Congress. The LC Guidelines Supplement to the MARC 21 Format for Authority Data, 2002 Edition with Subsequent Updates (also known as "The Blue Pages") document is kept up-to-date to reflect current MARC Authority field and subfield policies for NACO and SACO participants and the Library of Congress.

Please see WorldCat Validation release notes for current OCLC-MARC Updates; changes to tagging conventions and coding practices for Bibliographic, Authority, and Holdings records; and new MARC codes.

In the table below, the date format is YYMM. Example: July 2008 = 0807

No. Date Title Documentation affected
269 1905 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2019
(PDF)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC local holdings format and standards, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
268 1809 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2018
(PDF)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC local holdings format and standards, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
267 1708 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2017
(PDF)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC local holdings format and standards, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
266 1607 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2016
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
265 1507 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2015
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
264 1408 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2014, Phase 2 (PDF only) Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
263 1405 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2014, Phase 1 (PDF only) Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
262 1306 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2013
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
261 1205 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2012
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
260 1108 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2011
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC local holdings format and standards, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
259 1104 Authorities System Changes (PDF only) Authorities: Formats and indexes, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation
258 1005 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2010 including RDA Changes (PDF only) Authorities: Formats and indexes, Bibliographic Formats and Standards, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
257 0907 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2009
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
256 0807 Abbreviated-Level Record Guidelines
(PDF only)		 Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation
255 0805 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2008
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
254 0705 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2007 and Institution Records to Accommodate the RLG Union Catalog (PDF only) Connexion browser documentation, Connexion client documentation, OCLC-MARC Records
253 0609 ISBN and OCLC Number Changes
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
252 0605 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2006
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, OCLC-MARC Records, Searching WorldCat Indexes
250 0310 Parallel Records (PDF only) Enhance Training Outline
249 0304 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2003
(PDF only)		 Authorities: Formats and indexes, OCLC-MARC Records
247 0211 OCLC-MARC Format Update 2002
(PDF only)		 Cataloging Electronic Resources: OCLC-MARC Coding Guidelines, OCLC-MARC Records