When you’re ready to start sharing your textbook, you’ll need to create a MARC record to make it discoverable in your and other libraries’ catalogues.
MARC or Machine-Readable Cataloguing is a computerised cataloguing system developed to ensure bibliographic records for physical and digital resources are accessible across libraries.
Many open textbook publishers make their MARC records publicly available online through institutional and resource sharing websites, and even in the back matter of their books.
You can see some examples of downloadable MARC records for open textbooks below.
Open Textbook Library MARC records are in the public domain and available under a Creative Commons CC0 licence, including:
MARC records for the B.C. Open Textbook Collection are created to the standard outlined by the British Columbia Library Association (BCLA)’s Cataloguing and Technical Services Interest Group (BCCATS).
B.C. Open Education Librarians (BCOEL) post new MARC records to the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BCELN) website whenever new content is created or curated or existing content is revised.
Below is an example of a MARC record template for OERs like open textbooks to help you get started:
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to work with your cataloguing team to develop a written procedure for adding open textbooks to your library's catalogue.
Adapted from:
‘Discovery and MARC Records’ by Open Textbook Library, licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
‘MARC Records’ by BCcampus OpenEd, licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence.
‘Marketing an Open Textbook’ in Open Textbook Publishing Orientation (PUB 101) by Open Education Network, licensed under a CC BY 4.0 licence.