When you’re ready to start sharing your OER, 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 OER 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 OER below.
Read the CAUL OER Collective Cataloguing Guide [.docx] for information on the appropriate fields to populate.
If your institution uses Alma (ExLibris library management system), use the 'CAUL OER Cataloguing template' Community Zone record in the Metadata Editor.
If your institution uses another library management system, use the MARC record template [.mrc file].
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 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 OER 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 OER 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.