The Structure of Databases: Using MARC as a Demonstration of Database Components

Scope

Remember that Records, which are collections of pieces of information (Fields) about a single item such as a book in a library database.

Records may be stored (ordered) in a database in two ways:

• Sequentially (like a list)
• Relationally (a relational database)
• The collection of data about a single Record (item) consists of individual Fields.

Example: This is a MARC record for Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, that is on the MELVYL database.

0. ID 288627 BASE LC STS c REC am ENC DCF a ENT 880222

INT REP GOV CNF 0 FSC 0 INX 0 CTY nyu ILS

MEI FIC 1 BIO MOD CSC CON LAN eng PD 1987

010 88005185 //r96 <LC,LAG>

010 88005185 <DG,BG>

020 0452261368 (pbk.) <LC,LAG,DG>

020 0452264464 (pbk.) <BG>

040 DLC $c DLC <LAG>

040 MNK $c MNK $d SVP $d OCL $d CUY <BG>

040 DLC $c DLC $d DLC $d OCoLC $d DLC <LC>

043 n-us-oh <LC,LAG>

050 00 PS3563.O8749 $b B4 1987d <LC,LAG>

050 0 PS3563.O8749 $b B4 1988b <BG>

082 00 813/.54$219 <LAG>

082 813/.54 <BG>

082 00 813/.54 $2 19 <LC>

082 0 813/.54 $2 19 <DG>

100 1 Morrison, Toni <LAG,BG>

100 10 Morrison, Toni <LC,DG>

245 10 Beloved : $b a novel / $c by Toni Morrison. <LC,LAG,DG,BG>

260 New York : $b Plume, $c 1988, c1987. <LAG,BG>

260 0 New York : $b Plume, $c c1987 $g (1988 printing) <LC>

260 0 New York : $b New American Library, $c 1988, c1987. <DG>

300 275 p. ; $c 21 cm. <LC,LAG,DG,BG>

440 0 Plume contemporary fiction <LC>

490 0 Plume contemporary fiction <LAG>

500 "A Plume book." <DG,BG>

500 "Plume contemporary fiction." <DG>

650 0 Afro-Americans $z Ohio $x History $y 19th century $x Fiction <LC,LAG>

650 0 Slavery $z United States $x Fiction <BG>

650 0 Afro-Americans $x Social conditions $y To 1964 $x Fiction <BG>

651 0 Ohio $x Fiction. <BG>

655 7 Historical fiction.$2gsafd <LAG>

655 7 Historical fiction $2 gsafd <LC>