Transforming a Finding Aid’s EAD into a MARC Record

Objective:

This document outlines a procedure for exporting the MARCXML version of an EAD finding aid from ArchivesSpace, converting it to MARC21 format using MarcEdit, and importing it into Connexion for contribution to the OCLC database. The record can then be exported into Notre Dame’s local bibliographic catalog.

Reference: DACS, version 2019.0.3

"DACS is a standard that is independent of particular forms of output in given information systems [...] When descriptions are recorded in a standard electronic format—MARC 21, EAD, or both—an archivist will have to master the encoding scheme in which the data is stored electronically."

Procedure:

For set-up of MarcEdit:

[Download MarcEdit from https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads and install.] You will then need to import the ‘task list’ (cleanup routine) which can be used to automatically modify the transformed .mrc file to meet local practices. To do this:

1. Download the xml to marc .tsk cleanup routine file from the Processing Team shared drive space, in the ‘MARCXML > MARC21’ folder.
2. Open the MarcEditor module (yellow pen and pencil icon on main menu) within MarcEdit.
3. Navigate to Tools > Manage tasks.
4. Under ‘Manage Existing Tasks,’ select ‘Import Task File’ from the drop-down menu.
5. A pop-up navigation box will appear. Navigate to ‘Downloads’ and select the .tsk file downloaded from the team drive and click ‘Open.’

To download the MARCXML version of a finding aid:

1. In ArchivesSpace, open the fining aid for which you need to create a MARC record.
2. From the menu bar above the finding aid’s title, select Export > Download MARCXML.
3. Confirm the check box to ‘include unpublished’ is checked.

The file will download and (in Chrome) will appear in a box in the status bar along the lower edge of the browser window.

To Transform the MARCXML file to MARC 21:

1. Open MarcEdit.
2. Select the purple ‘MarcTools’ icon.
3. Under ‘Select Operation,’ use the drop-down menu to select ‘MARCXML => MARC 21’
4. At the end of the bar titled ‘Open,’ click the yellow file folder icon.
5.  In the resulting pop up box, navigate to and select the MARCXML file you just downloaded from your Downloads folder.
6. At the end of the bar titled ‘Save As’ click the yellow file folder with the green arrow.
7. Provide a file name and location for the MARC21 record you are about to generate.
8. ***Be sure to select the binary .mrc MARC file type from the ‘save as Type’ drop-down***
9. Click ‘Execute.’ A MARC file will be generated and saved to the specified location.

To modify the MARC 21 record to meet local standards:

1. Open the MarcEditor module (yellow pen and pencil icon).
2. Open the .mrc record you created in step 9.  (You may need to toggle the default file extension from .mrk to .mrc  in the file search pop-up.)
3. Run the cleanup routine from: Tools > Assigned tasks > Currently Available Tasks > FA XML to MRC Cleanup.
4. Save the edited record (ctrl + s).

To import the MARC21 record into the OCLC Connexion client:

1. Within Connexion, browse to File > Import records.
2. Beneath the File to Import bar, click ‘Browse’ to navigate to the .mrc file you just created in MarcEdit.
3. Click the ‘Record Characteristics’ button to confirm you’re importing UTF-8 character encoding (only has to be done on initial setup).
4. Click the radio button to import your record to the Local Save File.
5. Click ‘OK.’
6. An ‘Import Results’ screen will open. Confirm that your file has imported by checking the record number following ‘Successful imports.’
7. From the top menu bar, navigate to Cataloging > Search > Local Save file (or press F3).
8. A pop-up search box will appear. Enter a search term (title, name, etc.) to retrieve your record, or click ‘OK’ to view a list of all records in your Local Bibliographic Save File List.
9. Open your imported MARC file.

To perform final edits within OCLC Connexion, and contribute record to the OCLC catalog:

1. Run the 043 macro (from Tools > Macros > Manage, select Generate 043 from the “OCLC’ tree, click OK).
2. Control all authorized headings (Edit > Control headings > All). Headings that fail validation may need to be manually controlled or edited.
3. Establish any name headings that do not validate because corresponding authority records do not yet exist in the NACO file [See procedure: “Creating NACO Name Authorities for Archival Records”.]

Notes on resulting MARC; fields which might require manual editing:

• Dates will not be generated in the fixed field unless beginning and ending dates (rather than “date expressions") were coded in the original EAD finding aid.
• MARC 040 $b (language of cataloging) will not be generated unless it's encoded in "Finding Aid data" "language of description" in the original EAD finding aid.
• MARC 041 $a language of materials will not be generated unless it's encoded under "Basic Information" "language" within the original finding aid. Finding aids where the language is only described in a note in ArchivesSpace will need the 041 manually coded into MARC field 041.
• Note fields in multiple paragraphs in the original EAD will be lumped into a single paragraph in the appropriate MARC field after transformation. A space will not exist between the start and end of two sentences where a paragraph break was present in the EAD, and will need to be manually added.
• A field 544 “Location of other archival materials note” will need parsing by subfield to ensure parts of note are tagged appropriately.
• Markup tagging within the EAD text (for example: an italicized title mentioned in a note field) will result in extra spaces in transformed note fields in the MARC record. Look for extra spaces which will need to be manually deleted.

4. When edits to your record are complete, reformat, and validate your record.
5. Contribute the record to OCLC’s WorldCat database (Action > Holdings > Produce and update Holdings).
6. The record can now be exported/edited in ALEPH.
7. Once catalog record is finalized, copy the full OCLC number in 035$a

Use the following format (no spaces): (OCoLC)123456789

*Paste the identifier  into an unpublished “other finding aid” note in the finding aid EAD in ArchivesSpace.