Cicero offers both a simple and an advanced cataloguing solution. This article describes the workflow for advanced cataloguing.
For general information about MARC21, please refer to the official MARC21 documentation: https://www.loc.gov/marc/bibliographic/.
Create a new record
When creating new records, you can base the cataloguing on predefined templates that are tailored to different material types. The templates ensure that certain fields are filled in advance, while other relevant fields are automatically added to the user interface so they can easily be filled in with a value (e.g. "Title" in field 245 *a)
- Go to Catalogue > Cataloguing
- Click "Create bib. record"
- Select "Advanced cataloguing"
- Select the desired template
- You can now begin cataloguing
Edit an existing record
- Go to Catalogue > Bibliographic records
- Search for and open the record you want to edit
- Select "Edit" > "Edit with advanced cataloguing" at the bottom of the record's detail view.
- You can now begin cataloguing
If the record does not yet exist in Cicero, you can try searching for it in an external catalogue. Read more under Search for and copy records from external sources.
The MARC21 editor
Once creation has started, the MARC21 editor opens, which is divided between two views:
- Left side: Raw MARC21 view – shows the record as formatted MARC21 text (read only).
- Right side: Field-based editor – a structured form for entering field and subfield values.
The raw MARC21 text view is always read only. It is updated automatically when you fill in fields in the field-based editor. Use it to verify that your record is correctly structured as you work.
In the MARC21 editor you can do the following:
By default, the content in the editor on the right side is shown in a display mode summarising the values specified for each area. A field can be edited by clicking the field's title. Editing is closed by clicking the field's title again. It is also possible to open/close all fields at the same time by using the "Show all"/"Hide all" buttons in the top right corner.
When you have finished cataloguing, click "Save" in the bottom right corner. Note: New records can take up to one minute to appear in the search results. If you cannot immediately find a newly created record, turn off the holdings filter and search without location criteria.
Fill in the Leader
The Leader (field 000) is always present at the top of the record. It cannot be deleted and is not available in the "Add field" dropdown menu.
Each position in the Leader has a dropdown that is empty by default or has a default value. Review and specify the relevant Leader positions for your material type.
Add control fields and data fields
Control fields and data fields are only shown if they have specified values or if they are part of a template. You can add control fields and data fields in the following way:
- Click "Add field" at the top of the page.
- Search for the desired control field or data field. You can search by both a field's number and name.
- Click the desired field. It is now added to the MARC21 editor, where you can specify position values and subfields.
Fields that are non-repeatable ("The field cannot be repeated") and have already been added to the record are shown dimmed and cannot be selected again (e.g. field 245 Title can only occur once).
Repeatable fields are marked with "The field can be repeated" and can be added multiple times.
Control fields
Once you have added a control field, you can subsequently add position values by clicking "Add position value".
Control fields (001–009) do not have subfield codes. Instead, position values are shown (e.g. position 1, positions 2–4, etc.), which you fill in individually.
- Click "Add position value" to select and then specify a value.
- Click the delete icon
next to a position value to delete the position value.
- Click the delete icon
in the top right corner of the control field to delete the entire control field and all associated position values.
Common control fields that should be filled in:
- 007 – Physical description, fixed field (for non-text material)
- 008 – Fixed data fields (language, date, target audience, etc.)
Data fields
Once you have added a data field, you can subsequently add subfields in the following way:
- Click "Add subfield". A dropdown then opens with available subfield codes for the field in question.
- Select the relevant subfield code (e.g. $a, $b, $c).
- Non-repeatable subfields that have already been added are shown dimmed in the dropdown menu and cannot be added again.
- Enter the value for the subfield in the input field that appears.
- Repeat for each subfield required in the field.
Delete values
- Click the delete icon
- Click the delete icon
Specify indicators
Many data fields have two indicator positions (Indicator 1 and Indicator 2). Click the relevant indicator dropdown to specify the correct value. Valid values are described in the MARC21 standard for each field. If an indicator is not defined for a field, it is set to blank (#).