Re: arsclist Cataloging

["Paul T. Jackson" <trescott@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

| One further question: both MARC and RDI are (I assume) proprietary database
| programs and/or data formats. To what extent are the data files readable by
| or exportable to other standard database programs...even the standard .dbf
| format, which is still a standard exhange format although its parent application is
| long since defunct? Is there some reason why such compatibility is specifically
| avoided, or is this a case of nobody having been interested in it?
| Steven C. Barr

MARC is a format (not proprietary) but the "Library" Databases that allow for cataloging in that format do sometimes allow for transfer of data from other "Library" catalog software.  This is not always that straight forward, as MARC tags have been changed or updated from time to time, and, say a local tag or information from an older set might not show up in the transfer to a newer software that uses a different tag for the local holdings information.

Some programs say you can transfer, but doing so might require one to go from a marc formatted database to say an Excel table, before then transferring to MS Access. Other inexpensive software will let you transfer all the data, but what should transfer from say the "subject" tag, may be sent to a category field or not at all.


-
For subscription instructions, see the ARSC home page
http://www.arsc-audio.org/arsclist.html
Copyright of individual posting is owned by the author of the posting and
permission to re-transmit or publish a post must be secured
from the author of the post.