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DATE: June 11, 2026
REVISED:
NAME: Recording Container Designation in the 87X Fields of the MARC 21 Holdings Format
SOURCE: OCLC
SUMMARY: This paper proposes the definition of subfield $n (Container designation) and subfield $o (Invalid or canceled container designation) in fields 87X (Item Information Fields) in the MARC 21 Holdings Format.
KEYWORDS: Fields 87X (HD); Item Information Fields (HD); Container designation (HD)
RELATED: 2026-DP03
STATUS/COMMENTS:
06/11/26 – Made available to the MARC community for discussion.
This proposal arises from Discussion Paper No. 2026-DP03, which identified the need to record container-level designations, such as barcodes or other identifiers, for items housed in a shared container. Multiple OCLC member libraries expressed the need to represent relationships between individually barcoded items and the containers in which they are stored. While OCLC's WorldShare Circulation provides a Container management solution, that functionality is limited to circulation workflows and does not support the representation of container membership in holdings data, particularly for data loads and record exchange.
Often in current practice, containers used for storage or inventory control are not represented by holding records, as they are not treated as circulating items or distinct intellectual units. However, libraries often assign barcodes or identifiers to these containers, resulting in a gap in MARC for expressing the relationship between containers and the items they hold. As a result, institutions rely on local practices that can be inconsistent and difficult to maintain across systems. OCLC recommends the addition of subfields $n (Container designation) and $o (Invalid or canceled container designation) to record container designations in holdings records, providing a standardized approach to representing container membership, reducing reliance on local practices, and preventing the conflation of items and container identifiers. Common use cases include educational kits with multiple resources, tool kits with discrete components, and unrelated materials housed together for offsite storage. Establishing a defined MARC location for this information will improve data quality and interoperability, particularly in data loading and migration.
During the 2026 Midwinter MARC Advisory Committee (MAC) meeting, consensus was expressed in support of the functional need addressed by the proposed subfields. The feedback received identified the need for clearer and more concrete examples. In response to this feedback, colleagues at Library and Archives Canada generously provided representative real‑world examples. Selected examples have been incorporated into the proposal, and additional examples were provided by OCLC staff based on actual holdings records. These examples have been reformatted to illustrate how the data would be represented if the proposed subfields $n and $o were implemented.
Several participants raised the possibility of extending container designation support beyond the 87X block to include fields such as 852 (Location) for both MARC Bibliographic and Holdings Format and fields 863–865 (Enumeration and Chronology-General Information). It was noted during the discussion that subfield $p (Piece designation) already exists in these fields, and some participants expressed concern that limiting container identifiers exclusively to the 87X block could restrict institutions that do not use the 87X block.
After further internal discussion, OCLC recognizes that supporting container designations in fields 852 and/or 863–865 could be appropriate for some libraries, particularly those whose local systems and workflows rely more heavily on those fields. OCLC does not oppose their inclusion if MAC determines that this approach is reasonable. However, for WorldShare Management Services (WMS) libraries, it is essential that container designation be supported within the 87X block, as WMS depends on item-level holdings data in these fields to support inventory control, circulation, and statistical reporting. If container designation were defined in fields 852 or 863–865, WMS is unable to support inventory and circulation-related functionality if a library were to only use those fields.
The 87X block also aligns well with the proposed model for recording invalid or canceled container designations, in parallel with existing support for invalid piece designations. WMS libraries currently rely on subfield $r to record invalid or canceled piece designations and extending this approach to container designations provides a clear practical value. This reflects the reality that identifiers may become obsolete or be canceled, and libraries often need to retain this information for tracking or audit purposes. In contrast, fields 852 and 863–865 do not currently support the recording of invalid or canceled piece designations. Enabling this functionality in those fields would require the addition of three new subfields. This would involve identifying multiple available subfield codes for a use case that OCLC currently does not need. MAC may prefer to reserve unused subfield codes for these fields when a demonstrated need is presented. In addition, fields 863–865 are designed specifically for materials with enumeration and chronology, which limits the range of materials for which container designation could be applied.
In fields 876-878 (Item Information-General Information) of the MARC 21 Holdings Format, add and define new subfields $n and $o as follows:
$n – Container designation (R)
Barcode or other machine-readable container designation (such as OCR) associated with the container (e.g., a storage box or case) that houses multiple pieces.$o – Invalid or canceled container designation (R)
Invalid or canceled machine-readable container designation.
876 ## $n 33286582025785 $p 33286584952002
[46 publications in box 33286582025785.]
876 ## $3 Book (large picture book manual) $n 33286583427477 $p 33286583427279
876 ## $3 Book (Teacher's guide) $n 33286583427477 $p 33286583427378
876 ## $3 Activity cards (Set 1) $n 33286583427477 $p 33286583427386
876 ## $3 Activity cards (Set 2) $n 33286583427477 $p p33286583427287
876 ## $3 Poster $n 33286583427477 $p 33286583427188
876 ## $3 Sheets $n 33286583427477 $p 33286583427089
[Kit containing individually barcoded items, including books, activity cards, a poster, and clipped sheets.]
876 ## $8 1.1 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023916
876 ## $8 1.2 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023924
876 ## $8 1.3 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023932
876 ## $8 1.4 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023940
876 ## $8 1.5 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023957
876 ## $8 1.6 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023965
876 ## $8 1.7 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023973
876 ## $8 1.8 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023981
876 ## $8 1.9 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563023999
876 ## $8 1.10 $n 33286582588436 $p 33286563024005
[Slipcase containing separately barcoded volumes 1 through 10.]
876 ## $3 Audiocassette 1 $n 39306011029954 $o 39306011029951 $p 39306011029605
876 ## $3 Audiocassette 2 $n 39306011029954 $o 39306011029951 $p 39306011029618
876 ## $3 Audiocassette 3 $n 39306011029954 $o 39306011029951 $p 39306011029622
877 ## $3 Transcript $n 39306011029954 $o 39306011029951 $p 39306011029648
[Container of audiocassette interviews with a supplemental typewritten transcript. Original container barcode recorded in subfield $o because items were rehoused in a new container.]
878 ## $3 SCAN microfiche directory $n 36100300452424 $p 36100300453467
[Box containing a microfiche collection, including a microfiche with an index of all items in the box.]
BIBFRAME allows item identifiers to be recorded, and invalid item identifiers can be marked using a status within the identifier resource.
In fields 876 (Item Information - Basic Bibliographic Unit), 877 (Item Information - Supplementary Material), and 878 (Item Information - Indexes) of the MARC 21 Holdings Format, define the following subfields, as described in Section 3:
$n – Container designation (R)
$o – Invalid or canceled container designation (R)
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