The International MARC Network and National Libraries

Abstract

The International MARC Network Committee of the Conference of Directors of National Libraries was established in 1975 to address issues of the international sharing and use of national bibliographic records and continues to advise the Conference and the IFLA-UBCIM Programme. Issues that it has covered include the exchange of MARC records on tape, directly on-line and most recently on CD-ROM, the maintenance and promotion of the UNIMARC format and the means of ensuring the MARC creator agencies a fair return on the high costs of record creation while allowing maximum use of records by bibliographic utilities, commercial database providers and individual libraries. Future issues to be addressed include the future of MARC formats and the relationship of the high costs of creation of bibliographic records to standards used.

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