Publication Templates
Defining the UNIMARC cataloguing fields used by AdvanceCAT for each Publication Type
EasyCAT vs AdvanceCAT
Papyrus Cloud provides multiple cataloguing tools suited to different levels of complexity and staff expertise. Publication Templates are relevant only to AdvanceCAT — the other cataloguing tools use a fixed layout.
UNIMARC Explained
Papyrus Cloud stores bibliographic data in the UNIMARC (Universal MARC) format — a widely used international library cataloguing standard. UNIMARC organises bibliographic information into numbered fields (also called tags), each covering a different aspect of the item's description. Within each field, individual pieces of data are stored in lettered subfields (also called items).
In Papyrus Cloud, a MARC reference is always written as a field number combined with a subfield letter, for example:
| MARC reference | Field | Subfield | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 010,a | 010 — ISBN | a | The ISBN number of the item |
| 200,a | 200 — Title | a | The title proper (main title) |
| 200,f | 200 — Title | f | Author name (as part of the title statement) |
| 210,c | 210 — Publication | c | Name of publisher |
| 700,a | 700 — Personal author | a | Author surname (in capitals) |
| 676,b | 676 — Dewey classification | b | Dewey Decimal class number |
A Publication Template is simply a list of these MARC field/subfield pairs that the cataloguer will fill in for items of that Publication Type when using AdvanceCAT.
The Templates Screen
The screen has two main controls at the top and a template grid below.
The Publication Type drop-down selects which type's template to view and edit. The same template grid updates to show the fields configured for that type. Each Publication Type has its own independent template.
The MARC Code drop-down lists all available UNIMARC field/subfield pairs that can be added to a template. This is the full list of fields the system supports — over 130 individual subfield references covering identifiers, titles, authorship, publication data, physical description, series, notes, subjects, classification, and holdings. Selecting a code and clicking Add appends it to the current template.
The Add the Default Template button populates the current Publication Type's template with the standard set of fields used for most book-like items. This is a good starting point before customising for specialist material types.
The Print button produces a printed summary of the template for the selected Publication Type.
Fiction Template — Live Example
Below is the actual Publication Template configured for Fiction (01) in the sample library. It shows 24 UNIMARC fields that will appear as data entry fields in AdvanceCAT when cataloguing a fiction book. Note the two fields with pre-set default values: language defaults to eng and the media term code defaults to [NF].
| MARC | Item | Description | Compulsory | Default value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identifiers | ||||
| 010 | a | ISBN | ☐ | — |
| 101 | a | Language of text | ☐ | eng |
| Title & authorship | ||||
| 200 | a | Title Proper | ☐ | — |
| 200 | e | Sub Title | ☐ | — |
| 200 | f | Author | ☐ | — |
| 200 | g | Other Authors | ☐ | — |
| 204 | a | Media Term Code | ☐ | [NF] |
| Edition & publication | ||||
| 205 | a | Edition statement | ☐ | — |
| 210 | a | Place of publication | ☐ | — |
| 210 | c | Name of publisher | ☐ | — |
| 210 | d | Date of publication (YYYY) | ☐ | — |
| Physical description | ||||
| 215 | a | Extent of item (pages, etc.) | ☐ | — |
| 215 | e | Accompanying material | ☐ | — |
| Series | ||||
| 225 | a | Title proper of series | ☐ | — |
| 225 | v | Volume numbering within series | ☐ | — |
| Notes | ||||
| 300 | a | Text of notes (Abstract) | ☐ | — |
| 500 | j | Uniform title | ☐ | — |
| Subject access | ||||
| 600 | a | Subject | ☐ | — |
| 676 | b | Dewey Class number | ☐ | — |
| Personal authorship (access points) | ||||
| 700 | a | Author Surname (in caps) | ☐ | — |
| 700 | b | First Part of Author Name | ☐ | — |
| 701 | a | Main entry element (joint author surname) | ☐ | — |
| 701 | b | Part other than entry element (joint author) | ☐ | — |
| 702 | a | Main entry element (editor/compiler surname) | ☐ | — |
— = blank (no default value). The cataloguer types the value when cataloguing each item. The two pre-set defaults mean every new Fiction item starts with English as the language and [NF] as the media term code — these can be overridden when cataloguing if needed.
Template Grid Columns
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| MARC | The three-digit UNIMARC field number. Each number corresponds to a specific bibliographic category — 010 for ISBN, 200 for title and authorship, 210 for publication details, 700 for personal author access points, and so on. |
| Item | The single-letter subfield code within the MARC field. Multiple rows in the template can share the same MARC number but with different subfield letters — for example, 200,a (title), 200,e (subtitle), 200,f (author), and 200,g (other authors) are four separate subfields of field 200. |
| Description | The human-readable name of this MARC subfield — the label that appears next to the data entry box in AdvanceCAT. This is set by the system and corresponds to the standard UNIMARC definition. |
| Compulsory | A checkbox flag. When ticked, AdvanceCAT will require the cataloguer to enter a value in this field before the record can be saved. Use sparingly — only for fields that must always be populated for this material type, such as Title Proper. |
| Default Value | An optional pre-filled value that appears in the field when a new item is catalogued. The cataloguer can change it if needed, or leave it as-is to accept the default. Used in the Fiction template for 101,a (Language = eng) and 204,a (Media Term Code = [NF]). |
Each row has Edit and Delete links. Edit opens the row inline to allow the Compulsory flag or Default Value to be changed. Delete removes the field from this template — it does not delete the data already stored in existing catalogue records.
Adding MARC Fields to a Template
To add a field to the current template, select the Publication Type, choose the desired MARC field/subfield from the MARC Code drop-down, and click Add. The field appears at the bottom of the template grid. Fields can then be edited to set Compulsory and Default Value.
For an Ebooks or Serials publication type you might want to capture the ISSN (field 011,a) rather than the ISBN (010,a). Simply add 011,a — Valid ISSN to that type's template. For a periodical type you might also add 207,a — Date/Volume designation and 304,a — Frequency, which would be irrelevant for a fiction book template.
Add the Default Template
The Add the Default Template button populates the selected Publication Type's template with the standard set of bibliographic fields used for book-like items. This is the same set as the Fiction template shown above — the 24 fields covering ISBN, language, title, author, edition, publication details, physical description, series, notes, subjects, Dewey classification, and personal authorship access points.
Using this button is the recommended starting point when setting up a template for a new Publication Type. Once the default fields are in place, you can add additional fields specific to that material type, delete fields that are not relevant, set Compulsory flags, and add Default Values to suit your cataloguing workflow.
UNIMARC Field Groups
The MARC Code drop-down contains over 130 subfield references. Here is a summary of the available field groups, which may help when deciding which fields to include in a template for a specialist material type:
Planning Your Templates
A well-designed template balances completeness against simplicity — too few fields and important metadata is lost; too many and the cataloguing form becomes unwieldy.
| Guideline | Detail |
|---|---|
| Start with the default | Use Add the Default Template as a starting point for any book-like type, then add or remove fields to suit the material. This is faster than building from scratch. |
| Match fields to material type | Board games and equipment don't need ISBN or series fields. Periodicals need ISSN and frequency but not edition statement. Tailor each template to what cataloguers actually need to record for that type. |
| Use Default Values for constants | If all items of a type share a field value — such as language, media type code, or library code — set it as a default to save cataloguers from typing it every time. They can still override it when cataloguing. |
| Use Compulsory sparingly | Only mark a field as Compulsory if the library genuinely cannot function without that data. Over-marking fields as compulsory frustrates cataloguers and slows data entry. |
| Keep templates consistent | Where the same field is used across multiple Publication Types (such as Title Proper 200,a), include it in all relevant templates to ensure consistent data across the catalogue. |
| EasyCAT users don't need templates | If your library uses EasyCAT for all cataloguing, templates can be left unconfigured — they have no effect on EasyCAT's fixed field layout. |