Library of Congress Online Catalog Download Guide for Windows

This document contains instructions for downloading MARC records from the Library of Congress catalog Web site. This is a service that does not require any special software, such as Z39.50. After you download the MARC records, you can import the records into your local library automation system. These instructions are suitable for either the Microsoft Internet Explorer or the Netscape Navigator browser. Create a folder for your downloaded records. Create a folder on your computer or network to save records in.

Instructions:

1. Go to http://www.loc.gov/catalog in your browser.


2. If this is your first time at this Web site, you should read this page for general information about the site, and then click Use the Online Catalog.


3. The Online Catalog home page appears: http://catalog.loc.gov.

Note: For more information about searching the LC files, click the Searching Help button.

Note: You can also search catalogs from around the world using the Search Other Libraries’ Catalogs button. These Web sites provide screen displays of MARC records but may not provide MARC records in downloadable form.


4. You have several options for searching the catalog database. To search by subject, author, title, or call number, click on the Subject-Name-Title-Call# button.


5. Bookmark this page for future searches.


6. To search for a title, under Search by, click Title. Under Enter search in box,type the title of the record you want to search for (omitting initial articles such as A, An or The), and then press Enter or click Search.


7. If your search finds more than one item, or ‘hit,’ you will see a table listing the items that were found.

Note: You can download multiple records by selecting the check box to the left of each record you want to save. Under Output for Record(s) on This Screen, under Which Records?, select MARKED-this screen. Under Which Format?, select MARC (save only). Then click Print or Save Search Results. This will save all of the records that are checked. After doing this, proceed to step 10.


8. To view the detailed record, click the contents of the Title, Name, Full Title,or Date for that record.This view shows the Brief Record. You can click the Full Record tab to see more complete information to determine whether this record matches your material.


9. To start the download process, under Which Format?, select MARC (save only),and then click Print or Save Search Results.


10. Depending on how your computer is set up, you see one of the following:


• A Save As box. In this case, go to step 11.
A message asking whether you want to open the current file or save it to disk.
In this case, choose Save it to Disk.


• Then a new screen on your browser that looks like a long string of numbers and letters appears.

This is the actual MARC record. (example shown below – you will only see the beginning of this long string of numbers and letters).

01523cam22003494a450000100090000000500170000900800410002690600450006792500440
011295502630015601000170041902000400043604000180047604200140049405000230050808200
17005311000045005482450066005932600044006593000031007034400023007345200115007576500
03400872650003900906650003500945650001300980650001800993650001401011650003401025700
002401059963009001083

Now, go to the File menu and click Save As.

11. In the Save in box, click the arrow next to the box and choose the location of the folder you created in Step 1.


12. In the box below the Save in box, double-click the folder you named.


13. In the Save as type box, if you are using Netscape Navigator, select All Files (*.*). If you are using Internet Explorer, select Text Files (*.txt).


14. In the File name box, type the name you want to use for the file. You have two
    basic options here: Give the file a simple numerical name, such as ‘1’for the first
    record, ‘2’ for the second, and save as a text file: .txt if using Explorer OR name the file something related to the title and, again, be sure to save as a text file in Explorer.


15. Once you have chosen the location, name, and type of the file, click Save.


16. To download more records, click the Back button until you come to the search page and then repeat steps 6 – 15 for each title you want to search.


17. When you have downloaded all the records you want, you can exit your browser and import the records into your library automation system or cataloging program.

be careful about re-importing Library of Congress records that you have already imported. To avoid re-combining and re-importing existing records, after you import downloaded records into your library automation system and you are sure the records have been imported successfully, you should delete the files from the folder you are saving them in.

Library of Congress records have various 9XX fields in them that contain internal
Library ofCongress holdings information. It is a good idea to remove these fields
using you cataloging program if your program does not do it for you.


Thank you again, Beverly!