Summary and Setup
This Library Carpentry lesson introduces people working in library- and information-related roles to working with MARC data in MarcEdit. At the conclusion of the lesson you will understand what the MarcEdit software does and how to use the MarcEdit software to work with MARC data files.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, learners will be able to:
- Work with .mrk files in MarcEdit and convert between .mrc and .mrk files
- Use MarcEdit reporting functionality to get an overview of their data files and identify errors
- Use MarcEdit tools to apply basic edits to their data files
- Automate editing steps in MarcEdit by creating tasks and tasklists
Getting Ready
You need to install the latest version of MarcEdit and download a data file to follow this lesson. If you are using an older version of MarcEdit, it is recommended you upgrade to the latest version.
Downloading MarcEdit
MarcEdit is a free, open-source application. You can download MarcEdit from https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads. This lesson has been tested with the following versions: MarcEdit 7 (specifically 7.6.3 and 7.7.10) for Windows and MarcEdit 3 for MacOS. It should be highlighted that MarcEdit is frequently updated with minor changes. It is recommended that the latest version is used, but note that this may mean there are minor differences between the current version and the versions used to test this lesson.
Plug-Ins and Packages
Packages, along with associated system requirements, are available on https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads for Windows and MacOS.
Windows
System Requirements
- Operating system: Vista (32 & 64-bit) or greater
- RAM: 8MB minimum; 32 MB+ is recommended
- Disc space: 34 MB (setup); 15 MB (application)
- Windows .NET 4.7.2+ is required.
System requirements for MarcEdit 7/MarcEdit Windows https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads.
Determining if your system is 32 or 64-bit
In the Start menu, type in About to get About Your PC. In Device Specifications, the system type will tell you if it’s a 32 or 64-bit CPU.
Installing MarcEdit - Video
From the Downloads page, click on Windows Build Options. A pop-up window will appear with two choices: the Windows User Only Installation and the Consolidated Installation. The Windows User Only Installation should work for the majority of participants. If you will be using a communal computer, and expect MarcEdit to be used by a number of users on that machine, read through the “Windows Build Options” pop-up to decide the best installation option for you. You can also view this video tutorial for this type of advanced installation called the consolidated option.
Notes
- The Consolidated Installation for MarcEdit 7.5 for Windows is the only one installation option that currently supports 32-bit systems.
- If the installation is being done via distributed software or via a distribution client like Microsoft’s SCCM, refer to the packaging tool available on GitHub https://github.com/reeset/marcedit_package_builder.
- Instructions for system administrators have been provided. Also, information on managing MarcEdit installations is available https://marcedit.reeset.net/managing-marcedit-installations.
MAC
System Requirements
- Operating system: MacOS 10.10+
- RAM: 8MB minimum; 32 MB+ is recommended
- Disc space for MacOS: 60 MB (setup); 150 MB (installed)
- For MacOS, Installer, where all dependencies are packaged and installed, is required.
System requirements for MarcEdit 7/MarcEdit MacOS 3 https://marcedit.reeset.net/downloads.
Determining if your system is 32 or 64-bit
Select the About This Mac option in the Apple menu. On the About This Mac window, click the Systems Report below the information in the Overview. Click on Hardware. In the Hardware Overview in the top left column, you will see the processor name to determine if it’s a 32-bit or 64-bit CPU.
Running MarcEdit for the First Time: The Setup Wizard - Video
After downloading MarcEdit and once you launch the installation the first time, you will be asked to go through the setup wizard. This wizard will ask you to configure the default font, font size, and recommended theme. The wizard will then ask you to configure the MARC standard and file standard being used.
- Click on “Let’s get started”
- MarcEdit Appearance
- Default font: Select your preferred font
- Application font size: Select your preferred font size
- Recommended Theme: Select default
- MarcEdit Data Settings
- My MARC Format is: Select MARC21
- Default Recording Encoding: Select MARC21/UTF8
- Make sure “Enforce Unicode Normalization” is checked
- XML Processing Engine: Select Choose for me
Downloading the sample data file
- Click on this link
- Click on download button
- The marc sample file will be saved to your local computer
For this lesson, you need to download our sample file from the Library Carpentries MarcEdit GitHub repository. This MARC file follows the MARC21 standard and is encoded in UTF-8. The sample file comes from MARC 21 records downloaded from the Open Textbook Library and the University of Florida’s original catalog data. “Open Textbook Library records are in the public domain and available under a Creative Commons CC0 license.” Open Textbook Library. The book catalog in MARC 21 format from the University of Florida has been released in the public domain under a CC0 license. Creative Commons
Seeing file extensions
For this lesson, it will be helpful to be able to see file extensions.
Getting help
Installation video demonstrations are available for all users https://youtu.be/FX0r7jIxeN4.
If you encounter problems installing or running MarcEdit, a good source of support is the MarcEdit mailing list and user forum. You can also fill out the Help Form. Include your operating system when searching to find the most relevant answers for your issue.
You may also want to check the Videos or the MarcEdit Knowledge Base.
Updating MarcEdit
MarcEdit is continually being improved. Fixes and sometimes new functionality are released several times per year. There is no set schedule as to when an update is available. However, it is recommended to subscribe to the MarcEdit mailing list and user forum where information is posted on new updates and/or versions.