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Beyond Book Trailers: Using MARC 856 Fields for Other Online Promotional Media

In a previous blog post, we learned how catalogers could use MARC 856 fields to link cataloged books with book trailers (videos) summarizing their contents.  There are other digital media tools available that could be linked in 856 fields to promote cataloged books, such as:

  • Podcasts;
  • Readalouds;
  • Blogs;
  • Video Blogs (Vlogs);
  • Video Book Reviews;
  • Videos showcasing children's library craft activities related to specific books.
Librarians use podcasts, blogs, video blogs (vlogs), and video book reviews to discuss library-related topics, including what they (or their book groups) are currently reading.  Podcasts may be audio- or video-recordings, while vlogs and video book reviews are filmed.  Blogs are traditionally online written content.  Podcasts, vlogs, and video book reviews may be done by a single librarian, or they may involve paired conversations or even group discussions.  Written blogs may have one or more authors.  URLs linking any of these types of electronic content may be placed in a MARC 856 field.

Here are a few examples: 

The URLs for media content addressing a specific book may be copied and pasted into the book's MARC 856 field, as we previously discussed.

Catalogs, of course, contain more than just books, and video technologies are sometimes used to promote these resources.  Say your catalog has board games, telescopes, baking pans, or similar objects available for patrons to checkout?  You might have a promo trailer (video) explaining the content, which could be included in an 856.  For instance, Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library made this infomercial (below) about its "beyond books" collections, and a promo trailer (further below) about its circulating portable recharging units.


Click Videos (Above & Below) to Play



If your catalog has music CDs or music scores available to checkout, there may be online digital versions of the songs available to link to an 856.  Again, Mooresville (Indiana) Public Library provides an example linked to its catalog entry (see screenshot below--click image to enlarge).
 


Why place links in the catalog to these types of digital content?  They promote the materials, and patrons enjoy having a quick and easy link to follow to see or hear promotional information.  What could be quicker than clicking a link to jump from an OPAC catalog entry to its online promotional content?
 

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