What is the required punctuation and style in the 670 field?
There is no required punctuation and style in the 670 field. There is some prescribed content (per the MARC 21 Authority Format) and some suggested punctuation (see no. 2-4 of this FAQ). Page 2 of the 670 section of the LC Descriptive Cataloging Manual (DCM) Z1 supplement to the MARC 21 Authority Format states” “conventions in regard to punctuation and style, unless a specific direction is given … are not prescriptive … Punctuation and style need not be consistent from record to record as long as the information is clear and accurate.” The NACO Participants’ Manual (NMP), in the section on Introduction and Basic Format, states: “As of the 1996 revision of the DCM Z1 ‘style and punctuation’ are not prescribed.” For historical purposes and because catalogers will continue to find NARs in the authority file which contain “old style” citations, the NPM and the DCM show varied examples. Note: DCM Z1 does ask catalogers to give the abbreviated forms of names of months when giving dates i
