Canadiana records via FTP

All catalogue records created by Library and Archives Canada for the national bibliography are available via file transfer through the MARC Records Distribution Service (MRDS). MAchine-Readable Catalogue (MARC) records contain bibliographic information in a standardized record format for use in computer systems. In Canada, the MARC 21 (formerly CAN/MARC and US MARC) communications format is the recognized standard for distributing bibliographic and other authority information in machine-readable form to libraries and other institutions.

The MARC Records Distribution Service makes MARC 21 files of bibliographic and authority records in Canadiana available to Canadian libraries through a variety of subscription options.

Files of Canadiana records for monographs, music and sound recordings, as well as name authority records, are available as separate subscription options from MRDS. MARC 21 records for Canadian serials are available as part of the MRDS CONSER (Cooperative ONline SERials) option. In addition to these subscription options, libraries can obtain specified catalogue records from MRDS through the Selected Records option and the Retrospective Cumulations option.

For further information, contact:

See also: Canadiana: The National Bibliography