Bib - Language of Cataloging
What is this?
The "language of cataloging" is stored in the MARC Bibliographic field 040 $b as a three-letter language code. This may or may not be the same language used in the resource; rather it is the language of record elements like "pages" and "online resource" and of notes like "Includes index." Many libraries aim to have all records in their catalog use the same language of cataloging (the language most common to their patrons).
When is this trouble?
Catalog record elements and notes in other languages that are displayed in the online catalog may be confusing for patrons.
If you use holdings associated with OCLC numbers as an indicator of how widely held books in your collection are, you might get misleading results using a foreign-language record.
If you participate in a shared print program with holdings based on OCLC numbers, you may end up committing to retain popular books if your copy is cataloged on a foreign-language record (and you may have to change that commitment if you update your record).
How to Find
If you are in Alma, there is an analysis to search for this issue in the "Looking for Trouble" folder. Go to the "Bibliographic" folder and look for the "Language of Cataloging" analysis. By default, the analysis looks for language of cataloging that is not English, but you can update the code filter to another language code if needed.
If you can search your MARC records by tag, search for records where 040 $b
has the wrong three-letter code. If you use English for language of cataloging,
you want to look for records where the code is something other than
eng; if there is no 040 $b that is also fine (English used to
be the default if this code was not set)