MARC Field Special Guidelines

Guidelines and instructions for various MARC fields in the MoMA catalog.

541 Immediate Source of Acquisition Note &
561 Ownership and Custodial History

Two MARC21 fields are available for carrying donor and/or acquisition information: 541 Immediate Source of Acquisition and 561 Ownership and Custodial History. The 541 note is highly formatted with 9 primary subfields that accommodate detailed information: date, extent, method of acquisition, accession number, price, owner, address, name of source, and type of unit (not in that order). It is therefore useful for searching via keyword for those elements. By contrast, the 561 note has only 1 primary subfield and is typically a free text summary of provenance histories of works. Generally, we prefer the 541 for donor notes because it identifies the donor from whom we received the item and because it provides access to large amounts of important data. Its limitation, however, is that it presents the data in a fragmented way:

541 0# $3 5 diaries $n 25 $o cubic feet; $a Merriwether, Stuart; $b 458 Yonkers Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601; $c Purchase at auction; $d 1981/09/24; $e 81-325; $f Jonathan P. Merriwether Estate; $h $7,850.

Typically, we are asked to cite donors with some kind of expression of thanks rendered with a salutatory flourish such as "This item was made possible through the generosity of..." To retain this or any other particular phrasing, the 561 field must be used. However, in cases where the donor and donation is important enough to credit, it's usually worthwhile to make that information easily searchable, and thus included in a 541 note. While a 561 note by itself is acceptable, adding an additional 541 note is the preferred solution. Previously it was important to ensure the 561 appeared before the 541 in the Marc record itself so that it would display first in the online interface. With Alma, the specific order the fields are entered no longer matters.

Here’s an example of the two notes in the record for The Boothbay Peninsula environment presented in white-line color woodblock prints:

MARC

561 ##$3MoMA: $a copy donated through the generosity of Mary Spencer. $5NNMoMA

541 ##$3MoMA: $cgift; $aMary Spencer; $d2014. $5NNMoMA

Display (Primo VE)

Another example from the record for Aurea : revista de arte:

MARC

541 ##$3MoMA: $cGift; $aInternational Council of the Museum of Modern Art; $d2012. $5NNMoMA

561 ##$3MoMA: $aAcquistion made possible by a generous gift from the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art in honor of Margaret McDermott's 100th birthday, 2012. $5NNMoMA

Display (Primo VE)