Forwarding at the request of Asian and Middle Eastern Division Chief Jessalyn Zoom.
________________________________ From: Program for Cooperative Cataloging <pccl...@listserv.loc.gov> On Behalf Of Zoom, Jessalyn Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2025 2:03 PM To: pccl...@listserv.loc.gov Subject: [PCCLIST] Phased Implementation of Expansion of Non-Latin Script Input in Bibliographic and Authority Records Posting the announcement below on behalf of the Library of Congress. ** EXPANSION OF NON-LATIN SCRIPT INPUT IN BIBFRAME AND FOLIO (BIBLIOGRAPHIC AND AUTHORITY RECORDS) On June 30, 2025, the Library of Congress implemented FOLIO, an open-source Library Services Platform, as part of the larger Library Collection Access Platform (LCAP) project<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://newsroom.loc.gov/news/library-of-congress-launches-effort-to-transform-collections-management-and-access/s/c432d3c2-780b-4bfe-9123-bbb6c25631bc__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HZJmL9M1$ > to modernize the Library’s collections management and access systems. In spring 2025, after several years of comprehensive development and testing, the Library officially adopted BIBFRAME<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.loc.gov/bibframe/__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HXRoNrbw$ >, a linked data model that integrates bibliographic description into the broader web of data in the networked world. BIBFRAME is now in production, with data flow established between the Marva BIBFRAME Editor<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.loc.gov/bibframe/implementation/index.html__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HbtR_hPF$ > and the Library platforms, formerly Voyager and now FOLIO. With the broad Unicode support that both BIBFRAME and FOLIO offer, new opportunities have emerged to enhance the discoverability of the Library of Congress’ non-Latin script collections. The Library’s Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access (ABA) Directorate<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.loc.gov/aba/__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HaU7kZ3Q$ > has been actively developing best practices for non-Latin script input in bibliographic descriptions, with a greater emphasis on original scripts to enrich user access and experience. Until now, the Library’s use of non-Latin scripts has been limited to those within the MARC-8 repertoire of UTF-8: Japanese, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Hebrew, Yiddish (usually referred to as JACKPHY), Cyrillic, and Greek. In 2023, Armenian, Thai, and Mongolian were added for bibliographic description. In the NACO Authority File, the original script can also be included as a variant access point for a similar set of UTF-8 languages including JACKPHY, Cyrillic, and Greek. To prepare for the addition of more scripts, the Library of Congress has been conducting technical updates and internal testing. The Library is also coordinating with OCLC to ensure that records distributed to OCLC and shared with members are correctly rendered in their original script. This work will continue for each new language as script expansion is rolled out, ensuring the results come out as expected. As a part of this transition, the Library will discontinue the use of the 066 field in bibliographic records. The 066 field was important in the MARC-8 environment to indicate character sets in the MARC-8 environment. As the Library transitions to BIBFRAME and FOLIO, both of which are fully Unicode compliant, the 066 field is no longer needed. We are pleased to announce that beginning October 1, 2025, the Library of Congress will launch a phased rollout to expand non-Latin script input beyond the MARC-8 repertoire. The phased rollout will include both bibliographic and name authority records. Phase I (October 1, 2025 – spring 2026) Script input will begin for materials in the following languages: * Assamese, Bengali, Manipuri, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Pali (in Devanagari script), Sanskrit and Prakrit, Panjabi, Malayalam, Odia, Sinhalese, Tamil, Telugu, Sindhi, Hindi (and other Devanagari-based languages) * Burmese * Amharic, Tigrinya * Georgian * Kurdish * Tibetan Phase II (spring 2026 – fall 2026) * Divehi * Lao * Pulaar (Adlam) Phase III (fall 2026) * Kashmiri * Khmer, Balinese * N’ko To support this transition, ABA has developed “ScriptShifter<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/scriptshifter-test.knowledgetx.com/__;!!EDx7F7x-0XSOB8YS_BQ!eOKSLYlc1C5bjYumSJDwUbcXMMedALbvmkZjaFvYHjDpiWcRT16Er3eci_ZwrDhDtdshkpB2jtSC9UcuX9o$>,” an open-source transliteration tool designed to enhance workflow efficiency and accuracy. Over the past three years, ScriptShifter has been developed to transliterate non-Latin to Latin scripts, and vice-versa (where possible), following the ALA-LC Romanization Tables. ScriptShifter has been fully integrated into the Marva BIBFRAME Editor and FOLIO, streamlining cataloging workflows. While the tool has made significant progress, development work for transliteration of several other non-Latin languages is still ongoing. We express our deep appreciation to Library of Congress staff for their tireless efforts over the past several years to usher in this transformational change in bibliographic description. Institutional partners such as OCLC, along with dedicated individuals like you, have supported us in making this transition. These important advancements will greatly enhance discoverability and provide users a richer and more engaging experience. We look forward to a smooth transition and to continuing our collaboration to broaden and enrich access to the Library’s collections. This announcement is posted on the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate public site<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://loc.gov/aba/__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HVlZozkb$ >. Jessalyn Zoom Chief, Asian and Middle Eastern Division Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate Library of Congress 101 Independence Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20540 Email: j...@loc.gov<mailto:j...@loc.gov> Phone: 202-707-4264 [cid:image001.jpg@01DC2895.52A38AC0]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.loc.gov/__;!!KGKeukY!11Mv8nyuvco0NREiSw3fP8xZscw-HyjgJKw3Mzq8nbb-_17GtU2vTtzKSuY7KCpRmRsMFZyNiAHsxn2oRWn1HfKad3Xn$ >
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