ODLIS — Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science by Joan M. Reitz Now available in print! Order a copy of the hardcover or paperback from Libraries Unlimited.

M

Mac

See: Macintosh.

machine-aided indexing

A method of indexing in which a computer is programmed to select possible descriptors from a thesaurus of preferred terms based on the analysis of words and phrases appearing in the title and/or text of a work. Each suggestion is evaluated by a human indexer and either accepted or rejected. The indexer is also free to select additional authorized terms for indexing. Compare with automatic indexing.

Machine-Assisted Reference Section (MARS)

The section of the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) within the American Library Association (ALA) representing librarians actively engaged in the electronic delivery of reference services or who have an interest in issues concerning digital reference. MARS publishes an annual annotated list of Best Free Reference Web Sites. Click here to connect to the MARS homepage.

machine-readable

Data in a form that can be recognized, accepted, and interpreted by a machine, such as a computer or other data processing device, whether created in such a form or converted from a format that a machine cannot read. Usually refers to digital information stored on hard disk, floppy disk, or magnetic tape. Compare with human-readable. See also: Machine-Readable Cataloging.

Machine-Readable Cataloging (MARC)

An international standard digital format for the description of bibliographic items developed by the Library of Congress during the 1960s to facilitate the creation and dissemination of computerized cataloging from library to library within the same country and between countries. By 1971, the MARC format had become the national standard for dissemination of bibliographic data and by 1973, an international standard.

There are several versions of MARC in use in the world, the most predominant being MARC 21, created in 1999 as a result of the harmonization of U.S. and Canadian MARC formats; UKMARC, used primarily in the United Kingdom; and UNIMARC, widely used in Europe. The MARC 21 family of standards now includes formats for authority records, holdings records, classification schedules, and community information, in addition to formats for the bibliographic record.

Widespread use of the MARC standard has helped libraries acquire predictable and reliable cataloging data, make use of commercially available library automation systems, share bibliographic resources, avoid duplication of effort, and ensure that bibliographic data will be compatible when one automation system is replaced by another.

The MARC record has three components:

Record structure - an implementation of national and international standards, such as the Information Interchange Format ANSI Z39.2 and Format for Information Exchange ISO 2709

Content designation - codes and conventions that explicitly identify and characterize the data elements within a record to facilitate the manipulation of data, defined in the MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data and other MARC 21 formats maintained by the Library of Congress

Data Content - defined by external standards such as AACR2, Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), etc.

The MARC record is divided into fields, each containing one or more related elements of bibliographic description. A field is identified by a three-digit tag designating the nature of its content. Tags are organized as follows in hundreds, indicating a group of tags, with XX in the range of 00-99:

0XX fields - Control information, numbers, codes

1XX fields - Main entry

2XX fields - Titles, edition, imprint

3XX fields - Physical description, etc.

4XX fields - Series statements (as shown in item)

5XX fields - Notes

6XX fields - Subject added entries

7XX fields - Added entries other than subject or series

8XX fields - Series added entries (other authoritative forms)

Click here to see an example of a MARC record and here to connect to the MARC Standards homepage maintained by the Network Development and MARC Standards Office of the Library of Congress. See also: Avram, Henriette D.; MARCese; MARCIVE; MARCXML; and USMARC.

machine-readable data file (MRDF)

Information stored in a form that can be used directly as computer input, without conversion from a format that is not machine-readable, for example, bibliographic records in MARC format as opposed to printed catalog cards. Storage medium varies (magnetic tape, magnetic disk, etc.). See also: electronic resource.

machine-readable records

In archives, records created and maintained in a medium that requires some kind of machine to access their content (microforms, sound recordings, videorecordings, magnetic tape and disks, optical disks, etc.). Compare with electronic records. See also: machine-readable data file.

Macintosh

The family of computers introduced by Apple in 1984 that popularized the graphical user interface (GUI), setting a precedent for the design of user-friendly graphical applications and operating systems that other software companies like Microsoft were quick to follow. Although Apple commands only 5 percent of the market for desktop computers, the company produces the largest series of non-IBM-compatible personal computers. "Macs" remain popular in desktop publishing and graphic design because of the usability of the interface. In libraries, Macs are used mainly in the children's room and curriculum room. Click here to connect to the Apple Web site. See also: UNIX and Windows.

macro

In computing, a method of customizing user input in which a series of recorded keystrokes, commands, or menu options is assigned a brief name or key combination (usually Ctrl or Alt plus a specific character) to enable the user to execute a predetermined sequence of steps quickly by simply typing the name or key combination. Also called keyboard macro.

macroform

A general term for any storage medium bearing text and/or images large enough to be easily read without the aid of magnification. Macroforms can be transparent (example: overhead transparencies) or opaque (photocopies). Compare with microform.

macrophotograph

A photograph of unusually large proportions in which objects are shown life-size or larger. The opposite, in this sense, of microphotograph. Also, a photograph that enlarges a small object, often taken through a microscope, revealing details not visible to the unaided eye. Click here to see a biological example.

made-up copy

A copy of a book assembled from parts taken from one or more defective copies of the same edition, or a copy in which imperfections are corrected by adding or substituting parts taken from other copies of the same edition. In the antiquarian book trade, the practice is not considered unethical as long as the manner in which the volume is composed is revealed rather than concealed.

MAES

See: Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation Section.

magazine

A popular interest periodical usually containing articles on a variety of topics, written by various authors in a nonscholarly style. Most magazines are heavily illustrated, contain advertising, and are printed on glossy paper. Articles are usually short (less than five pages long), frequently unsigned, and do not include a bibliography or list of references for further reading. Most magazines are issued monthly or weekly for sale at newsstands, in bookstores, and by subscription. Click here to explore magazines published for women in Victorian England (British Library) and here to see an 1862 issue of the British humor magazine Punch. A selection of recommended English-language magazines is listed by subject in Magazines for Libraries, published by R.R. Bowker. For a directory of magazine Web sites, try NewsLink. Abbreviated mag. Compare with journal and journal of commentary. See also: children's magazine, electronic magazine, general interest magazine, hybrid journal, newsmagazine, special interest magazine, women's magazine, and zine.

Also refers to a rectangular slotted container designed to hold a sequence of slides, queued for use in a slide projector. Compare with carousel.

magazine pagination

Numbering the pages of a periodical, starting with one at the beginning of each issue. Magazines and trade journals are usually paginated in this way, making it more difficult to locate a specific article in a bound volume by page number, than in a publication that uses journal pagination.

Magazines for Libraries (MFL)

Published irregularly since 1969 by R.R. Bowker, MFL is a subject list (with title index) of over 8,000 English-language periodicals, selected by the editors from over 170,000 possibilities as the most useful for the average public, academic, government, school, or special library. Coverage includes general interest magazines, research journals, trade journals, zines, and children's periodicals. Each entry includes a basic bibliographic description; an annotation explaining the purpose, scope, and audience of the publication; and a brief evaluation. Libraries usually place this collection development tool on standing order and shelve it in the reference section. ISSN: 0000-0914.

MAGERT

See: Map and Geography Round Table.

magnetic declination

See: declination.

magnetic disk

A rewritable computer storage medium consisting of a revolving platter on which digital data is encoded as tiny magnetic spots arranged in tracks. Data is read by a mechanical arm designed to move a read-write head across the surface of the platter. Usually encased in a rigid, protective case, a magnetic disk can be either fixed (hard disk) or removable (floppy disk, Zip disk, etc.). Compare with optical disk.

magnetic sound track

See: sound track.

magnetic strip

A thin magnetized strip of plastic firmly affixed to a book or other bibliographic item at the time it is processed, which can be set to trigger a security alarm whenever someone attempts to remove the item from the library without checking it out (see this example, courtesy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Synonymous with magnetic detection strip, security strip, and tattle-tape. See also: desensitization.

magnetic stripe

In a composite print of a motion picture, the thin coating of magnetic oxide capable of carrying the sound track, applied in a narrow band along the film edge and on some films to the opposite edge as a balance stripe when the film is wound on a reel or core. Also used synonymously with data strip. Abbreviated magstripe.

magnetic tape

An electronic storage medium consisting of a thin strip of flexible plastic to which a metallic coating is applied that can be selectively magnetized to record information sequentially in linear or helical tracks. Magnetic tape is mounted on open reels or in cartridges. To retrieve a specific record or file on tape, all the records (or partitions) preceding it must be sequentially searched. Magnetic disk storage is faster because it allows data to be accessed randomly. For this reason, data in current use is usually stored on disk, but tape is often used for archival storage because it is more economical and has greater capacity. Click here to learn more about how tape recorders work, courtesy of HowStuffWorks.

magnifier

An instrument designed to enlarge text or image. Originally, a hand-held glass or plastic lens used by the reader to make the small type on a printed page easier to read by enlarging it. To see examples, try a search on the keyword "magnifier" in Google Image Search. Synonymous in this sense with magnifying glass and magnifying lens.

In computing, a display utility designed to enlarge an area of a computer screen, used by the visually impaired, graphic artists, Web designers, etc. Most screen magnifiers are Windows compliant and can be resized (sometimes with an adjustable zoom factor) and positioned anywhere on the screen. Some allow for replacement of problem colors and even have audio read capability (click here to see an example). Simple magnifiers are available as freeware (see this example).

magnum opus

Latin for "great work." A literary or artistic work considered by discerning critics to be of major importance, usually the crowning achievement of its author, composer, or creator (example: Ulysses by James Joyce). Not all authors and artists produce a work that is considered superior to their others (William Shakespeare). The opposite of opuscule. Compare with masterpiece.

mailing list

An e-mail discussion forum that allows individuals to subscribe and automatically receive messages posted to the list by other subscribers. Participants may also post their own messages and replies for distribution to the other subscribers to the list. A mailing list may be moderated or unmoderated. Tile.Net/Lists is a comprehensive general directory of e-mail discussion groups. Synonymous with electronic discussion list. Compare with bulletin board system and distribution list. See also: LISTSERV, lurk, Majordomo, and netiquette.

main class

One of the highest-level divisions of a classification system. In Library of Congress Classification (LCC), the 20 major classes are indicated by letters of the English alphabet:

A - General works	M - Music
B - Philosophy, psychology, religion	N - Fine arts
C - Auxiliary sciences of history (archaeology, genealogy, etc.)	P - Language and literature
D - History (except America)	Q - Science
E-F - History: America and United States	R - Medicine
G - Geography and anthropology	S - Agriculture
H - Social sciences	T - Technology and engineering
J - Political science	U - Military science
K - Law	V - Naval science
L - Education	Z - History of books, library science, bibliography

In Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC), the 10 main classes are indicated by the arabic numerals 0-9 in the first digit of the notation:

000 - Generalities	500 - Natural sciences and mathematics
100 - Philosophy, parapsychology and occultism, psychology	600 - Technology (applied sciences)
200 - Religion	700 - Arts (fine and decorative arts)
300 - Social sciences	800 - Literature (belles-lettres) and rhetoric
400 - Language	900 - Geography, history, and auxiliary disciplines

See also: division and section.

main entry

The entry in a library catalog that provides the fullest description of a bibliographic item, by which the work is to be uniformly identified and cited. In AACR2, the main entry is the primary access point. In the card catalog, it includes all the secondary headings under which the item is cataloged (called added entries). For most items, main entry is under name of author. When there is no author, main entry is under title.

mainframe

A large computer system capable of supporting many terminals that do not have independent processing capability, used to run complex applications that require a considerable amount of computing power. Mainframes are classified by size (small, medium, and large). Compare with microcomputer, minicomputer, and supercomputer.

main heading

In pre-coordinate indexing, the first part of a composite heading divided by at least one subheading, usually separated from the first subheading by a dash or other mark of punctuation. In the Library of Congress subject heading Information science--Research--Methodology, the term Information science is the main heading and Research and Methodology are subheadings. See also: subdivision.

main library

See: central library.

main map

A map that is supplemented or augmented by the inclusion of one or more smaller maps inset within the neat line and/or ancillary maps placed in the margin or elsewhere on the sheet. Click here to see a 19th-century German chart of the southern China coast that includes both an ancillary map and an inset map (Library of Congress) and here to see an early 20th-century map of Japan with an inset of Formosa and the Lu-Chu Islands (Perry-Castañeda Library). In library cataloging, the presence of an inset or ancillary map is noted in the bibliographic record describing the main map. See also: location map.

main schedule

The list of classes used by a cataloger or indexer, individually or in combination, to classify documents by subject under the rules of a given classification system, arranged in the order of their symbolic notation. In a hierarchical classification system, the logical divisions, subdivisions, etc., of the main classes are displayed. Compare with auxiliary schedule.

maintenance contract

A formal agreement in which an outside company agrees to check designated equipment on a regular basis after any warranty has expired and to maintain it in good working order, including major repairs as needed, in exchange for payment of a monthly or annual fee, an arrangement common in libraries that own their own photocopiers, reader-printer machines, computer equipment, etc.

Also refers to an agreement with an outside company to clean and maintain a library facility on a regular basis in exchange for payment of a monthly or annual fee. Some libraries and library systems hire their own maintenance personnel or use the services provided by the parent organization.

major descriptor

A descriptor or identifier in an index entry or bibliographic record representing a main focus or subject of the document indexed, usually indicated by an asterisk or other symbol or distinguished typographically. Minor descriptors and identifiers representing less significant aspects of the content are left unmarked.

Majordomo

An Internet mailing list program designed to run on the UNIX operating system. Compare with LISTSERV.

Major Orchestra Librarians' Association (MOLA)

Founded in 1983 by representatives of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra, MOLA is an international organization devoted to improving communication among performance librarians and helping them provide better service to their orchestras. The association also presents a unified voice in relations with music publishers. Its membership includes over 170 libraries associated with orchestras, opera and ballet companies, military bands, and music conservatories. MOLA publishes the quarterly newsletter Marcato and hosts the MOLAList electronic mailing list. Click here to connect to the MOLA homepage. See also: Music Library Association.

majuscule

A script in which the letters are of uniform height, as in modern uppercase. Majuscule is a bilinear script because all the letterforms are bounded by two imaginary horizontal lines. Examples include the square capitals and rustic capitals of Antiquity, and the uncial script used in the early Christian period for writing manuscripts in Greek and Latin, as distinct from the minuscule adopted as a book hand in the 8th century during the reign of Charlemagne. See also: Insular majuscule.

makeready

The process of preparing the printing press for a press run, including adjustment of the forme or plates to produce a uniform impression.

make-up

In letterpress printing, the process of removing type from the galleys and arranging it in page format, including the positioning of text, illustrations, notes, and running heads in accordance with the typographer's layout, done by a worker known as a compositor. Also spelled makeup. See also: remake.

Also refers to a list of the contents of a book in the order in which they are to be bound, provided by the publisher to the binder to ensure that any plates or other additions not printed with the text are included in correct sequence.

MAN

See: metropolitan area network.

managed book

A book on a topic chosen by the publisher, who controls and directs every aspect of its creation. If a paid staff writer or freelancer is used for the text, the structure of the work is usually based on an outline provided by the publisher. In books with a preponderance of pictorial content, the name of the author or editor may not be given on the title page. Compare with packaged book.

management information system (MIS)

A computer-based information system developed and maintained by a commercial enterprise to integrate data from all its departments (product development, production and inventory, marketing and sales, personnel administration, etc.) to support managerial and supervisory decision-making with real time analysis. MIS systems are designed to track progress toward achievement of a company's goals and objectives and to aid in identifying problems or obstacles that must be resolved or removed by upper-level management. In the plural, the term refers to the study and teaching of such systems. Courses on MIS are offered as a major by some business schools in the United States.

mandatory (M)

In OCLC documentation, a field or subfield of the MARC record in which data must be entered to meet OCLC input standards for a given encoding level. Compare with optional and required if applicable and readily available.

mandatory retirement

See: compulsory retirement.

mandatory rights

See: compulsory rights.

mandorla

A decorative motif in the shape of a pointed oval, used in bookbinding, usually as a centerpiece. Click here to see it used on the cover of a 13th-century French Gospel book (Schøyen Collection, MS 4613) and here on a 19th-century binding by John Leighton (British Library). In medieval manuscript illumination, an almond-shaped aureole painted around the head or body of a deity or holy person (or group of holy figures), often ornamented with gilding. See this example in an 11th-century Ottonian sacramentary (Getty Museum, MS Ludwig V 2) and this example in a 13th-century German liturgical book (British Library, Arundel 156).

manicula

See: fist.

manifestation

As defined in FRBR (Functional Requirements for Bibliographic Records), the result of a single act of physical embodiment/production of a specific expression of a creative work, for example, an edition of one of the variant texts of a literary work (1993 Yale University Press edition of Hamlet) or a recording of a specific performance of a musical work (1998 recording of West Side Story released by Sony/Columbia on compact disc). A manifestation consists of all the physical objects (items) possessing the same characteristics with respect to intellectual/artistic content and physical form, in most instances a set of multiple copies produced for commercial distribution. However, for some expressions there may be only a single exemplar, as in the case of an archival oral history recording, an author's manuscript, or a one-of-a-kind artist's book.

manifesto

A public declaration, in speech or writing, of beliefs, motives, plans, and/or intentions, made by an individual, group, organization, or government (example: Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler).

manila

A thick, durable buff-colored paper, originally manufactured from Manila hemp fiber, used mainly for file folders, mailing envelopes, and cards. Also spelled manilla.

Mansell

See: National Union Catalog (NUC).

manual

A book of compact size, especially one describing in considerable detail the government of a state or the structure and functions of a government agency (example: The United States Government Manual published annually by the U.S. Government Printing Office).

Also refers to a book or pamphlet containing practical instructions, rules, or steps for performing a task or operation, assembling a manufactured object, or using a system or piece of equipment (example: Manual of Archival Description published by Gower). Used synonymously with handbook. See also: style manual.

Also, any operation or procedure done by hand rather than by machine, such as the physical processing of a book or other bibliographic item done in a library to prepare the item for circulation or other use.

manufacturer

In library cataloging, the agency responsible for actually making a bibliographic item. In the case of books and other printed publications, the printer is the manufacturer. Compare with producer.

manuscript

From the Latin phrase codex manu scriptus. Strictly speaking, a work of any kind (text, inscription, music score, map, etc.) written entirely by hand. A medieval manuscript is one written in Europe prior to the invention of printing from movable type in about 1450 (click here to see an example). Also refers to the handwritten or typescript copy of an author's work as submitted for publication, before printing. In the United States, bibliographic control of manuscript collections is provided by the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC), a cooperative cataloging program of the Library of Congress. In AACR2, manuscripts are cataloged under the rules for printed books.

The Schøyen Collection is a large private manuscript collection (Oslo and London). Illuminated manuscripts can be seen in the online exhibitions Leaves of Gold (Philadelphia area museums and libraries) and Treasures of a Lost Art (Cleveland Art Museum). See also the Medieval Manuscript Manual (Central European University, Budapest) and The Making of a Medieval Book (Getty Museum). Abbreviated ms. and mss. in the plural. See also: manuscript book, manuscript map, and Manuscript Society, The.

manuscript book

A book written entirely by hand, particularly one produced prior to the invention of printing from movable type, usually copied by medieval monks or scribes on leaves of parchment or vellum, bound in leather-covered wooden boards. Medieval manuscript books were often rubricated, illuminated, and/or embellished with miniatures. For examples, see the online exhibitions Leaves of Gold, courtesy of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Celebrating the Liturgy's Books, courtesy of the libraries of New York City.

manuscript map

A map on any scale produced entirely by hand, rather than by printing or some other mechanized process. Old and rare examples may be aesthetically pleasing and of considerable value to collectors. Click here to see a manuscript map of Manhattan and environs, done on vellum in pen and ink and watercolor wash in 1639 when the island was a Dutch settlement (Library of Congress) and here to see an 18th-century map opf Maryland and Delaware (University of Delaware Library). See also: mappa mundi, portolan, and sketch map.

Manuscript Society, The

Founded in 1948 as the National Society of Autograph Collectors, the Manuscript Society has since grown to a membership of over 1,800 scholars, authors, dealers, private collectors, librarians, archivists, and curators. Its membership also includes historical societies, museums, special libraries, and academic libraries with manuscript collections. The Society publishes the quarterly journal Manuscripts and the newsletter Manuscript Society News. Click here to connect to the homepage of The Manuscript Society.

Manutius, Aldus (1450-1515)

The latinized name of Teobaldo Manucci (also known as Aldo Manuzio), the humanist scholar of the Italian Renaissance who established the Adline Press in Venice to print editions of the Greek and Latin classics. During his 20 years at Aldine, he also published grammars, religious works, contemporary secular texts, popular works, political and scientific treatises, history, and geography. He commissioned the sloping type now known as italic and a roman typeface that influenced Garamont and its successors. Click here to see the anchor and dolphin imprint of the Aldine Press. Click here and here to view typographic exemplars of his work (Cary Collection, Rochester Institute of Technology). Click here to view an online exhibition devoted to his legacy (Brigham Young University Library) and here to view selected pages from the Aldine edition of Dante's Divine Comedy, published in 1502. The Aldine edition of Virgil published in 1501 pioneered the use of italic type (John Rylands Library).

map

Any two-dimensional graphic representation of the physical features (natural or man-made) of all or a portion of the surface of the earth or another celestial body, the heavens, or an imaginary geographic area, normally done to scale on a flat medium using a specified projection, with an indication of orientation, but increasingly in digital form. Early maps were drawn on parchment stored in rolls. In modern libraries, maps are usually stored flat or folded in a specially designed map case with wide, shallow drawers. Maps are also included as inserts or pocket parts in books and periodicals. As illustrations, they may be printed as plates with the text or on the endpapers. An atlas is a book consisting almost entirely of maps, with the content usually indexed in a gazetteer at the end. The largest mapping agency in the United States is the U.S. Geological Survey. Click here to connect to a historical map collection available online, courtesy of the American Memory project at the Library of Congress. Other examples can be seen by browsing the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (University of Texas at Austin) and the online exhibitions provided by the Osher Map Library, University of Southern Maine. For interactive maps, try the National Geographic Society. Compare with globe. See also: cartography, cartouche, legend, map continuation, map series, and projection.

Maps are categorized by the type of content and method of presentation. See also: ancillary map, base map, bathymetric map, cadastral map, cartogram, chart, choropleth map, city map, cloth map, compiled map, computer-generated map, contour map, decorated map, dynamic map, facsimile map, geologic map, gravity map, historical map, hydrologic map, index map, inset map, interactive map, isoline map, landscape map, location map, main map, manuscript map, mappa mundi, mental map, multimedia map, old map, outline map, photomap, pictorial map, planimetric map, political map, rare map, reconnaissance map, relief map, road map, schematic map, scroll map, sketch map, slope map, strip map, tectonic map, thematic map, topographic map, trail map, translucent map, wall map, war map, and world map.

Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT)

A round table of the American Library Association established in 1980, MAGERT is the world's largest organization devoted to map and geography librarianship. Membership is open to ALA members who work with or have an interest in map and geography collections and information related to maps and mapping. MAGERT publishes the semiannual journal Meridian and the bimonthly newsletter Base Line. Click here to connect to the MAGERT homepage.

map case

A library furnishing, usually made of wood or metal, containing a number of wide, shallow drawers in which large sheet maps can be stored flat, with a wide, smooth, flat top on which they can be spread for examination.

map continuation

A portion of a map that for practical reasons cannot be shown in correct geographic position, but is instead presented in an inset or outside the border of the main map, or printed on the reverse side of the sheet (click here and here to see examples on two maps of Florida). The states of Alaska and Hawaii are often shown in this way on maps of the United States because they are not contiguous with the country's continental boundaries (click here and here to see examples). See also: overedge.

map data

Specific cartographic information plotted in relation to base data, for example, population density (persons per square mile) in relation to geographic area (usually political or administrative subdivisions or enumerative units). The same data can be plotted by the use of different map symbols, for example, vertical relief (elevation) by the use of contours, hypsometric tint, spot elevations, etc.

map index

An alphabetical list of the place names written or printed on a map or series of maps, giving the location of each feature, usually as grid coordinates. Compare with index map. See also: gazetteer.

map library

A library or unit within a library, which has collections consisting primarily of cartographic materials of current or historic interest, including maps and charts, globes, relief models, remote sensing images, spatial data, atlases, gazetteers, and books about cartography and cartographers, for example, the Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas, Austin. The Geography and Map Reading Room at the Library of Congress also provides digital images of items in its collections. The John R. Borchert Map Library at the University of Minnesota provides an online directory of Map Libraries on the World Wide Web. Map librarians are organized in the Map and Geography Round Table (MAGERT) of the American Library Association (ALA), in the Geography and Map Section of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), and in the Association of Canadian Map Libraries and Archives (ACMLA). See also: Cartographic Users Advisory Council.

mappa mundi

Latin for "map of the world." Maps made by medieval scholars to show the geography of the world as it was then understood, often drawn to illustrate religious texts. Michelle Brown notes in Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts (Getty Museum/British Library, 1994) that although world maps existed in Antiquity, the earliest surviving example appears in an Anglo-Saxon book produced in the 11th century. Also made as altarpieces, mappae mundi served as visual compendia of human knowledge, incorporating biblical history and material from other works. As the art of making navigational charts developed, world maps became more detailed and accurate.

Drawn on a single large sheet of parchment, the Hereford Mappa Mundi, on public exhibit in Hereford Cathedral in England, is the largest and most elaborate surviving pre-15th-century world map (see Mappa Mundi: The Hereford World Map by P.D.A. Harvey, British Library, 1996). Click here to see a digital image of the map and to learn more about it.

mapping

See: vocabulary mapping.

mapping agency

An organization that produces and publishes maps and other cartographic information, usually under the sponsorship of a national government or its armed forces. The largest mapping agency in the United States is the U.S. Geological Survey. UNESCO provides an online list of National Mapping Agencies. In AACR2, name of mapping agency is given in the statement of responsibility area of the bibliographic description of a cartographic item.

map series

Two or more sheet maps of uniform size, drawn to the same scale and specifications, utilizing standardized symbols and encompassing a clearly defined geographic area in a systematic pattern when complete. Also, two or more maps of the same geographic area, showing a succession of events occurring (or conditions prevailing) over a given period of time, sometimes at fixed intervals. A map series is identified collectively by the mapping agency that produced it. Click here to see the the initial sheet of the Carte géométrique de la France, the first multisheet topographic map series of France, completed in 1789, and here to see the first in a series of daily "situation" maps prepared by the 12th Army Group of the European Allied Forces recording the liberation of France, beginning with the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, June 6, 1944 (Library of Congress).

map symbol

A letter, character, abbreviation, graphic, or diagram used on the face of a map, chart, or globe, by convention or with reference to a legend, to represent a specific characteristic or type of feature. Points, lines, and area designators (color, shading, hatching, etc.) used to represent map data are also considered symbols, but place names and other text are not. Click here to see symbols used by the National Weather Service on its charts; here to see colors used symbolically on a geologic map of Texas; here to see graphic symbols for a map of ski trails in Australia; and here to see geometric symbols for a map of earthquake activity in California.

maquette

The designer's drawing or model for the proposed binding or layout of a book. The maquette typically evolves from a preliminary version by intermediate stages to the final version.

MARBI

Machine-Readable Bibliographic Information Committee, the body within the American Library Association responsible for developing official ALA positions on standards for representing bibliographic information in machine-readable formats. Its membership includes nine voting members from ALCTS, LITA, and RUSA and three interns. MARBI's primary responsibility is to participate in deliberations of the MARC Advisory Committee, which advises the Library of Congress on changes to the MARC 21 family of formats. Other members of the MARC Advisory Committee include ex-officio representatives of the U.S. national libraries, the Library and Archives Canada, the National Library of Australia, the bibliographic utilities, and several dozen nonvoting liaisons from other units within the ALA and from non-ALA organizations with an interest in issues related to library automation standards. Click here to connect to the MARBI homepage.

marbled paper

See: marbling.

marbling

A technique for producing decorated paper in which a unique design is transferred to each sheet by contact with pigments that have been floated on a bath of water or size, then manipulated with a special implement, such as a comb, to create a pattern resembling the surface of cut stone. Click here and here to see modern examples of marbled paper (Koninklijke Bibliotheek). Marbled paper is used for doublures and endpapers in hand-bound books (see this 19th-century example) and as a covering material. The technique is also used in binding to decorate the edges of the text block (see these examples), and has been used on leather by application of acid or inks (see Spanish calf), but acid eventually causes leather bindings to deteriorate (click here to see an example).

Originally developed in the East (Japanese examples survive from the 9th century), the technique was used in Persian book production as early as the 16th century. Introduced into Europe in the late 16th century, marbling was particularly popular during the Victorian period in deluxe editions (click here and here to see marbled endpapers in early editions). As a less expensive alternative, endpapers are sometimes printed in a pattern that resembles hand-marbling. To see historical examples of marbling used in bookbinding, try a search on the keyword "marbled paper" in the British Library's Database of Bookbindings.

MARC

See: Machine-Readable Cataloging.

MARC 21

The version of Machine Readable Cataloging that superseded USMARC in 1999 with the harmonization of U.S. and Canadian MARC formats. MARC 21 is supported by OCLC and is the current official MARC standard in the United States, Canada, Australia, and numerous other countries. Click here to learn more about MARC 21 development and here to browse the MARC 21 Concise Formats. See also: MARCXML.

MARCese

The jargon used by librarians who work extensively with MARC records and fall into the habit of using content designators (tags, indicators, and subfield codes) instead of words and phrases to refer to areas and elements of bibliographic description.

MARC Format for Archival and Manuscripts Control (MARC AMC)

A standard data communications format specifying a data structure for the description of archival records and manuscripts, developed in the 1980s by archivists who adapted the MARC digital format for library cataloging. The Society of American Archivists (SAA) and the Research Libraries Group (RLG) played a major role in the development of the AMC format. In a move toward format integration, MARC AMC was replaced by the MARC Mixed Materials format in 1996.

MARCIVE

A commercial service providing catalog records for U.S. government publications (retrospective and current) that can be loaded into a library's local online catalog, and a Shipping List Service that provides SuDocs labels, brief MARC records, smart barcode labels, and shelflist cards. The company also provides access by subscription to the enhanced GPO database Marcive WebDOCS, a general index to federal government documents published from 1976 to the present, updated monthly. Entries in the database include links to publications available online in full-text. Click here to connect to the MARCIVE homepage.

MARC record

See: Machine-Readable Cataloging.

MARCXML

A flexible and extensible framework for working with Machine Readable Cataloging (MARC) in the XML markup language. Developed by the Library of Congress, MARCXML allows the content of MARC 21 records to be represented in XML. It is designed to support "round-trip" conversion from MARC 21 to MARCXML and back to MARC 21, with all field tagging, subfield coding, and indicator values preserved and with no loss of data. Click here to learn more about MARCXML. Compare with Metadata Object Description Schema.

margin

Any one of the four blank borders around the matter written or printed on a page or sheet, known as the top or head margin; the bottom, foot, or tail margin; the outer, outside, or fore-edge margin; and the inner, inside, back, or binding margin. The combined inner margins of facing pages form the gutter. Relative width of margin is important in the design of a legible, aesthetically pleasing page. Standard proportions are: bottom margin double the top and inside margin one-half or two-thirds of the outside, with the height of the written or printed area roughly equal to the width of the page. Rebinding may require trimming the inner margin of a book. In medieval manuscripts, the margins were often used for glosses and corrections in the text. They also provided space for decorative extensions on initial letters and for ornamental borders. Click here to see an example of margin decoration in a 15th-century copy of Chaucer's The Romaunt of the Rose (Glasgow University Library, Special Collections, MS Hunter 409). See also: marginalia and remargined.

In cartography, the area of a map or chart lying outside the border, usually blank but sometimes bearing marginal data and occasionally one or more ancillary maps. Click here to see the neat line, border, and narrow margin on a map of Niagara Falls printed in 1894 (Perry-Castañeda Library) and here to see the wide margin on a USGS topographic map of Mount Shasta, California.

marginal data

Information of standard or variable nature written or printed in the margin outside the neat line or border of a map or chart, usually symbols, diagrams, explanatory notes, etc., enabling the reader to identify and interpret its content and/or indicating the source. Click here to see explanatory data in the lower margin of a North Polar chart published in 1885 (Perry-Castañeda Library Map collection) and here to learn about the marginal information on a large-scale military topographic map. Occasionally, one or more ancillary maps are printed in the margin of a main map.

marginal drawing

A small figure, diagram, or design made by hand in the margin of a manuscript, related or unrelated to the content of the adjacent text. In medieval manuscripts, marginal drawings are sometimes hand-tinted. Click here and here to see examples, courtesy of the British Library (Arundel 248 and 339).

marginalia

Latin for "things in the margin." Headings or notes printed in the margins of a page, usually in type of a size or style distinct from that of the text. Marginalia include footnotes, side notes, and shoulder notes. Also included are glosses, annotations, diagrams, doodles, etc., added by a commentator or reader. In manuscripts, corrections are sometimes made in the margins. In the case of medieval manuscripts and incunabula, the term includes notes and commentary written in the margins (see this 12th-century example) but not ornamental borders and other marginal decoration. Marginalia can be seen in abundance by paging through the 13th-century Lothian Bible (Morgan Library, MS M.791).

marginal map

See: ancillary map.

marginal note

See: side note.

marketing plan

A series of actions to be undertaken by a company or organization to successfully interest potential customers or clients in a product or service and to persuade them to buy or use it. Often based on market research, such a plan is specifically designed to systematically implement a set of goals known as a marketing strategy, through promotion, outreach, etc. Originally developed for the commercial sector, marketing plans are used primarily by special libraries and public libraries, especially those using the bookstore model.

mark up

In publishing, to prepare copy for printing by specifying details of typeface, fonts, layout, etc., in a code comprehensible to the compositor or typesetter.

markup

In computing, the encoding of a textual document with information external to the document, for example, to indicate the structure of the document, the type or grammatical function of words and phrases within the document, or the way in which portions of the document are displayed on screen or page, usually accomplished by inserting tags and format codes in the text. To see the markup tags used in this hypertext dictionary, select "View - Source" or its equivalent in the toolbar of your Web browser. Also spelled mark-up. See also: markup language.

markup language

In computing, a predefined set of descriptors (symbols and tags) or a method of defining descriptors that are used to embed external information in an electronic text document, usually to specify formatting or facilitate analysis. Markup languages were originally designed for use with a specific program, but in 1986 the Standard Generalized Markup Language (SGML) was adopted as an international standard. The Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) used in creating Web pages is derived from SGML (to see the markup tags used in this hypertext dictionary, select "View - Source" or its equivalent in the toolbar of your Web browser). In 1998, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommended the use of a simplified version of SGML known as Extensible Markup Language (XML). Most markup languages differ from databases in identifying elements within a stream of text, rather than discrete, structured data elements, but XML is capable of turning text into the equivalent of a database. Also spelled mark-up language. See also: Encoded Archival Description, MARCXML, and Text Encoding Initiative.

married

In bookselling, two related pieces or items brought together, though not originally sold as a unit, for the purpose of making a single item or set complete as published, for example, a book and dust jacket, a book and CD or CD-ROM, or two or more volumes in a set.

married print

See: composite print.

MARS

See: Machine-Assisted Reference Section.

martyrology

A liturgical book containing narratives of the lives of Christian saints and their martyrdoms, from the earliest period of Church history, arranged in the order of their feast days, for reading in the Divine Office at the canonical hour of prime. The earliest martyrologies simply list the saints and their feast days. Click here to see a 900-year-old example (University College Dublin, MS A3) and here to browse a 12th-century English example (British Library, Arundel 91). As saints continued to be canonized, the martyrology was limited to major saints. Later examples can be seen in Celebrating the Liturgy's Books, an online exhibition provided by the major libraries of New York City. Synonymous with passionale.

masque

A lavish form of court entertainment that originated in Renaissance Italy and was particularly popular during the reigns of Elizabeth I, James I, and Charles I of England. Masques combined music, song, dance, and poetic drama in a spectacular display of costume and elaborate staging held together by a loose allegorical plot, usually based on a mythological theme (example: The Masque of Blacknesse by Ben Jonson). The name is derived from the face masques worn by the courtiers who played the main characters. This costly form of royal amusement ended with the Puritan revolution of 1642. Click here to learn more about the masque.

mass deacidification

See: deacidification.

mass digitization

See: digitization.

mass-market paperback

A new work or reprint of a title previously published in hardcover or trade paperback, produced and distributed in paperback for sale at newsstands and in supermarkets, drugstores, chain stores, etc., rather than trade bookstores. Copies are usually of standard rack size (4 x 7 inches), printed on poor-quality paper, bound with hot-melt adhesive in covers designed for sales appeal, and priced to sell to the widest possible audience. The format is used extensively for popular fiction and genre fiction. Libraries prefer them for books-by-mail programs to keep mailing costs down. In some public libraries, mass-market paperbacks received as gifts are circulated on the honor system. See also: pulp fiction.

mass media

See: media.

master

In reprography, the plate, stencil, negative, or document from which copies are made, usually more than once. The quality of a master copy usually deteriorates with extended use. See also: generation, master negative, and print master.

Also refers to an artist, writer, composer, or craftsman who consistently creates works of the highest quality (example: Mozart). In medieval manuscript illustration, an artist whose work was so exceptional that it became widely known and appreciated in Europe and influenced the direction of illumination, for example, the Boucicaut Master whose Paris workshop produced highly innovative miniatures in the early 15th century (Getty Museum). Some masters are known by name (examples: Jean Bourdichon and Simon Bening); others are identified only by their style (examples: Bute Master and Spitz Master). See also: masterpiece.

master negative

In microfilm, the first-generation negative, developed from the film used to shoot the image, from which at least one print master is made, usually stored in a separate location under controlled conditions and used as little as possible. See also: service copy.

masterpiece

A work of art, craftsmanship, or writing universally recognized as embodying the highest skill of a great master or group of masters. An artist, composer, or writer may produce a single masterpiece (examples: Charlotte and Emily Brontë) or more than one masterpiece in a lifetime (Jane Austen). Click here to view a selection of masterworks by Rembrandt (WebMuseum, Paris). Synonymous with chef-d'oeuvre. Compare with magnum opus.

masthead

A box or column printed in each issue of a newspaper or periodical stating the title of the publication, its publisher, ownership, editors, frequency, ISSN, subscription rates, and giving notice of copyright, usually with contact information. In most newspapers, the mastehead is found on the editorial page or on page one. In magazines and journals, it is usually printed on or near the contents page. Compare with flag. See also: date line.

mat

Two pieces of board hinged along one edge for mounting a print, photograph, etc., the bottom piece providing support (backing) and the top piece cut in the shape of a window through which the image is viewed. In quality framing, prints are often double- or triple-matted in boards of contrasting color. The Florida Bureau of Archives and Records Management provides the online tutorial on How to Mat a Piece of Art. Also spelled matt

matching grant

A grant made by a foundation, government agency, or individual, contingent on the recipient raising sufficient funds to match the donor's contribution. Although the ratio of grant funds to contributions may vary, most are dollar-for-dollar up to a fixed amount, with a time limit imposed on fund-raising activities. Some federal LSTA grants-in-aid are structured in this way.

materials budget

The portion of a library's operating budget allocated for the purchase of books, media, serials, and other information resources for the use of its clientele and staff, as opposed to expenditures for salaries and wages, equipment, supplies, and services. Some libraries include electronic resources in the materials budget; others make a separate allocation.

material specific details (MSD)

A generic term for the area of the bibliographic record reserved for elements of bibliographic description specific to certain types of material (musical presentation, mathematical data, and numeric and/or alphabetic, chronological, or other designation), recorded in field 254 of the MARC record for music, field 255 for cartographic materials, and field 362 for serials.

material type

An option available to users of some online catalogs and bibliographic databases that allows search results to be limited to materials of a specific physical format (book, periodical, videocassette or DVD, sound recording, map, music score, etc.). In cataloging, material type is assigned to the item from a list established by the local library or library system and is not necessarily the same as the item type used for circulation purposes. Compare with publication type. See also: general material designation.

mathematical data

The field within the materials specific details area of a bibliographic record in which mathematical elements in the bibliographic description of cartographic materials are entered (scale, projection, coordinates, etc.).

matte

Paper that has a dull unreflective finish, easier on the eye of the reader than glossy finish but not as visually appealing for pictorial content. Also spelled matt.

matter

In printing, copy in the process of being set in type or already set (standing). Live matter has yet to be used in printing; dead matter has been used and is ready to be broken up. The terms fat matter and lean matter refer to the proportion of white space or broken lines on a page. Printers also differentiate between body matter and display matter. Also refers to copy that is to be printed, in manuscript or typescript form.

Mauchline binding

A decorative technique that originated in the 1830s in the Scottish town of Mauchline in which a transfer print of a wood engraving, often a color design (tartan or floral motif), was applied to a lacquered wooden object, such as the boards of a bookbinding. In the 1860s, photographs and stencils began to be used in the design process. Mauchline ware reached a peak of popularity in the 1880s, disappearing in the 1920s. Click here to see an example in a bright tartan and here to see an example that combines photographic with stenciled images.

maximize

A feature of a graphical user interface that allows the user to enlarge a window to its fullest size by clicking on a small button in the upper-right-hand corner of the window. The opposite of minimize. See also: multitasking.

mazarinade

A category of political tract published in France before and during the Fronde (1648-1653), reflecting the struggle between the government and the Parliaments over the gradual usurpation of power by the Monarchy. Issued on both sides of the conflict, the pamphlets represent the first use of the printing press for purposes of mass political propaganda. They are named after Cardinal Jules Mazarin (1602-1661) who was Chief Minister and, with the Regent (Queen Anne of Austria), the real power behind the throne of Louis XIV before he came of age. Click here to see examples.

Mazarin Bible

See: Gutenberg Bible.

McLuhan, (Herbert) Marshall (1911-1980)

The University of Toronto professor of literature and culture who became famous for his innovative theories about how methods of communication influence society. In 1963, his analysis of the effect of movable type on the culture of 15th-century Europe (The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man) won the Governor-General's award for critical writing. In 1964, McLuhan gained considerable attention in the popular press for Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man in which he argued that the communication media used by humans are extensions of the physical senses that, by their very nature, introduce changes in the way societies function and in human consciousness, apart from the content they convey. His assertion that "the medium is the message" eventually became "the medium is the massage." For more about his life and work, see Marshall McLuhan: The Medium and the Messenger (Ticknor & Fields, 1989) by Philip Marchand, or log on to McLuhan.ca Global Research Network.

McNaughton Plan

See: book lease plan.

mean line

In typography, the imaginary horizontal line running along the tops of the x-height lowercase letters of a type font that lacks ascenders. Synonymous with x-line. Compare with cap line. See also: base line.

mean sea level (MSL)

The average (arithmetic mean) height of the surface of the sea for all stages of tide, observed hourly over a 19-year cycle, with reference to a suitable reference surface or datum, called the geoid. MSL is often used as a vertical datum (zero elevation) on maps and charts, as on this topographic map of Ansonia, Connecticut (to enlarge click on lower right-hand corner of image). In meteorology, MSL is used as the reference surface for the measurement of altitude in upper-atmosphere work; in aviation, it is the level above which altitude is measured by a pressure altimeter. Click here to learn more about mean sea level, courtesy of ESRI.

measure

In printing, the width over which a line of type is set. A full measure extends across the entire width of a line in a column or on a page, without indention.

Measurement, Assessment, and Evaluation Section (MAES)

The section of the Library Administration and Management Association (LAMA) within the American Library Association (ALA) responsible for addressing the needs for and uses of measurement of library resources, services, and facilities in all types of libraries, across all functional areas. MAES advises other organizations, agencies, and associations in planning library measurement, evaluation, and assessment; recommends and/or prepares guidelines, standards, and tools for measurement, evaluation, and assessment; and recommends inclusions, definitions, procedures, and policies concerning both quantitative and qualitative library assessment. Click here to connect to the MAES homepage.

mechanical binding

A form of binding in which the leaves of a publication are held together by some type of mechanism, usually metal or plastic wire or rings threaded or inserted through holes or slots punched along the back margin parallel to the binding edge, to allow the volume to open flat. The category includes loose-leaf binding, comb binding, and spiral binding.

mechanical drawing

A design drawing or diagram prepared according to strict scale, conventions, proportions, and methods of projection with the aid of one or more mechanical instruments, such as a compass, ruling pen, T-square, or other drafting tool (click here to see an example).

medallion

In books, a decorative element in the form of a panel or tablet, circular or oval in shape, containing a design, inscription, portrait, figure, or group of figures, sometimes made to appear in relief. Commemorative medallions almost always include an inscription, often incorporated into the curved border. See this example in the lower border of an early 15th-century edition of Livy (British Library, Burney 198) and this sequence of medallions incorporated into a large historiated initial "I" in the 13th-century Marquette Bible (Getty Museum, MS Ludwig I 8). Other examples can be seen by paging through the Stammheim Missal (Getty, MS 64). Compare in this sense with roundel.

Also refers to the round sticker affixed to the front cover or dust jacket of an award-winning book or incorporated into the cover design, sometimes a representation, in metallic ink or paper, of the actual medal received, as in the John Newbery Award for juvenile fiction.

media

A generic term for nonprint library materials (films, filmstrips, slides, videorecordings, audiorecordings, CD-ROMs, machine-readable data files, computer software, etc.). Microforms are not considered media because they are reproductions of print documents. The person responsible for managing a media collection and associated equipment is a media specialist. Reviews of newly published media titles are indexed annually by type of medium in Media Review Digest. Synonymous with audiovisuals. In a more general sense, material in any format that carries and communicates information content.

Also refers collectively to all the channels through which information is broadcast, including radio, television, cable, and the Internet. The mass media disseminate public information to the widest possible