This Python script converts text files containing MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloging) record data into actual MARC files. It's designed to process text files where each line represents a MARC field, handling both control and data fields, and outputs standard .mrc files suitable for use in library systems and other MARC-compatible tools.
To run this script, you will need Python installed on your machine. Additionally, the script depends on the pymarc library for handling MARC records.
- Python (3.6 or higher recommended)
- pymarc library
You can install pymarc using pip:
pip install pymarcTo use the script, place your text files in the input/ directory. Run the script, and it will process each file, converting it to a MARC file in the output_mrc/ directory. Processed text files are then moved to the processed_text/ directory.
Navigate to the script's directory and run:
python text2marc.py- Input Handling: Reads text files from the
input/folder. - MARC Conversion: Each line in the input files is expected to represent a MARC field. The script converts these lines into MARC fields, handling both control fields (tags < 010) and data fields (tags >= 010).
- Output Generation: Converted MARC records are written to
.mrcfiles in theoutput_mrc/folder. - File Management: After processing, text files are moved to the
processed_text/folder. - Error Handling: The script includes basic error handling, such as skipping malformed lines.
- Ensure that the input text files are correctly formatted, with each line representing a MARC field.
- The script is set up to handle common MARC field structures but may need adjustments for specific custom formats.