General Material Designations (GMD)

Use General Material Designation (GMD) for current original cataloging. GMDs are generic terms describing the medium of the item. OCLC defines subfield ‡h (Medium) in field 245 for GMD information. Enter GMDs in lowercase letters enclosed in b rackets.

GMDs and LCRIs

Library of Congress Rule Interpretations(LCRIs), rule 1.1C, lists GMDs and provides standards for use. LC applies rule 1.1C for only certain types of materials and enters GMDs only in the title area (field 245). You should follow LC practice. If on e of the following GMDs is applicable, it is mandatory for I-level, Core-level, and K-level records in field 245 subfield ‡h.


art original        interactive multimedia*    slide
art reproduction    kit                        sound recording
chart               microform                  technical drawing
computer file       microscope slide           toy
diorama             model                      transparency
filmstrip           motion picture             videorecording
flash card          picture    
game                realia    
* Use only when cataloging according to Guidelines for Bibliographic Description of
 Interactive Multimedia.