Target Audience Element Help

Definition

The target audience is a description of the intellectual level of the audience for which the resource is intended.¹

For language material (i.e., books and continuing resources), the language code is based on the text of the item. The term text refers to the principle work(s) included within the publication, excluding the preface, introduction, foreword, appendices, etc. For maps, the language of names and text associated with the map or globe determines the code used. For original or historical graphic material, opaque graphic material, and three-dimensional materials, the language content is that associated with the material, i.e., captions or other text associated with the item or collection that are part of the chief source of information. For mixed materials, the language code is based on the predominant language of an item or materials in a collection. ²

The language field is repeatable and represents each of the major languages used in the resource being described.

Form Element

The online form element appears as below:

This form element allows the user to enter one or more target audiences for the described material.

Best Practices

It is recommended that the following terms from the marctarget authority list be used when possible:

adolescent
adult
general
primary
pre-adolescent
juvenile
preschool
specialized

Any additional target audience terms may also be included, but it is recommended that if one of the terms above is applicable, it is used as well.

SobekCM / MODS Encoding

This data is encoded entirely in the MODS section of the SobekCM METS file. The only authority which is used is marctarget which is automatically assigned whenever any of the targets are used from the list that appears in best practices above.

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">juvenile</targetAudience>

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">adolescent</targetAudience>

<targetAudience authority="marctarget">adult</targetAudience>

<targetAudience>kindergarten</targetAudience>

Metadata Mapping

MARC to MODS Mapping

For most resource types, the marctarget audiences are mapped from the 008 field's character at position 022.

d → adolescent

e → adult

g → general

b → primary

c → pre-adolescent

j → juvenile

a → preschool

f → specialized

Additional target audiences are mapped from the |a subfield in the 521 field. If a source is included in the |b subfield, this is added to the end of the audience, in brackets.

MODS to MARC Mapping

Mapping from the MODS back to MARC is generally the reverse of the procedure listed above for target audiences. If there is only one marctarget audience listed, this is only included in the 008 field at the 022 position. If there is more than one marctarget audience, they are all included in the 521 field as well.