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New best practice guidelines from the Metadata SIG

The European Print Initiatives Collaboration (EPICo) is pleased to announce that we have published guidelines for the use of retention statements in shared print programmes. Metadata experts from a number of European countries have developed these guidelines as part of the work of the Metadata Special Interest Group, and they are now available on the EPICo website: EPICo-SPA-Guidelines.pdf

These guidelines offer a consistent approach that colleagues across European shared print programmes can apply in their metadata work. By standardising the use of the 583 MARC 21 field for shared print retention commitments, the guidelines support greater consistency across institutions and programmes. This, in turn, strengthens our ability to aggregate data, report effectively, and make evidence‑based decisions. Clear retention information in library catalogues is important for understanding long‑term preservation commitments and for informing shared print and local collection management strategies.

The EPICo guidelines are based on the SPA terminology guidelines, the recognised international standard for shared print  (Shared Print Actions: Terminology for MARC 21 Field 583 (April 2024)

If you are interested in finding out more about the work of the Metadata Special Interest Group, please contact Karin Byström at .