MARC formats
Acronym standing for Machine-Readable Cataloging. Standardised format used by libraries to exchange catalogue records.
Mandate
An obligation.
Manuscripts
Unpublished items such as working drafts or personal letters in contrast to published sources like books. Manuscripts include documents and information in numerous formats and types.
Matauranga Māori
Māori term for Māori knowledge.
Material
Items in a collection. Often used to describe non-book items like photographs, manuscripts, ephemera and so on.
Mechanical reproductions
Copies of items produced by a machine or mechanism. Contrast with copies made by hand or electronically.
Metadata
Metadata is structured data about data. It describes something (physical or electronic) you don’t have in front of you.
Metadata schemes
Recognised way of describing and formatting metadata. Common metadata schemes include Dublin Core and MARC.
Metasearch
Metasearch means a search of other searches. To metasearch is to search across several search engines at the same time, giving you all the search results combined together.
Microfiche
Type of microform. Items are photographed onto sheets of film. You use a microfiche reader to view the items.
Microfiche card catalogue
Card catalogue on microfiche. The Library's card catalogue of items published before 1984 has been photographed onto microfiche.
Microfilm
Type of microform. Items are photographed onto reels of film. You use a microfilm reader to view the material.
Microforms
Printed books, journals, newspapers and other printed items which have been reduced in size by photographic methods to save space. Microforms include aperture cards, microfiche, microfilm, and microcards.
Monographs
Books. Technically a publication completed in one or more printed volumes that is not a magazine, journal or newspaper.
Māori Subject Headings
List of terms (or headings) for use by cataloguers and archivists when describing material either in or about Māori.
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