What you will learn
ExpressCat's Identifier Batch feature lets you catalog multiple books at once by simply pasting their ISBN numbers. Cat & Class searches more than 17 million Library of Congress records simultaneously, retrieves complete MARC21 records for each match, and lets you review, enhance, and approve them in one workflow.
In this guide you will catalog 10 books using their ISBNs, use CC — the Cat & Class AI assistant — to fill in any missing fields, add fields to the MARC record, and generate a Cat & Class Identifier (CCI) to certify each record as professionally approved.
Before you begin
- You are logged into Cat & Class and your library is set up
- You have a list of ISBN numbers for the books you want to catalog (13-digit or 10-digit format)
- You have Cataloger, Metadata Librarian, or Admin role permissions
From your Cat & Class dashboard, locate ExpressCat in the left navigation sidebar. Click it to open the batch cataloging workspace. ExpressCat gives you three powerful methods to catalog materials in bulk: Image Batch, Identifier Batch, and Text Batch.
At the top of the ExpressCat page you will see three tabs. Click Identifier Batch. This tab accepts any standard library identifier — ISBN-13, ISBN-10, LCCN, OCLC number, or a Cat & Class CCI. You can mix different identifier types in the same batch.
In the text area, type the identifier type on the first line. This tells Cat & Class what format your identifiers are in so it knows which database fields to search.
After the identifier type on line one, paste or type each ISBN on its own line. Cat & Class accepts both ISBN-13 (13 digits) and ISBN-10 (10 digits) formats. Dashes and spaces are handled automatically — you do not need to clean them up.
- You can catalog up to 50 identifiers in a single batch
- Copy ISBNs from a spreadsheet and paste them directly — each row becomes one line
- ISBNs from book covers, publisher catalogues, or procurement lists all work
Click the Search Authoritative Databases button. Cat & Class will simultaneously query the Library of Congress database across all your identifiers. The button shows the count of identifiers in your list so you can confirm it detected them all correctly.
Cat & Class processes each identifier and shows a real-time progress bar. For each match found, it retrieves the complete MARC21 record including title, author, publication information, subject headings, call numbers, physical description, and all additional fields available in the Library of Congress record.
ISBNs that do not match any record are flagged as Not Found and can be cataloged using CatAssist AI original cataloging in a separate step.
Once the search completes, scroll down to see all results. Each result card shows the title, author, year, and a confidence score indicating how complete the retrieved record is. Records with scores above 70 are ready to add. Records below 50 may benefit from enhancement using CatAssist.
Review each result to confirm Cat & Class retrieved the correct edition for each ISBN before adding to your library.
Click Select All at the top of the results list to check all successfully retrieved records at once. You can also manually tick or untick individual records if you want to exclude some from this batch. The count of selected records updates as you make selections.
Click Add Selected. The button shows the number of records you are about to add. Cat & Class saves all selected records to your library's My Records page with a status of Draft. They are ready for your review, enhancement, and final approval.
Click My Records in the left sidebar. You will see all the records you just added listed with Draft status. From here you can view each record, edit MARC fields, enhance descriptions, and approve records for your public catalog.
Click the View MARC button on any record row. This opens the full MARC21 editor showing all fields retrieved from the Library of Congress. You can edit indicators, add subfields, correct any information, and add new MARC fields that may be missing.
The editor color-codes fields by MARC block for easy navigation: 0xx control fields in grey, 1xx entries in blue, 2xx titles in green, 6xx subjects in red, and so on.
Inside the MARC editor you will see the Ask CC button. When you notice that a field is missing or unclear — for example if the LC call number field 050 is empty or the subject headings in 650 look incomplete — click Ask CC. The Cat & Class AI assistant will analyze the record and suggest the correct MARC field values.
CC responds with suggested MARC field values formatted in proper subfield notation. For example, for a missing LC call number CC might respond with the field tag, indicators, and the complete subfield string ready to paste. Review the suggestion and confirm it is appropriate for the material before adding it.
CC grounds its suggestions in the existing bibliographic data in the record — title, author, subject content — so suggestions are specific to the actual material you are cataloging.
Select and copy the subfield string from the CC response. For example: $a RB25 $b .K86 2023. You will paste this directly into the content field of the new MARC field you are about to add in the next steps. The subfield notation uses the standard MARC convention where $a introduces the first subfield.
In the MARC editor toolbar click the Add Field button. A dropdown will appear showing common MARC field tags organized by category. You will select the specific tag that matches the field CC recommended adding to the record.
In this example, CC recommended adding an LC Call Number so the field is 050 — LC Call Number. Select the appropriate field from the dropdown list. Cat & Class inserts the new field row into the correct position in the MARC record automatically, following proper MARC field order.
- 050 — Library of Congress Call Number
- 082 — Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 520 — Summary or Abstract
- 650 — Subject Added Entry — Topical Term
Click Add to insert the selected field into the record. The new empty field row appears in the MARC editor, ready for you to enter the value CC suggested. The field tag badge is color-coded according to the MARC block it belongs to.
Click inside the Content field of the new row and paste the value you copied from CC. In this example: $a RB25 $b .K86 2023. The subfield codes tell Cat & Class how to structure the data correctly in the MARC record and in your MARCXML export.
You can also manually set the indicator values (I1 and I2) in the small indicator fields if required for the specific field tag. For most 050 entries, the indicators are space and space or 0 and 0 depending on the source of the call number.
After completing your edits, save the record using the Save button in the editor. Once saved, click Close to return to the My Records list. Your changes are saved immediately to your library's catalog. Repeat this review and enhancement process for each record in your batch.
When you are satisfied with the record, click the status indicator on the record row and select Move to Final. This is your professional judgment that the record meets your library's cataloging standards. Only records in Final status are eligible to receive a Cat & Class Identifier (CCI).
A confirmation dialog appears. Click Confirm and Generate CCI. Cat & Class issues a permanent Cat & Class Identifier for this record — a global quality certification code that confirms the record meets professional MARC21 standards and has been reviewed by a qualified cataloger at your institution.
Guide Complete
You have successfully cataloged 10 books using ExpressCat Identifier Batch, enhanced records with CC, and issued CCI certifications. Here is a summary of what you accomplished.