306 - Playing Time

The 306 tag contains the duration of a sound recording, videorecording, etc., or the duration of the performance of a music manuscript or printed music IF the duration is on the item. This information may also be included elsewhere in the record, but it will be in the 306 tag in a consistent and structured way.

There can only be a single 306 tag in a record and the playing time goes in subfield a (which can be repeated) in this format:

• First and second positions are for the number of hours.
• The third and fourth positions are for the number of minutes.
• The fifth and sixth positions are for the number of seconds. 

Following these guidelines:

• Enter one exact hour as 60 minutes. Enter one exact minute as 60 seconds.
• Enter any duration more than an hour in terms of hours, minutes, and seconds
• Enter any duration more than one minute and less than one hour in terms of minutes and seconds
  

Because subfield a can be repeated, a bibliographic record can include detailed information on the length of a recording. For example, the record for the musical recording Pure Quill includes the duration of each individual track. Similarly, The Other Way Back: Dancing with Dudley, a Contradance Documentary is an example of a 2-disc video recording with duration included for each disc.

Since this is the last Tuesday of the month it is time for the June 2024 Tuesday Tags Review Quiz. This is a 4-question self-check that will give you a chance to see how much you have learned about MARC tags this month (or where you may want to go back and re-read).