008/23 coding

008/23 code “r” (Regular print reproduction) should not be used for new works, new editions of an existing work, paperback editions or other “normal” reissues of a work. The code is meant to indicate when an item has been re-produced from an existing manifestation, e.g. a photocopy or a facsimile. The code is meant to alert the computer that the re-produced item is not the same as the original it was taken from, and so break any potential match when the record for the re-production seeks to enter the database.

To quote from the MARC21 manual:
008
23 Form of item
r Regular print reproduction
Code r indicates that the item is a reproduction in regular eye-readable print, such as a photocopy.
008/23 = r
500 b/b/ ‡aPhoto-reproduction of 1963 edition