Target audience

The Audience fixed field in a bibliographic record populates the Target Audience facet in PowerPAC. If the field is left blank, the title has target audience "Unknown or not specified."

The Database Management Committee reviewed recommendations from both the PAS and Technical Services Advisory groups, and decided that moving forward, CCS will require the Audience fixed field on all bibliographic records.

Only the following four levels will be used to populate the Audience Field: Adolescent, Adult, General, and Juvenile. The additional choices available will not be used.

​General (g). The item is of general interest and not aimed at an audience of a particular intellectual level.

• Movies: Use General (g) audience level for G, PG, and Not Rated movies not specifically intended either for children or adults.
• Videogames: Use General (g) audience level for E and E10+ videogames not specifically intended for children.
• ​Music: Use General (g) audience level for most music intended for teens and adults.​
• Use for Collection Code “Other” (Equipment, all-ages materials)

Adult (e). The item is intended for adults. This would include most items that are shelved in an Adult area including items with the following Collection Codes:

• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Movies: Use Adult (e) audience level for R and NC-17 rated movies, and for Unrated/Not Rated movies intended for adults.
• Videogames: Use Adult (e) audience level for M and AO rated videogames
• Music: Use Adult (e) audience level for Explicit Content.
• Online

Adolescent (d). The item is intended for young people, approximate ages 14–17 years. This would include most items that are shelved in a Young Adult or Teen area including items with the following Collection Codes:

• Teen Fiction
• Teen Nonfiction
• Movies: Use Adolescent (d) audience level for PG-13 movies.
• Videogames: Use Adolescent (d) audience level for T rated videogames.
• Teen Online
• Teen Other

Juvenile (j). The item is intended for children and young people, approximate ages 0–15 years. This would include most items that are shelved in Children’s Departments including:

• Youth Fiction
• Youth Nonfiction
• Movies: Use Juvenile (j) audience level for movies intended for children, generally shelved in Children's Departments.
• Videogames: Use Juvenile (j) audience level for EC rated videogames.
• Music: Use Juvenile (j) audience level for music intended for children that is generally shelved in Children's Departments.
• Youth Online
• Youth Other

Special note – for items that fall between two audience levels, choose the younger of the two.

There are bibliographic records that do not have Audience fields so they do not need to be coded:

• Collections (07=c)
• Serials (07=s)
• Maps and Printed Cartographic Material (06=e)
• ILL or brief bib records