Medical Subject Headings
2011 MeSH/MARC
Download of any of the full data files requires the completion of an online memorandum of understanding.
Conversion Information
- Download NLM 1999 Conversion Specifications (pdf format). This is the most current version. Form, language, and geographic qualifiers (subheadings) have been removed from MeSH. Any reference to these three types of records should be ignored.
- The NLM Conversion Specifications are to be used in conjunction with another document, USMARC Specifications for Record Structure, Character Sets, and Exchange Media for sale by the Cataloging Distribution Service, Library of Congress.
MeSH/MARC files available to download
Beginning with 2009 MeSH, if any changes in MeSH data are made in the middle of the year, a monthly full file and change file with these changes will be made available. Note that these monthly change files will include only changes made during that month - the changes are not cumulative. Mid-year change files that are available are indicated below.
The data are encoded in MARC-8. These files can only be transferred via FTP into a save file. A file extension of .bin has been used to prompt the local receiving computer to automatically open a file to save the data.
For users of Internet Explorer, if you want to save a file to your local hard drive rather than open it, you must right-click the link and then select Save Target As....
The full file is estimated to take 5 minutes to download on a T3 communications line (at 45 Mbps) and longer on slower lines.
- Annual files
- Sample file contains 41 descriptor records, 83 qualifier records, and 869 descriptor/qualifier combinations, for a total of 993 records. Download sample file [318KB]
- Label file provides size and other statistics for the sample file. [68B]
- Label file provides size and other statistics for the sample file. [68B]
- Update-only file contains new and modified terms with 3,364 descriptor records, 42 qualifier records, and 14,063 descriptor/qualifier combinations, for a total of 17,469 records. Download update-only file [6MB]
- Label file provides size and other statistics for the update file. [77B]
- Full file contains all terms with 26,142 descriptor records, 83 qualifier records, and 584,465 descriptor/qualifier combinations, for a total of 610,690 records. Download full file [150MB]
- Label file provides size and other statistics for the full file. [79B]
Summary contents of files. 2011 MeSH/MARC. September 1, 2010.
File Total Records File Size Bytes Full File 610,690 150MB 157,687,228 Update-only File 17,469 6MB 6,790,707 Sample File 993 318KB 325,594 - Sample file contains 41 descriptor records, 83 qualifier records, and 869 descriptor/qualifier combinations, for a total of 993 records. Download sample file [318KB]
Monthly change files
Summary contents of monthly files. 2011 MeSH/MARC.
Month Total Records File Size Bytes October 2010 5 6.0KB 6,094 November 2010 0 0 0 December 2010 7 5.1KB 5,245 January 2011 1 0.8KB 881 February 2011 1 1.7KB 1,720 March 2011 1 1.7KB 1,723 April 2011 0 0 0 May 2011 0 0 0 June 2011 0 0 0 July 2011 20 5.0KB 5,076
- If you have questions concerning the content of MeSH/MARC files or FTP of MeSH/MARC data, please contact:
- Jacque-Lynne Schulman
- Medical Subject Headings
- Telephone: 301-496-1495; FAX: 301-402-2002
- email: schulman@nlm.nih.gov