Multiple encodings in one file

["Lambert, Joshua D" <JLambert@MissouriState.edu>]

Question: If I open a file that uses one encoding in one part of the file and another encoding in another part of the file, and also uses multiple character sets, can I edit a small part of it in Emacs, using UCS (Unicode), without Emacs changing the rest of the file?

Background: I work in a library ( the book kind) and use MARC files (https://www.loc.gov/marc/). MARC is a file transmission format that may have multiple "records." These records may contain text encoded in ISO/IEC 10646:202 (Unicode) or MARC-8 (https://www.loc.gov/marc/specifications/speccharintro.html), an encoding used mainly/only by libraries for MARC files. Libraries may have records of both types and one file may have records with both encodings, and multiple character sets. I'm attempting to write a major mode to work with these files in Emacs. Emacs does not recognize the MARC-8 encoding.

Thanks for your help,

Joshua Lambert
Librarian
Missouri State University