diff --git a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/MarcXmlConstants.java b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/MarcXmlConstants.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..13e1b2e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/MarcXmlConstants.java
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package org.xbib.marc;
+
+public interface MarcXmlConstants {
+
+    String MARCXML_NS_URI = "http://www.loc.gov/MARC21/slim";
+
+    String MARCXML_SCHEMA_LOCATION = "http://www.loc.gov/standards/marcxml/schema/MARC21slim.xsd";
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcContentHandler.java b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcContentHandler.java
index 24f7813..817e2e1 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcContentHandler.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcContentHandler.java
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import org.xbib.marc.MarcListener;
 import org.xbib.marc.MarcRecord;
 import org.xbib.marc.MarcRecordListener;
 import org.xbib.marc.MarcXchangeConstants;
+import org.xbib.marc.MarcXmlConstants;
 import org.xbib.marc.label.RecordLabel;
 import org.xbib.marc.transformer.field.MarcFieldTransformers;
 import org.xbib.marc.transformer.value.MarcValueTransformers;
@@ -51,7 +52,7 @@ import java.util.logging.Logger;
  * and fires events to a Marc listener.
  */
 public class MarcContentHandler
-        implements  MarcXchangeConstants, MarcListener, MarcRecordListener,
+        implements MarcXmlConstants, MarcXchangeConstants, MarcListener, MarcRecordListener,
         EntityResolver, DTDHandler, ContentHandler, ErrorHandler {
 
     private static final Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(MarcContentHandler.class.getName());
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXchangeWriter.java b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXchangeWriter.java
index c5ac77a..5903818 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXchangeWriter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXchangeWriter.java
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class MarcXchangeWriter extends MarcContentHandler implements Flushable,
 
     private static final QName SUBFIELD_ELEMENT = new QName(NAMESPACE_URI, SUBFIELD, "");
 
-    private final XMLEventFactory eventFactory;
+    protected final XMLEventFactory eventFactory;
 
     private final Namespace namespace;
 
@@ -304,10 +304,7 @@ public class MarcXchangeWriter extends MarcContentHandler implements Flushable,
                 String realtype = getType() != null ? getType() : type != null ? type : getDefaultType();
                 attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute(TYPE_ATTRIBUTE, realtype));
                 if (!schemaWritten) {
-                    attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xmlns:xsi",
-                            XMLConstants.W3C_XML_SCHEMA_INSTANCE_NS_URI));
-                    attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xsi:schemaLocation",
-                            NAMESPACE_URI + " " + NAMESPACE_SCHEMA_LOCATION));
+                    writeSchema(attrs);
                     schemaWritten = true;
                 }
                 xmlEventConsumer.add(eventFactory.createStartElement(RECORD_ELEMENT, attrs.iterator(), namespaces));
@@ -488,6 +485,13 @@ public class MarcXchangeWriter extends MarcContentHandler implements Flushable,
         return exception;
     }
 
+    protected void writeSchema(List<Attribute> attrs) throws XMLStreamException {
+        attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xmlns:xsi",
+                XMLConstants.W3C_XML_SCHEMA_INSTANCE_NS_URI));
+        attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xsi:schemaLocation",
+                NAMESPACE_URI + " " + NAMESPACE_SCHEMA_LOCATION));
+    }
+
     /**
      * Split records if configured. A splitlimit of -1 prevents splitting.
      */
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXmlWriter.java b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXmlWriter.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b587456
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/org/xbib/marc/xml/MarcXmlWriter.java
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+package org.xbib.marc.xml;
+
+import java.io.IOException;
+import java.io.OutputStream;
+import java.io.OutputStreamWriter;
+import java.io.Writer;
+import java.nio.charset.StandardCharsets;
+import java.util.List;
+import javax.xml.XMLConstants;
+import javax.xml.stream.XMLStreamException;
+import javax.xml.stream.events.Attribute;
+import javax.xml.stream.util.XMLEventConsumer;
+
+public class MarcXmlWriter extends MarcXchangeWriter {
+
+    private static final String NAMESPACE_URI = MARCXML_NS_URI;
+
+    private static final String NAMESPACE_SCHEMA_LOCATION = MARCXML_SCHEMA_LOCATION;
+
+    public MarcXmlWriter(OutputStream out) throws IOException {
+        super(out);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a MarcXML writer on an underlying output stream.
+     * @param out the underlying output stream
+     * @param indent if true, indent MarcXchange output
+     * @throws IOException if writer can not be created
+     */
+    public MarcXmlWriter(OutputStream out, boolean indent) throws IOException {
+        super(new OutputStreamWriter(out, StandardCharsets.UTF_8), indent);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a MarcXML writer on an underlying writer.
+     * @param writer the underlying writer
+     * @throws IOException if writer can not be created
+     */
+    public MarcXmlWriter(Writer writer) throws IOException {
+        super(writer, false);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a MarcXML writer on an underlying writer.
+     * @param writer the underlying writer
+     * @param indent if true, indent MarcXchange output
+     * @throws IOException if writer can not be created
+     */
+    public MarcXmlWriter(Writer writer, boolean indent) throws IOException {
+        super(writer, indent);
+    }
+
+    public MarcXmlWriter(String fileNamePattern, int splitlimit, int bufferSize, boolean compress, boolean indent)
+            throws IOException {
+        super(fileNamePattern, splitlimit, bufferSize, compress, indent);
+    }
+
+    public MarcXmlWriter(XMLEventConsumer consumer) {
+        super(consumer);
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    protected void writeSchema(List<Attribute> attrs) throws XMLStreamException {
+        attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xmlns:xsi",
+                XMLConstants.W3C_XML_SCHEMA_INSTANCE_NS_URI));
+        attrs.add(eventFactory.createAttribute("xsi:schemaLocation",
+                NAMESPACE_URI + " " + NAMESPACE_SCHEMA_LOCATION));
+    }
+}