diff --git a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/iso2709/Iso2709Constants.java b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/iso2709/Iso2709Constants.java
index ebe9475c8..02a7ec3f7 100644
--- a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/iso2709/Iso2709Constants.java
+++ b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/iso2709/Iso2709Constants.java
@@ -23,9 +23,13 @@
  * @author Christoph Böhme
  *
  */
-final class Iso2709Constants {
+public final class Iso2709Constants {
 
-    static final int RECORD_LABEL_LENGTH = 24;
+    public static final int IMPL_CODES_START = 6;
+    public static final int IMPL_CODES_LENGTH = 4;
+    public static final int RECORD_LABEL_LENGTH = 24;
+    public static final int RECORD_STATUS_POS = 5;
+    public static final int SYSTEM_CHARS_START = 17;
 
     static final int MIN_RECORD_LENGTH = RECORD_LABEL_LENGTH + 2;
     static final int MAX_RECORD_LENGTH = 99_999;
@@ -38,18 +42,11 @@ final class Iso2709Constants {
     static final int RECORD_LENGTH_START = 0;
     static final int RECORD_LENGTH_LENGTH = 5;
 
-    static final int RECORD_STATUS_POS = 5;
-
-    static final int IMPL_CODES_START = 6;
-    static final int IMPL_CODES_LENGTH = 4;
-
     static final int INDICATOR_LENGTH_POS = 10;
     static final int IDENTIFIER_LENGTH_POS = 11;
 
     static final int BASE_ADDRESS_START = 12;
     static final int BASE_ADDRESS_LENGTH = 5;
-
-    static final int SYSTEM_CHARS_START = 17;
     static final int SYSTEM_CHARS_LENGTH = 3;
 
     static final int FIELD_LENGTH_LENGTH_POS = 20;
diff --git a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21Encoder.java b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21Encoder.java
index 876f85203..3cd536fe7 100644
--- a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21Encoder.java
+++ b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21Encoder.java
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
 
 package org.metafacture.biblio.marc21;
 
+import org.metafacture.biblio.iso2709.Iso2709Constants;
 import org.metafacture.biblio.iso2709.RecordBuilder;
 import org.metafacture.biblio.iso2709.RecordFormat;
 import org.metafacture.framework.FluxCommand;
@@ -180,7 +181,12 @@ public void literal(final String name, final String value) {
                 builder.appendSubfield(name.toCharArray(), value);
                 break;
             case IN_LEADER_ENTITY:
-                processLiteralInLeader(name, value);
+                if (name == Marc21EventNames.LEADER_ENTITY) {
+                    processLeaderAsOneLiteral(value);
+                }
+                else {
+                    processLeaderAsSubfields(name, value);
+                }
                 break;
             case IN_RECORD:
                 processTopLevelLiteral(name, value);
@@ -190,12 +196,30 @@ public void literal(final String name, final String value) {
         }
     }
 
-    private void processLiteralInLeader(final String name, final String value) {
+    private void processLeaderAsOneLiteral(final String value) {
+        if (value.length() != Iso2709Constants.RECORD_LABEL_LENGTH) {
+            throw new FormatException(
+                    "leader literal must contain " + Iso2709Constants.RECORD_LABEL_LENGTH + "  characters: " + value);
+        }
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.RECORD_STATUS_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.RECORD_STATUS_POS));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.RECORD_TYPE_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.IMPL_CODES_START));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.BIBLIOGRAPHIC_LEVEL_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.IMPL_CODES_START + 1));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.TYPE_OF_CONTROL_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.IMPL_CODES_START + 2));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.CHARACTER_CODING_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.RECORD_STATUS_POS + Iso2709Constants.IMPL_CODES_LENGTH));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.ENCODING_LEVEL_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.SYSTEM_CHARS_START));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.CATALOGING_FORM_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.SYSTEM_CHARS_START + 1));
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(Marc21EventNames.MULTIPART_LEVEL_LITERAL, value.charAt(Iso2709Constants.SYSTEM_CHARS_START + 2));
+    }
+
+    private void processLeaderAsSubfields(final String name, final String value) {
         if (value.length() != 1) {
             throw new FormatException(
                     "literal must only contain a single character:" + name);
         }
-        final char code = value.charAt(0);
+        processLeaderAsSubfields(name, value.charAt(0));
+    }
+
+    private void processLeaderAsSubfields(final String name, final char code) {
         switch (name) {
             case Marc21EventNames.RECORD_STATUS_LITERAL:
                 requireValidCode(code, Marc21Constants.RECORD_STATUS_CODES);
@@ -251,7 +275,12 @@ private void processTopLevelLiteral(final String name, final String value) {
             // these literals here.
             return;
         }
-        builder.appendReferenceField(name.toCharArray(), value);
+        if (Marc21EventNames.LEADER_ENTITY.equals(name)) {
+            processLeaderAsOneLiteral(value);
+        }
+        else {
+            builder.appendReferenceField(name.toCharArray(), value);
+        }
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/metafacture-biblio/src/test/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21EncoderTest.java b/metafacture-biblio/src/test/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21EncoderTest.java
index 41e8d2b6c..e8e70325d 100644
--- a/metafacture-biblio/src/test/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21EncoderTest.java
+++ b/metafacture-biblio/src/test/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/Marc21EncoderTest.java
@@ -114,4 +114,37 @@ public void issue278ShouldNotFailWhenProcessingLeaderEntity() {
         verify(receiver).process(any(String.class));
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void issue454ShouldNotFailWhenProcessingEntityLeaderAsOneString() {
+        marc21Encoder.startRecord("");
+        marc21Encoder.startEntity(LEADER_ENTITY);
+        marc21Encoder.literal(LEADER_ENTITY, "02602pam a2200529 c 4500");
+        marc21Encoder.endEntity();
+        marc21Encoder.endRecord();
+
+        verify(receiver).process(matches("00026pam a2200025 c 4500\u001e\u001d"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void issue454ShouldNotFailWhenProcessingLeaderAsOneString() {
+        marc21Encoder.startRecord("");
+        marc21Encoder.literal(LEADER_ENTITY, "02602pam a2200529 c 4500");
+        marc21Encoder.endRecord();
+
+        verify(receiver).process(matches("00026pam a2200025 c 4500\u001e\u001d"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    public void issue524ShouldComputeValidLeader() {
+        marc21Encoder.startRecord("");
+        marc21Encoder.literal(LEADER_ENTITY, "00000pam a7777777 c 4444");
+        marc21Encoder.startEntity("021a ");
+        marc21Encoder.literal("v", "Fritz");
+        marc21Encoder.literal("n", "Bauer");
+        marc21Encoder.endEntity();
+        marc21Encoder.endRecord();
+
+        verify(receiver).process(matches("00055pam a2200037 c 4500021001700000\u001e.*\u001d"));
+    }
+
 }