diff --git a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/MarcXmlHandler.java b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/MarcXmlHandler.java
index 37fa25fa9..98d7d082e 100644
--- a/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/MarcXmlHandler.java
+++ b/metafacture-biblio/src/main/java/org/metafacture/biblio/marc21/MarcXmlHandler.java
@@ -38,8 +38,6 @@
 @FluxCommand("handle-marcxml")
 public final class MarcXmlHandler extends DefaultXmlPipe<StreamReceiver> {
 
-    public static final String DEFAULT_ATTRIBUTE_MARKER = "";
-
     private static final String SUBFIELD = "subfield";
     private static final String DATAFIELD = "datafield";
     private static final String CONTROLFIELD = "controlfield";
diff --git a/metafacture-framework/src/main/java/org/metafacture/framework/helpers/DefaultXmlPipe.java b/metafacture-framework/src/main/java/org/metafacture/framework/helpers/DefaultXmlPipe.java
index 773bcdad4..a429fd094 100644
--- a/metafacture-framework/src/main/java/org/metafacture/framework/helpers/DefaultXmlPipe.java
+++ b/metafacture-framework/src/main/java/org/metafacture/framework/helpers/DefaultXmlPipe.java
@@ -38,6 +38,11 @@
  */
 public class DefaultXmlPipe<R extends Receiver> extends DefaultSender<R> implements XmlPipe<R> {
 
+    public static final String DEFAULT_ATTRIBUTE_MARKER = "";
+    public static final String DEFAULT_RECORD_TAG = "record";
+    public static final String DEFAULT_ROOT_TAG = "records";
+    public static final String DEFAULT_VALUE_TAG = "value";
+
     public DefaultXmlPipe() {
     }
 
diff --git a/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/GenericXmlHandler.java b/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/GenericXmlHandler.java
index ef7110070..a2813f6fa 100644
--- a/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/GenericXmlHandler.java
+++ b/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/GenericXmlHandler.java
@@ -40,12 +40,6 @@
 @FluxCommand("handle-generic-xml")
 public final class GenericXmlHandler extends DefaultXmlPipe<StreamReceiver> {
 
-    public static final String DEFAULT_ATTRIBUTE_MARKER = "";
-
-    public static final String DEFAULT_RECORD_TAG = "record";
-
-    public static final String DEFAULT_VALUE_TAG = "value";
-
     public static final boolean EMIT_NAMESPACE = false;
 
     private static final Pattern TABS = Pattern.compile("\t+");
diff --git a/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/SimpleXmlEncoder.java b/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/SimpleXmlEncoder.java
index f2844c325..cff74368e 100644
--- a/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/SimpleXmlEncoder.java
+++ b/metafacture-xml/src/main/java/org/metafacture/xml/SimpleXmlEncoder.java
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import org.metafacture.framework.annotations.In;
 import org.metafacture.framework.annotations.Out;
 import org.metafacture.framework.helpers.DefaultStreamPipe;
+import org.metafacture.framework.helpers.DefaultXmlPipe;
 
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.net.URL;
@@ -53,10 +54,6 @@ public final class SimpleXmlEncoder extends DefaultStreamPipe<ObjectReceiver<Str
 
     public static final String ATTRIBUTE_MARKER = "~";
 
-    public static final String DEFAULT_ROOT_TAG = "records";
-    public static final String DEFAULT_RECORD_TAG = "record";
-    public static final String DEFAULT_VALUE_TAG = null;
-
     private static final String NEW_LINE = "\n";
     private static final String INDENT = "\t";
 
@@ -74,9 +71,9 @@ public final class SimpleXmlEncoder extends DefaultStreamPipe<ObjectReceiver<Str
     private final StringBuilder builder = new StringBuilder();
 
     private String attributeMarker = ATTRIBUTE_MARKER;
-    private String rootTag = DEFAULT_ROOT_TAG;
-    private String recordTag = DEFAULT_RECORD_TAG;
-    private String valueTag = DEFAULT_VALUE_TAG;
+    private String rootTag = DefaultXmlPipe.DEFAULT_ROOT_TAG;
+    private String recordTag = DefaultXmlPipe.DEFAULT_RECORD_TAG;
+    private String valueTag = DefaultXmlPipe.DEFAULT_VALUE_TAG;
     private Map<String, String> namespaces = new HashMap<String, String>();
     private boolean writeRootTag = true;
     private boolean writeXmlHeader = true;
@@ -211,7 +208,7 @@ public void endEntity() {
 
     @Override
     public void literal(final String name, final String value) {
-        if (name.isEmpty() || name.equals(valueTag)) {
+        if (name.equals(valueTag)) {
             element.setText(value);
         }
         else if (name.startsWith(attributeMarker)) {