Common communication format

Standards to facilitate information exchange has always been a subject of concern.

To provide a flexible exchange format that could be used for converting data from libraries and information services of all types, UNESCO developed the Common Communication Format (CCF). The main aim of this format was to produce a method of organising bibliographic descriptions which could be exchanged between institutions. This format was to act as a link between the databases produced in different internal formats of libraries.

1. COMMON
COMMUNICATION
FORMAT
(CCF)

2. Introduction
Standardstofacilitateinformationexchange
hasalwaysbeenasubjectofconcern.
Toprovideaflexibleexchangeformatthatcould
beusedforconvertingdatafromlibrariesand
informationservicesofalltypes,UNESCO
developedtheCommonCommunicationFormat
(CCF).Themainaimofthisformatwasto
produceamethodoforganisingbibliographic
descriptionswhichcouldbeexchangedbetween
institutions.Thisformatwastoactasalink
betweenthedatabasesproducedindifferent
internalformatsoflibraries.

3. Background to CCF
InApril1978theUNESCOGeneralInformation
Programme(UNESCO/PGI)sponsoredanInternational
SymposiumonBibliographicExchangeFormats.
Organisedbythe
UNISISTInternationalCentreforBibliographic
Descriptions(UNIBID)
InternationalCouncilofScientificUnionsAbstracting
Board(ICSU-AB)
InternationalFederationofLibraryAssociationsand
Institutions(IFLA)
InternationalOrganisationforStandardization(ISO)
Thiswasconvenedtostudythedesirabilityand
feasibilityofestablishingmaximumcaompatibility
betweenexistingbibliographicexchangeformats.

4. TheUNESCO/PGIformedtheAdhocGroupwhichincludedexperts,
ontheEstablishmentofaCommonCommunicationFormat,that
wouldbeusefulbothtolibrariesandotherinformationservices.The
Ad-hocGroupworkedbasedonthefollowingprinciples.
1.Thestructureofthenewformatwouldconformtotheinternational
standardISO2709.
2.Thecorerecordwouldconsistofasmallnumberofmandatorydata
elementsessentialtobibliographicdescription,identifiedina
standardmanner.
3.Thecorerecordwouldbeaugmentedbyadditionaloptionaldata
elements,identifiedinastandardmanner.(Itwasdecided
subsequentlythattokeeptheformatsimple,theextensionofthese
shouldbediscouragedwheretherewasanexistingfieldwhichwould
serve,particularlyinareaslikenotes).
4.Astandardtechniquewouldbedevisedforaccommodatinglevels,
relationships,andlinksbetweenbibliographicentities.

5. Atechniquewasdevelopedtoshowrelationshipsbetween
bibliographicrecords,andbetweenelementswithin
bibliographicrecords.Theconceptoftherecordsegment
wasdevelopedandrefined,andamethodfordesignating
relationshipsbetweenrecords,segments,andfieldswas
acceptedbythegroup.
ThefirsteditionofCCF(CommonCommunication
Format)waspublishedin1984.Atthesametime,anew
manualwaspublishedtoincludethosedataelementsfor
recordingfactualinformationwhicharemostoftenused
forreferralpurpose.Theresultwasthedivisionofthe
CCFformatdocumentationintotwovolumes:CCF/Bfor
Bibliographicinformation,andCCF/FforFactual
information.

6. Purpose of the CCF
1.Topermittheexchangeofbibliographicrecords
betweengroupsoflibrariesandabstractingand
indexingservices.
2.Topermitabibliographicagencytouseasinglesetof
computerprogramstomanipulatebibliographic
recordsreceivedfrombothlibrariesandabstracting
andindexingservices.
3.Toserveasthebasisofaformatforanagency’sown
bibliographicdatabase,byprovidingalistofuseful
dataelements.Toassistthedevelopmentofindividual
systems,otherUNESCOdocumentationwillprovide
implementationnotesfortheCCF,andaguidefor
AACR2cataloguerswhousetheCCF.

7. CCF Record Structure
TherecordstructureoftheCommonCommunication
Formatconstitutesaspecificimplementationofthe
internationalstandardISO2709.EachCCFrecord
consistsoffourmajorparts.
•Recordlabel
•Directory
•Datafields
•Recordseparator

8. Directory
Thedirectoryisatablecontainingavariablenumberof
fourteen-characterentries,thetableisterminatedbya
fieldseparatorcharacter.Eachdirectoryentry
correspondstoanoccurrenceofadatafieldintherecord,
andisdividedintofiveparts.
1.Tag
2.Lengthofdatafield
3.Startingcharacterposition
4.Segmentidentifier
5.Occurrenceidentifier

9. A single directory entry is organised as follows:
Tag Length of
Datafield
Starting
character
position
Segment
Identifier
Occurrence
Identifier
3 char 4 char 5 char 1 char 1 char
An example of a directory entry:
30000330028910

10. Datafields
A datafield consists of:
•Indicators
•One or more subfields each of which is
preceded by a subfield identifier
•A datafield separator

11. A datafield which has two subfields will be
organized as follows:
Indicators First
Subfield
Identifier
First
Subfield
Second
Subfield
Identifier
Second
Subfield
Field
Separator
2 char 2 charVariable2 charVariable1 char
Anexampleofasingledatafield:
11@[email protected].@D1953-@E673#

12. Thetagforthisdatafield,whichis300,appearsintheentrywhich
representsthisfieldinthedirectory,notinthedatafielditself.Thefirst
characterappearinginthefield,1istheindicatorwhichmeansthat
thispersonhasprimaryresponsibilityforthecontentsoftheitem
describedinthissegmentoftherecord.Theseconddigit,1indicates
thattheformofthenamewhichappearsherecomesfromthe
authorityfileoftheagencycreatingtherecord.Theformofthename
ontheitemmaybedifferentfromtheformgivenhere.SubfieldApre-
cededbyitssubfieldidentifier@A,providesasignificantelementof
thecontentsofthisdatafieldwillbeorderedinasequentialindex.This
isthedataelementbywhichthecontentsofthisdatafieldwillbe
orderedinasequentialindex.SubfieldEgivenathreedigitscode,673
takenfromalistofcodesshowninsection4.8oftheCCF.Thiscode
indicatesthatthepersonidentifiedinthisdatafieldisthepersonwho
directedtheresearchreportedinthework.Thedatafieldisterminated
byauniquecharacter,thefieldseparator,whichforconvenienceis
shownhereas#.

13. Record separator
Therecordseparator(character1/13ofISO646)isthe
finalcharacteroftherecord.Itfollowsthefield
separatorofthefinaldatafieldoftherecord.
CCF Tag Codes
TheCCFprovidesastandardformatoftagcoedsfor
codificationofallthebibliographicdataelementsina
database.Ideallythisformatshouldbeindependentof
anyspecificcatalogcode.CCFprovidescodesforthe
bibliographicdataelementsthatoccurinallthecatalog
codes.

14. Segments, Links and Levels
TheCCFhasamechanismtotakecareofrecordlinking.Itcan
linkrecordsatseparatebibliographiclevelswhichwhenadded
togetherconstitutetherecordofabibliographicitem,oritcan
linkrecordswithdifferentkindsofrelationships,suchasa
serialtitletoitsformertitleandviceversa,oraworktoits
translations.
TheCCFpermitsasinglebibliographicrecordtocontain
descriptionsofmorethanoneitem.Theidentificationor
descriptionofeachitemoccupiesasinglerecordsegment.The
itemforwhichtherecordwasprimarilycreatedisknownas
thetargetitem,itoccupiestheprimarysegment.
Otherbibliographicentitiesidentifiedordescribedinthesame
recordoccupysecondarysegments.Therelationshipsamong
theitemsdescribedoridentifiedareshownthroughsegment
links.

15. Conclusion
Iftwoormoreorganizationswishtoexchangerecordswithone
another,itwillbenecessaryforeachoftheseorganizationsto
agreeuponacommonstandardformatforexchangepurposes.
Eachmustbeabletoconverttoanexchange-formatrecord
fromaninternal-formatrecord,andviceversa.
Exchangeformatsareclearlyneededforthethispurpose.The
CCFwouldindeedbeaneffectivebridgebetweenthelibrary
communityandtheinformationcommunityandhascertainly
gainedpopularityasaformatonwhichthedatabaseoflibrary
systemsandservicescanbedeveloped.
CCFisatpresenttheformatforexchangeofbibliographicdata
whichismostapplicableforlibrariesandinformationcentres.
ThisformatisdesignedbasedontheISO-2709standardto
achievecompatibilitybetweenthedifferentrecordstructuresof
theformats.

16. THANKS