COMMON COMMUNICATION FORMAT (CCF)

Dr.S. Surdarshan Rao Professor Dept. of Library & Information Science Osmania University Hyderbad

Introduction  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.

Background to CCF  In April 1978 the UNESCO General Information Programme (UNESCO/PGI) sponsored an International Symposium on Bibliographic Exchange Formats. Organised by the  UNISIST International Centre for Bibliographic Descriptions (UNIBID)  International Council of Scientific Unions Abstracting Board (ICSU-AB)  International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)  International Organisation for Standardization (ISO) This was convened to study the desirability and feasibility of establishing maximum caompatibility between existing bibliographic exchange formats.

The UNESCO/PGI formed the Adhoc Group which included experts, on the Establishment of a Common Communication Format, that would be useful both to libraries and other information services. The Ad-hoc Group worked based on the following principles. 1. The structure of the new format would conform to the international standard ISO The core record would consist of a small number of mandatory data elements essential to bibliographic description, identified in a standard manner. 3. The core record would be augmented by additional optional data elements, identified in a standard manner. (It was decided subsequently that to keep the format simple, the extension of these should be discouraged where there was an existing field which would serve, particularly in areas like notes). 4. A standard technique would be devised for accommodating levels, relationships, and links between bibliographic entities.

A technique was developed to show relationships between bibliographic records, and between elements within bibliographic records. The concept of the record segment was developed and refined, and a method for designating relationships between records, segments, and fields was accepted by the group. The first edition of CCF (Common Communication Format) was published in At the same time, a new manual was published to include those data elements for recording factual information which are most often used for referral purpose. The result was the division of the CCF format documentation into two volumes: CCF/B for Bibliographic information, and CCF/F for Factual information.

Purpose of the CCF 1. To permit the exchange of bibliographic records between groups of libraries and abstracting and indexing services. 2. To permit a bibliographic agency to use a single set of computer programs to manipulate bibliographic records received from both libraries and abstracting and indexing services. 3. To serve as the basis of a format for an agency’s own bibliographic database, by providing a list of useful data elements. To assist the development of individual systems, other UNESCO documentation will provide implementation notes for the CCF, and a guide for AACR2 cataloguers who use the CCF.

CCF Record Structure The record structure of the Common Communication Format constitutes a specific implementation of the international standard ISO Each CCF record consists of four major parts. Record label Directory Datafields Record separator

Directory The directory is a table containing a variable number of fourteen-character entries, the table is terminated by a field separator character. Each directory entry corresponds to an occurrence of a datafield in the record, and is divided into five parts. 1.Tag 2.Length of datafield 3.Starting character position 4.Segment identifier 5.Occurrence identifier

A single directory entry is organised as follows: TagLength of Datafield Starting character position Segment Identifier Occurrence Identifier 3 char4 char5 char1 char An example of a directory entry:

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

A datafield which has two subfields will be organized as follows: IndicatorsFirst Subfield Identifier First Subfield Second Subfield Identifier Second Subfield Field Separator 2 char Variable2 charVariable1 char An example of a single datafield:

The tag for this datafield, which is 300, appears in the entry which represents this field in the directory, not in the datafield itself. The first character appearing in the field, 1 is the indicator which means that this person has primary responsibility for the contents of the item described in this segment of the record. The second digit, 1 indicates that the form of the name which appears here comes from the authority file of the agency creating the record. The form of the name on the item may be different from the form given here. Subfield A pre- ceded by its subfield A, provides a significant element of the contents of this datafield will be ordered in a sequential index. This is the data element by which the contents of this datafield will be ordered in a sequential index. Subfield E given a three digits code, 673 taken from a list of codes shown in section 4.8 of the CCF. This code indicates that the person identified in this datafield is the person who directed the research reported in the work. The datafield is terminated by a unique character, the field separator, which for convenience is shown here as #.

Record separator The record separator (character 1/13 of ISO 646) is the final character of the record. It follows the field separator of the final datafield of the record. CCF Tag Codes The CCF provides a standard format of tag coeds for codification of all the bibliographic data elements in a database. Ideally this format should be independent of any specific catalog code. CCF provides codes for the bibliographic data elements that occur in all the catalog codes.

Segments, Links and Levels The CCF has a mechanism to take care of record linking. It can link records at separate bibliographic levels which when added together constitute the record of a bibliographic item, or it can link records with different kinds of relationships, such as a serial title to its former title and vice versa, or a work to its translations. The CCF permits a single bibliographic record to contain descriptions of more than one item. The identification or description of each item occupies a single record segment. The item for which the record was primarily created is known as the target item, it occupies the primary segment. Other bibliographic entities identified or described in the same record occupy secondary segments. The relationships among the items described or identified are shown through segment links.

Conclusion If two or more organizations wish to exchange records with one another, it will be necessary for each of these organizations to agree upon a common standard format for exchange purposes. Each must be able to convert to an exchange-format record from an internal-format record, and vice versa. Exchange formats are clearly needed for the this purpose. The CCF would indeed be an effective bridge between the library community and the information community and has certainly gained popularity as a format on which the database of library systems and services can be developed. CCF is at present the format for exchange of bibliographic data which is most applicable for libraries and information centres. This format is designed based on the ISO-2709 standard to achieve compatibility between the different record structures of the formats.

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