COMMON
COMMUNICATION
FORMAT
(CCF)
Dr.S. Surdarshan Rao
Professor
Dept. of Library & Information Science
Osmania University
Hyderbad-500 007.
E-mail: rao_ss2000@yahoo.co.in
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 2709.
2.
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 1984. 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.
2.
3.
To permit the exchange of bibliographic records
between groups of libraries and abstracting and
indexing services.
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.
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 2709. 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.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Tag
Length of datafield
Starting character position
Segment identifier
Occurrence identifier
A single directory entry is organised as follows:
Tag
3 char
Length of Starting
Segment
Datafield character Identifier
position
4 char
5 char
1 char
An example of a directory entry:
30000330028910
Occurrence
Identifier
1 char
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:
Indicators
First
Subfield
Identifier
First
Subfield
Second
Subfield
Identifier
Second
Subfield
Field
Separator
2 char
2 char
Variable
2 char
Variable
1 char
An example of a single datafield:
11@A Stephenson@BM.S.@D1953-@E673#
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 preceded by its subfield identifier @ 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.
THANKS