Information transfer and exchange formats

Abstract

The major international exchange formats used in bibliographic information transfer are the UNIMARC format suitable primarity for library purposes, and the UNISIST format as described by UNISIST Reference Manual which is applied mainly by secondary services, The third one, the Common Communication Format (CCF) provided by UNESCO can be used in both fields, and offers a "switch" between one and the other. The three major formats have several common features because they have been developed from the practice. They all have flexible record structures that can adopt a wide scale of user requirements but operating in diverse technical environments. The most complex problem is the treatment of bibliographic levels. Another common feature is that the user expects more services from exchange formats than they were designed to, and they cannot solve all problems connected with the requirements of the user's own system.