An approach to mapping CCF to Dublin Core Rajesh Chandrakar INFLIBNET Centre, Ahmedabad, India Abstract Purpose – This paper seeks to describe efforts in the area of converting bibliographic records into Dublin Core from the Common Communication Format. Design/methodology/approach – The paper provides examples of two mappings, one for unqualified Dublin Core metadata elements, and the other for qualified Dublin Core metadata elements. Findings – Some difficulties may occur during the conversion of bibliographic records, and these difficulties are stated along with possible solutions. Originality/value – The paper provides a methodology which would enable an algorithm to be developed for converting CCF-based bibliographic records into Dublin Core metadata elements. Keywords Data handling, Data structures, Bibliographic standards Paper type Technical 1. Introduction The Common Communication Format (CCF) was developed under the auspices of Unesco as part of its UNISIST (Unesco’s Intergovernmental Programme for Cooperation in Scientific and Technological Information) project in order to facilitate the exchange of bibliographic data between organizations. The UNISIST Reference Manual for Machine-Readable Bibliographic Descriptions, known as the Reference Manual Format or the UNISIST format, is an outcome of Unesco’s UNISIST-ICSU/AB Working Group on Bibliographic Descriptions, which is a part of the UNISIST program to develop a standard for the recording and exchange of data in machine-readable form. Later, in 1976, Unesco set up an office in London in conjunction with the British Library to maintain the Manual, which was known as UNIBID, the UNISIST International Centre for Bibliographic Descriptions (Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 1991). During 1978, on the basis of recommendations based on the Unesco-sponsored International Symposium on Bibliographic Exchange Formats, organized by UNIBID, the Ad Hoc Group was set up for the Establishment of the Common Communication Format. The first edition of the format was published in 1984, the second in 1988 and the third in 1992. The format has been developed as an ISO-2709 exchange format and adapted the second revised edition of the Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules (AACR) as a standard for rendering of information (Encyclopedia of Library and Information Science, 1991). The Emerald Research Register for this journal is available at The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister www.emeraldinsight.com/0264-0473.htm This paper is a part of the author’s previous publication entitled “CCF and INFLIBNET standard metadata to Dublin Core crosswalk”, published in Journal of Internet Cataloguing, Vol. 5 No. 3, 2002, which has been revised and abridged for CCF to Dublin Core. Mapping CCF to Dublin Core 577 The Electronic Library Vol. 23 No. 5, 2005 pp. 577-590 q Emerald Group Publishing Limited 0264-0473 DOI 10.1108/02640470510631290