CEPAL / LILACS Format (Biblo)
The biblo database is an implementation of the bibliographic methodology developed by ECLAC (CEPAL) and widely adapted by BIREME for the LILACS methodology.
Unlike MARC 21, which centers on the physical item, this model centers on the Bibliographic Level, making it exceptionally good for linking parts to wholes (e.g., an Article linked to a Journal, or a Chapter linked to a Book).
Database Definition
- Internal Name:
biblo - Standard: CEPAL / UNISIST / LILACS Methodology.
- Encoding: UTF-8 or ANSI (depending on installation).
1. Document Types (Worksheets)
The data entry workflow is driven by the Type of Material and Bibliographic Level. The worksheets (.fmt) are named using a two-letter code:
| Worksheet | Code | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
sa.fmt | Serial Analytic | Article in a Journal. | Most common for academic libraries. Links an article to the journal title (Tag 30). |
ma.fmt | Monograph Analytic | Chapter in a Book. | Links a chapter (Analytic) to the book (Monograph). |
mm.fmt | Monograph | Book / Pamphlet. | Standard books, manuals, reports. |
tm.fmt | Thesis | Thesis / Dissertation. | Specifically for academic degrees (includes Tag 50/51 for Institution/Degree). |
mc.fmt | Collection | Series / Multi-volume. | Collection level records. |
2. Field Structure (FDT)
The fields are defined by numerical tags, but the usage varies slightly depending on the active worksheet.
Main Fields
| Tag | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | Personal Author | Main author (Surname, Name). Repeatable. |
| 11 | Corporate Author | Institution responsible for the content. |
| 12 | Title | The title of the item (Article title or Book title). |
| 13 | Thesis Degree | Specific for tm worksheet. |
| 14 | Pagination | Range of pages (e.g., "15-30"). |
| 16 | Author Affiliation | Institution where the author works. |
| 18 | Conference | Name of the meeting/conference (for proceedings). |
| 30 | Serial Title | Name of the Journal (Used in sa worksheets). |
| 72 | Descriptors | Controlled vocabulary subjects (often linked to agrovoc or decs). |
| 83 | Abstract | Summary of the content. |
| 02 | Publication Year | Year of publication (YYYY). |
Control Fields
- Tag 001 (CN): Control Number (Unique ID).
- Tag 006: Record Status/Type.
3. Indexing Strategy (FST)
The biblo.fst uses standard prefixes to allow specific field retrieval.
| Prefix | Field | Technique | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| (None) | Global | Word (4) | Indexes Title, Abstract, and Descriptors for general search. |
| TI_ | Title | Word (4) | Searches words in Tag 12 and 30. |
| AU_ | Author | Phrase (0) | Exact name search (Tags 10, 11, 16). |
| DE_ | Descriptors | Phrase (0) | Subject search (Tag 72, 76). |
| PY_ | Year | Full | Publication year (Tag 02, 64). |
| CN_ | Control No. | Full | Tag 001. |
| IS_ | ISBN/ISSN | Full | Tag 35 (ISSN) and 47 (ISBN). |
4. Display & Export (PFT)
The biblo database comes with a rich set of display formats tailored for academic output.
Display Formats
biblo.pft: The standard view, presenting a complete bibliographic reference followed by the abstract and holdings.opac.pft: Optimized for the public interface, hiding administrative fields.
Export Formats
The pfts folder includes scripts to generate citations for reference managers:
export_BibTex.pft: For LaTeX/BibTeX users.export_EndNote.pft:.enwformat.export_Refworks.pft: For RefWorks import.export_ProCite.pft: Legacy format.
5. Thesaurus Integration
This model is designed to work tightly with a Thesaurus (like agrovoc or macrothesaurus).
- Field 72 (Descriptors) usually has a "Lookup" button configured in the FDT to search the authority database and retrieve validated terms.