Data Models and Standards

ABCD is not limited to a single format. Thanks to the flexibility of the ISIS technology, it comes pre-packaged with several international standards for different types of institutions.

Available Models

For Libraries

• MARC 21: The global standard for library automation. Supports Books, Serials, Maps, and Multimedia.
• Biblo (LILACS): The methodology developed by BIREME/PAHO, widely used in Latin American health sciences networks.

For Archives

• ISAD(G): General International Standard Archival Description. Optimized for hierarchical descriptions (Funds, Collections, Items).

For Museums & Repositories

• Dublin Core: A lightweight metadata standard ideal for digital objects and repositories.
• Spectrum: The UK standard for museum documentation and object management.

For Thesauri

• Agrovoc / Thesaurus: Structure for managing controlled vocabularies and authority lists.

Choosing a Model

When creating a new database in ABCD, you are asked to select a "Base" (Model). This choice determines the Field Definition Table (FDT) and the default worksheets.

Interoperability

Choosing a standard model ensures that your data can be easily exported and shared via protocols like Z39.50 (for MARC) or OAI-PMH (for Dublin Core/MARC).