National Library of France

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Coordination of Bibliographic Products and Services (Coordination des produits et services bibliographiques)
Email : coordination-bibliographique@bnf.fr

S'inscrire en ligne

Pour obtenir un identifiant nécessaire à la création d'un compte pour le transfert de notices, remplissez le formulaire en ligne.
En cas de problème d'inscription :
coordination-bibliographique@bnf.fr

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BnF catalogue général

Frequently asked questions about the extraction of BnF's records

Are products and bibliographic services available for free?

The FTP and Z 39.50 services offer free downloading.
However, users must pay to use bibliographic products. Commercial use of BnF data implies the signature of an agreement and the payment of annual fees.
For more info

Bibliographic Products and Services

Can I freely use BnF’s records?

Records extracted from BnF’s databases can be freely used, adapted, modified and distributed. In counterpart, users undertake to keep details of the source, namely the content of the zone 001 of the BnF’s record, in the appropriate area of the target format, in the computer recording.
For more info

Terms of use of records

How can I extract BnF’s records?

Several possibilities are proposed to users.

The online record transfer service enables bibliographic and authority records from the Catalogue général de la BnF to be downloaded by creating a basket. Although the service is free of charge, users must register and set up a user account.

For more info
Downloading records via Z 39.50
To use this service, you need the Z 39.50 software.
This service, available for free, only enables to download records without quitting the cataloguing software.
Current and retrospective bibliographic products

The content of bibliographic products is defined by the BnF. These bibliographic and authority records are available on request.
A subscription is necessary to use these paying products.

How to register online to download records from the Catalogue général de la BnF?

Online registration can be achieved filling this form. You will be assigned a registrant identifier and the FTP server address required for the record transfer, by the service de la coordination des produits et services bibliographiques.

S'inscrire et récupérer des notices

How to choose the character encoding?

The character encoding depends on which software you use. This may be mentioned in your software information notice.
If not, please contact your service provider or carry out the online tests below.
For more info

Jeux tests

BnF advice

When doing the tests using the test files with the UNICODE UTF-8 encoding, if you notice parasitic characters (?,ˆ , © for instance), please choose the ISO-5426 standard.

The encoding requested during the registration is not the good one. How can I modify my profile?

To modify your profile, e-mail your request at the service de la coordination des produits et services bibliographiques coordination-bibliographique@bnf.fr pointing out:
  • the identifier
  • the name of the institution
  • the name of the contact person.

If I move to another institution, can I keep using my identifier?

The identifier request was made in the name of the institution and the identifier assigned to the institution:
  • either the new institution already has an identifier and you can use this one;
  • or you can make another identifier request.
Online registration filling this form
For more info

S'inscrire et récupérer des notices

Your contact details have changed

To modify your contact details, e-mail your request at the service de la coordination des produits et services bibliographiques coordination-bibliographique@bnf.fr pointing out:

  • the identifier
  • the name of the institution
  • the name of the contact person.

You have forgotten your identifier

Please e-mail your request at the coordination-bibliographique@bnf.fr pointing out :

  • the name of the institution,
  • the name of the contact person.

BnF advice

Please keep the confirmation e-mail from BnF after your registration.

I do not remember the personal data (the alias) I used to create my account on the Catalogue général de la BnF.

The alias is a personal data that you alone know. To find it again, follow the instructions of the user’s guide « Création et gestion de compte »
Search

Création et gestion de compte(s) [fichier .pdf – 713 Ko – 28/09/11 – 11 p.]

I have forgotten the password of my account on the Catalogue général de la BnF

The password is a personal data that you alone know. To find it again, follow the instructions of the user’s guide « Création et gestion de compte »
Search

Création et gestion de compte(s) [fichier .pdf – 713 Ko – 28/09/11 – 11 p.]

When you connect to the BnF’s FTP server, the internet browser asks you to enter a user name and password.

Both are included in your FTP address:
  • user name: records
  • password: catalog
Search

Récupération des notices après transfert [fichier .pdf – 842 Ko – 28/09/11 – 6 p.]

There is no transfer visible at my FTP address.

  • Please check that the FTP address in the bar of your internet browser is correct. The correct address is as follows: ftp://notices:catalogue@ftp.bnf.fr/votre identifiant/
  • Update the display using the thumbnail « affichage », then « actualiser ».
  • If the transfer remains invisible, please contact the service de la coordination des produits et services bibliographiques,

One file only has been transferred to the FTP address whereas every cataloguing librarian has supplied data to the basket and transferred them.

Whatever the number of profiles (up to ten profiles), file extraction on BnF’s FTP server is possible via one and only FTP address connected to the identifier. This address is provided during the registration.
According to the organisation of the institution and the book’s distribution network, you can ask for several identifiers. You need to make as many registration requests as necessary identifiers.
For more info

S'inscrire et récupérer des notices

Search

Création et gestion de compte(s) [fichier .pdf – 713 Ko – 28/09/11 – 11 p.]

The stressed characters of extracted records are not properly displayed.

This problem depends on the choice of character encoding that was made during the registration.
To choose the correct encoding, see « Comment choisir l’encodage ? »

Information about the encoding proposed by the BnF

Two encodings are proposed for all types of BnF’s bibliographic products and services:
  • the ISO 5426 standard "Extension of the Latin alphabet coded character set for bibliographic information interchange"
  •  the UTF 8 Unicode: "Universal multiple-octet coded character sets". The option available is the 8 bit encoding.
To be noted: the ISO 8859-1 "Standard: single-byte coded graphic character sets -  Part 1 Latin alphabet" is also proposed for the Z 39.50 software.

Friday, August 5, 2011