INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBER (ISBN)

1.      I N T R O D U C T I O N

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a unique International Publisher’s Identifier number, which is meant for monographic publications. ISBN is the thirteen-digit number, which replaces the handling of long bibliographic descriptive records. ISBN is known throughout the world as a short and clear machine-readable identification number, which marks any book unmistakably. ISBN is a machine readable in the form of 13-digit i.e. Book land EAN Bar Code. This is the fast system for the running of electronic point of sale system in bookshops. ISBN mainly executes ordering and distribution of books, which is the fast and efficient method. ISBN is the essential instrument in modern distribution and rationalization opportunities in the book trade. An ISBN is an important factor in book market.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was introduced in the world in 1972 and in India this system was put into operation in January 1985 by Raja Rammohun National Agency for ISBN and in the alphabetical order of member countries, our country stands at serial No. 55. The Indian ISBN Agency is putting tremendous efforts to popularize the system in India in achieving maximum registration of publishers/authors and other Government/Semi Government organizations/ Institutions through mass media, publishers’ programmes, publicity through Newspapers, participation in various National Book Fairs, Book Exhibitions and through the help of various associations of publishers & booksellers etc.

The book industry in India is a large complex consisting of the wide range of professionals such as authors, editors, printers, booksellers and distributors etc. Today India is among the top multilingual publishing country in the world. India is the 6^th largest book producing country and ranks third in the production of the books in English after the USA & UK .

The National Agency for ISBN is responsible for registration of Indian Publishers, Authors, Universities, Institutions and Government Departments who are responsible for publishing of books. To obtain an ISBN, Publishers have to fill up an application form, which is available on net also or can be collected personally or by post by sending a request to the agency at the following address.

Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency for ISBN

A2/W4, Curzon Road Barracks,

Kasturba Gandhi Marg,

New Delhi-110001

Telephone No. 23384687, 23382549 (Extn. 12)

Since its inception the National Agency has registered 12,375 publishers in different categories and allocated 1020 single ISBNs to Author cum Publisher till December 2007. The agency is also sending the progress report which is to be included in the Publishers International ISBN Directory.

2.      ADVANTAGES OF ISBN

Ø      ISBN is a unique international identifier for monographic publications; assigning a number replaces the handling of long bibliographic descriptive records. Time and staff are saved and copying mistakes are avoided.

Ø      The ISBN allows compilation and updating of book trade directories and bibliographic databases, such as catalogues of books-in-print. Information on available books can be found easily.

Ø      Ordering and distribution of books is mainly executed by ISBN; that is a fast and efficient method.

Ø      The ISBN is a machine-readable in the form of a 13-digit EAN.UCC bar code. This is fast system and avoids mistakes.

Ø      The ISBN is needed for running of electronic point-of-sale systems in bookshops.

Ø      Rights management is mainly done on the basis of ISBN.

Ø      The ISBN does the accumulation of sales data.  This enables the varying successes of different product forms and editions of publications to be monitored, as well as enabling comparisons between different subject areas and even different publishing houses.

Ø      The national lending right in some countries is based on the ISBN.  Such schemes enable authors and illustrators to receive payments proportionate to the number of times that their books are lent out by public libraries.

3.      The Function and Scope of the ISBN

Recognised in more than 160 countries throughout the world, the international Standard Book Number is a short and clear identifier that is potentially machine-readable.  The ISBN denotes a particular monographic publication uniquely and should, therefore, be associated with it from early production stages.  An essential instrument in production, distribution, sales analysis, and bibliographic data storage systems in the book trade, ISBN is also of vital importance to library information management.

However, where a product is appropriate to another specific numbering system (such as continuing resources and ongoing integrating resources, which qualify for the ISSN, and printed music, which qualifies for the ISMN), then that system must be used.   If appropriate, such identifiers should be used in conjunction with the ISBN. 

ISBNs are assigned to monographic publications and certain types of related products that are available to the public, whether those publications and related products are available on a gratis basis or to purchase.  In addition, individual sections (such as chapters) of monographic publications or issues or articles of continuing resources that are made available separately may also use the ISBN as an identifier.  With regard to the various media available, it is of no importance in what physical form the content is documented and distributed; however, each product form should be identified separately.

Some examples of types of monographic publications to which an ISBN shall be assigned are:

·                      Printed books and pamphlets

·                      Braille publications

·                      Publications that are not intended by the publisher to be updated regularly or continued indefinitely

·                      Individual articles or issues of a particular continuing resource (but not the continuing resource in its entirely)

·                      Maps

·                      Educational/instructional films, videos and transparencies

·                      Audio books on cassette, or CD, or DVD (talking books)

·                      Electronic publications either on physical carriers (such as machine-readable tapes, diskettes, or CD-ROMs) or on the Internet

·                      Digitised copies of print monographic publications,

·                      Microform publication

·                      Educational or instructional software

·                      Mixed media publications (where the principal constituent is text-based)

Some examples of the types of material to which an ISBN shall NOT be assigned are:

·                      Continuing resources treated in their entirety as bibliographic entities (individual issues may qualify for ISBNs)

·                      Abstract entities such as textual works and other abstract creations of intellectual or artistic content

·                      Ephemeral printed materials such as advertising matter and the like

·                      Printed music

·                      Art prints and art folders without title page and text

·                      Personal documents (such as an electronic curriculum vitae or personal profile)

·                      Greeting cards

·                      Music sound recordings

·                      Software that is intended for any purpose other than educational or instructional

·                      Electronic bulletin boards

·                      E-mails and other electronic correspondence

·                      Games

4.      STRUCTURE OF ISBN

From 1 January, 2007 , an ISBN consists of 13 digits preceded by the letters “ISBN”.

The thirteen digit ISBN is divided into five elements, three of them of variable length; the first and last elements are of fixed length. The elements must each be separated clearly by hyphens or spaces when displayed in human readable form:

ISBN 978-81-8000-022-5

or

ISBN 978 81 8000 022 5

Prefix element: 978

Group Identifier: 81 stands for India , which known as country code.

Publisher’s Prefix: 8000 stands for a particular publisher.

Title Identifier: 000 stands for the particular title.

Check digit: 5 The fifth element of the ISBN is the check digit. This is calculated using a modulus 10 algorithm. Each of the first 12 digits of the ISBN is alternately multiplied by 1 and 3. The check digit is equal to 10 minus the remainder resulting from dividing the sum of the weighted products of the first 12 digits by 10 with one exception. If this calculation results in an apparent check digit of 10, the check digit is 0.

5.      Application of ISBN

5.1. General

A separate ISBN must be assigned to every title, or edition of a title by each publisher, but NOT to an unchanged impression or unchanged reprint of the same title in the same format by the same publisher. Revised editions require a new ISBN. A price change does not call for a new ISBN. Changes of the format induce a new ISBN. The same title being published in a series and individually is treated as two different editions.

5.2. Facsimile reprints

A separate ISBN must be assigned to a facsimile reprint produced by a different publisher.

5.3. Publications in different product forms

Different product forms of a publication (e.g., hardback, paperback, Braille, audiobook, online electronic publication) require separate ISBNs. Where electronic publications are made available in different formats (e.g. .lit, .pdf, .html, .pdb) each separately available format shall be assigned a unique ISBN.

5.4. Loose-leaf publications

If a publication appears in loose-leaf form an ISBN is assigned to identify an edition at a given time. Individual issues of additions or replacement sheets will also be given an ISBN, when they are separately stocked.

5.5. Multi-volume works

An ISBN must be assigned to the whole set of volumes of a multi-volume work; also, if individual volumes of the set are sold separately, each volume must be assigned its own ISBN. Thus the individual processing and sale of single volumes is made possible. Even when multi-volume works are only sold as a set, the assignment of ISBN to each volume is advisable: It facilitates the handling of returns (damaged volumes) and the processing of shipments when not all volumes are published or distributed at the same time.

5.6. Backlist

A publisher is required to number all backlist publications and publish the ISBNs in catalogues. The ISBN must also be printed in the first available reprint of a backlist title.

5.7. Collaborative publications

A publication issued as a co-edition or joint imprint with other publishers is assigned an ISBN by the publisher in charge of distribution. Other co-publishers may assign their ISBNs if they want to.

5.8. Books sold or distributed by agents

(Except for a) this applies only to countries that are not yet participating in the system)

1. As the ISBN standard states, a particular edition, published by a particular publisher, receives only one ISBN. This ISBN must be retained no matter where, or by whom; the book is distributed or sold.
2. A book imported by an exclusive distributor or sole agent from an area which is not in the ISBN system and which has no ISBNs assigned to it, may be assigned an ISBN by the exclusive distributor.
3. Books imported by an exclusive distributor or sole agent to which a new title page, bearing the imprint of the exclusive distributor, has been added in place of the title page of the original publisher, are to be given a new ISBN by the exclusive distributor or sole agent. The ISBN of the original publisher should also be given.
4. A book imported by several distributors from an area not in the ISBN system and which has no ISBNs assigned to it, may be assigned an ISBN by the group agency responsible for those distributors.

5.9. Acquisition of one publisher by another

A publisher acquiring another publishing house must continue to use the originally assigned ISBN until the book is reprinted under the new company imprint.

5.10. Acquisition of complete stock of a publisher

A publisher acquiring the complete stock of another company must use the original publisher's assigned ISBN until the new company reprints under its own imprint.

5.11. Publishers with more than one place of publication

1. A publisher operating in several places which are listed together in the imprint of the book will assign only one ISBN to the book.
2. A publisher operating separate and distinct offices or branches in different places may have a publisher identifier for each office or branch. However, each book published is to be assigned only one ISBN. This ISBN should be assigned by the office or branch responsible for publication.

5.12. Register of ISBN

It is the responsibility of all publishers to inform their group agency or the organization responsible for the maintenance of title registration of the ISBNs that have been assigned to published and forthcoming books. When the publisher does not take this responsibility, the group agency or the organization responsible for the maintenance of title registration is authorized to maintain the ISBN register of this publisher on its own initiative.

5.13. ISBN can never be re-used

An ISBN, once assigned, can never be re-used, under any circumstances. This is of the utmost importance to avoid confusion.
If, through a clerical error, a number is incorrectly assigned, the number must be deleted from the list of useable numbers and must never be assigned to another title.
Publishers should advise the group agency of the number(s) deleted and of the titles to which they were erroneously assigned.

6. ISBN for electronic publications

The ISBN also applies to electronic publications:

• Offline items, like floppy disks and CD-ROMs, are treated like any other publication.
• Online items may be completed and finalised publications, like a textbook on the Internet. In this case an ISBN would suffice.
• An online publication may be a bibliographic or fact database that is subject to change any second. This would be comparable to an encyclopedia or dictionary which is also constantly updated in other media, without each little amendment leading to a new edition or new ISBN. Only significant and/or structural changes (including title changes) would require new ISBNs.
• Linked material (e.g. hypertext) would only be considered covered by the same ISBN if the related material is actually part of the publication.
• If an online publication is available under different operating systems and/or command languages, each «edition» would require a separate ISBN.

ISBN for eligible software products:

1. An ISBN is used to identify a specific software product. If there is more than one version (perhaps versions adapted for different machines, carrier media or language version), each version must have a separate ISBN.
2. When a software product is updated, revised or amended and the changes are sufficiently substantial for the product to be called a new edition, a new ISBN must be assigned.
3. A relaunch of an existing product, even in new packaging, where there is no basic difference in the performance of the new and the old product, does not justify a new ISBN, and the original ISBN must be used.
4. When software is accompanied by a manual which is useful only as an adjunct to the software, the software needs the manual before it can be operated, and they are sold as a package, one ISBN must be assigned to cover both items.
5. When two or more items in a software package can be used separately, or are sold separately as well as together, then

     a) the package as a whole must have an ISBN
     b) each item in the package must have an ISBN.

6. An ISBN should be assigned to a software product independently of its physical form (e.g. if software is only available from a remote database from where it is downloaded to the customer.)
7. As well as identifying the product itself, an ISBN identifies the producer or manufacturer; it should not be used to identify a distributor or wholesaler of the product.

7. Printing of ISBN

7.1. General

The ISBN must appear on the item itself. This is essential for the efficient running of the system.

The ISBN must appear:

• on the verso of the title page (copyright page)
• on the lower section of the outside back cover
• on the foot of the title page, if there is no space elsewhere
• on the bottom of the back dust jacket, or any other protective case, or wrapper
• on the base of the spine (only if the product is a paperback book)
• on the label of the container if the publication is issued in it (cassette, diskette, CD-ROM etc.)
• on the title display, or the first display (CD-ROM, internet publications)
• on the credit titles (film, video)

The ISBN should always be printed in type large enough to be easily legible (i.e. 9 point or larger).

7.2. ISBN in bar-coded form

The rapid, worldwide expansion of bar code scanning has brought into prominence the agreement reached between the EAN International (EAN), the Uniform Code Council (UCC), and the International ISBN and International ISMN Agency, which allows the ISBN to be encoded into an EAN-13 bar code. This makes the ISBN an international identifier compatible with the worldwide bar coding scheme.

Representing the ISBN in an EAN-13 bar code symbology must be done in accordance with ISO/IEC 15420 (bar code symbology specification EAN/UPC) that requires the usage of EAN-13 symbols to be in line with the recommendations of EAN and UCC. An EAN bar code consists of thirteen digits.

An example of an ISBN encoded in an EAN-13 bar code symbol is shown below:

ISBN 978-1-873671-00-9

When used in a bar code, the ISBN must be displayed in human readable form immediately above the EAN-13 bar code symbol, preceded by “ISBN”.

Example of printing the ISBN in EAN -13 bar code symbol symbology:

Further information on the introduction and use of the EAN-13 bar code symbol is provided by the ISBN group agencies and the International ISBN Agency. Group agencies are encouraged to cooperate directly with the EAN organisations on a national or regional level.

The recommended location of the EAN-13 bar code symbol for publications is the lower right quadrant of the back, near the spine.

8.   The functions of a group/national agency are:

• To promote participation in the ISBNs system within its area.
• To manage and administer the affairs of the group.
• To decide, in co-operation with publishers and their representative agencies, the range of publisher identifiers required.
• To allocate publisher identifiers to eligible publishers and maintain a register of publishers and their identifiers.
• To decide, in consultation with publishers and their representative agencies, which publishers will assign numbers to their own titles, and which will have numbers assigned to their titles by the group agency.
• To advise publishers on the correct and proper implementation of the system.
• To provide materials and resources that ensure the proper implementation of the ISBN standard.
• To make available computer print-outs of ISBNs to publishers numbering their own books with check digits already calculated.
• To inform publishers of any invalid or duplicate ISBN assigned by them.
• To provide technical advice and assistance to publishers and ensure that standards and approved procedures are observed in the group.
• To encourage and promote the Bookland EAN bar code format.
• To encourage and promote the importance of the ISBN for a proper listing of titles with book listing and bibliographical agencies.
• To maintain liaison with all elements of the book industry and introduce new publishers to the system.
• To assist the book industry in the use of the ISBN in computer systems.
• To handle relations with the International ISBN Agency on behalf of all the publishers in the group.
• To keep and make available the files of assigned publisher identifiers and title numbers. If the National Bibliography fulfils the latter task, the agency does not have to duplicate this effort.
• To report regularly to the International ISBN Agency.

9.      Publisher administration

Publishers are responsible for assigning title identifiers to the individual items they publish and for ensuring the application of pertinent regulations.

Upon request they may receive a publisher identifier from a group agency and a printout of the ISBNs that are available to them in combination with the allocated publisher identifier.

A publisher will be assigned a publisher identifier by a national group agency which will determine the range of title identifiers available to the publisher. The number of title identifiers will depend on the length of the publisher prefix assigned. The publisher should ensure that the group agency has as much information as possible about all available backlists and should advise the group agency of all present and future publications in order to enable the assignment of a suitably sized publisher identifier.

Publishers are encouraged to contact book listing and bibliographical agencies for publication of their titles and ISBNs assigned to those titles.

Further information and detailed instructions are available from the ISBN group agencies and from the International ISBN Agency.

10.    Practical uses of ISBN

The ISBN is used in all branches of the book sector.

  ISBN in publishing houses is used for:

• identifying firm publication projects from the manuscript to the printer
• title identification in publishers' catalogues and advertisements
• listing in printed directories, electronic directories and in Internet-sites
• stock control
• copyright management
• management of royalties
• processing of orders
• accounting and billing
• monitoring sales data
• producing statistics
• handling of returns

  ISBN in Books in Print services, distribution centres, and wholesalers is used for:

• building bibliographic databases for the book trade like Books in Print
• building databases of titles in stock
• ordering services based on electronic communication systems like EDI (electronic data interchange) or via the Internet
• stock control
• monitoring internal logistic processes
• accounting and billing
• producing sales data
• returns administration
• producing subject lists and catalogues

ISBN in centralized service organisations for libraries (producing ready-to-borrow copies) is used for:

• ordering at the publishers or wholesalers
• processing orders from libraries
• stock control
• monitoring internal logistic processes
• accounting and billing
• administration of rebinding processes

   ISBN in bookshops is used for:

• bibliographic searches
• tracing addresses
• ordering and re-ordering processes based on electronic communication systems like EDI (electronic data interchange) or via the Internet
• stock administration
• accounting and billing the end consumer
• electronic point-of-sale system (EPOS)

  ISBN in libraries is used for:

• ordering
• copy-cataloguing
• lending statistics
• national lending right
• interlending