ISBN: International Standard Book Number: an Overview
-Kamal, Asheesh, (2017), Library and Information Science Cafe Website.
Introduction
The International Standard Book
Number (ISBN) is a unique numeric commercial book identifier.An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation
(except reprintings) of a book. For example, an e-book,
a paperback and a hardcover edition of the same book would
each have a different ISBN. The ISBN is 13 digits long if assigned on or after
1 January 2007, and 10 digits long if assigned before 2007. The method of
assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country, often
depending on how large the publishing industry is within a country.
The initial ISBN configuration of recognition was generated
in 1967 based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) created
in 1966. The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by the International
Organization for Standardization (ISO) and was published in 1970 as
international standard ISO 2108 (the SBN code can be converted to a ten digit
ISBN by prefixing it with a zero).
An Overview
The Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code is a
9-digit commercial book identifier system created by Gordon
Foster, Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin,[2] for
the booksellers and stationers WHSmith and others in 1965. The
ISBN configuration of recognition was generated in 1967 in the United Kingdom
by David Whitaker (regarded as the "Father of the ISBN") and in
1968 in the US by Emery Koltay[4] (who later became director of the U.S.
ISBN agency R.R. Bowker).
The 10-digit ISBN format was developed by
the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and was
published in 1970 as international standard ISO 2108. The United Kingdom
continued to use the 9-digit SBN code until 1974. ISO has appointed the
International ISBN Agency as the registration authority for ISBN worldwide and
the ISBN Standard is developed under the control of ISO Technical Committee
46/Subcommittee 9 TC 46/SC 9. The ISO on-line facility only
refers back to 1978.
An SBN may be converted to an ISBN by prefixing the digit
"0". For example, the second edition of Mr. J. G. Reeder
Returns, published by Hodder in 1965, has "SBN 340 01381
8" – 340 indicating the publisher, 01381 their serial number, and 8
being the check digit. This can be converted to ISBN 0-340-01381-8; the
check digit does not need to be re-calculated.
Since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have contained 13 digits, a
format that is compatible with "Bookland" European Article Number EAN-13s.
An ISBN is assigned to each edition and variation (except reprintings)
of a book. For example, an ebook, a paperback, and a hardcover edition of the
same book would each have a different ISBN.[10] The ISBN is 13 digits long
if assigned on or after 1 January 2007, and 10 digits long if assigned before
2007. An International Standard Book Number consists of 4 parts (if it is a 10
digit ISBN) or 5 parts (for a 13 digit ISBN):
1. for a 13-digit ISBN, a prefix element –
a GS1 prefix: so far 978 or 979 have been made available by GS1,
2. the registration group element,
(language-sharing country group, individual country or territory)
3. the registrant element,
4. the publication element, and
5.
a checksum character or check digit.
A 13-digit ISBN can be separated into its parts (prefix
element, registration
group, registrant, publication and check digit), and when
this is done it is customary to separate the parts with hyphens or
spaces. Separating the parts (registration group, registrant, publication and check
digit) of a 10-digit ISBN is also done with either hyphens or spaces. Figuring
out how to correctly separate a given ISBN number is complicated, because most
of the parts do not use a fixed number of digits.
Reference
- "ISBN History". isbn.org. 2014.
- "See paragraph 5.2
of ISBN Users' Manual International edition (2012)" . (548 KB)
- Foster, Gordon (1966).
"INTERNATIONAL STANDARD BOOK NUMBERING (ISBN) SYSTEM original 1966
report". informaticsdevelopmentinstitute.net.
- Gregory, Daniel.
"ISBN". PrintRS.
- Information Standards
Quarterly (PDF), 8 (3), ISO, July 1996, p. 12
- International ISBN
Agency (2012). ISBN Users' manual
- ISO 2108:1978, ISO
- Manwal ghall-Utenti
tal-ISBN (in Maltese) (6th ed.). Malta:
Kunsill Nazzjonali tal-Ktieb. 2016. p. 5. ISBN 978-99957-889-4-0.
- TC 46/SC 9, Frequently
Asked Questions about the new ISBN standard from ISO, CA: LAC‐BAC
- US ISBN Agency.
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