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Link to the ISO TC 46/SC 9 Home Page

ISO Project 2108
on revision of the
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

Frequently Asked Questions
about changes to the ISBN

Please link to this site (instead of copying it) to ensure that you have the latest and most accurate information about the ISBN revision project.
This version was last updated on February 10, 2004.


VERSION FRANÇAISE

LINKED SITES

Implementation guidelines
[Web site for the International ISBN Agency]
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Project status
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ISBN Working Group
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ISO/TC46/SC9 Web site
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International ISBN Agency
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EAN-UCC product code system

. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is based on an ISO International Standard that was first published in 1972 as ISO 2108. ISO 2108 specifies the basic structure of an ISBN, the rules for its allocation, and the administration of the ISBN system. ISO 2108 is currently under revision to deal with changes to the ISBN system.

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Why is the ISBN being changed?

The main purpose of the ISBN revision project is to increase the numbering capacity of the ISBN system. As a result of electronic publishing and other changes in the publishing industry, the numbering capacity of the ISBN system is being consumed at a much faster rate than was originally anticipated when the ISBN system was designed for printed books in the late 1960's.

In effect, the ISBN system is going to run out of numbers in its current format. That isn't going to happen tomorrow but it is going to happen. We're starting work on the solution now, while the industry still has time to plan and budget for this change, so that the ISBN system will remain viable far into the future.

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How is it that a 10-digit ISBN system can run out of numbers?

A 10-digit ISBN system (9 digits plus the check digit) has the capacity to assign 1 billion numbers. On the face of it, that might seem like more than enough but, in fact, the internal structure of the ISBN limits the available capacity of the system.

The ISBN is a hierarchical system of assignment and that hierarchy is reflected in the number itself.

First, blocks of ISBNs are allocated by the International ISBN Agency to specific regional groups or countries. Those blocks are identified by the "group identifier" which is the first element an ISBN.

Next, within each regional group or country, blocks of ISBNs are allocated by the national ISBN agency to specific publishers according to their publishing output. Those blocks are identified by the "publisher identifier" (sometimes called the "publisher prefix") which is the second element of an ISBN.

This hierarchical allocation of blocks of numbers to groups and publishers from within the 10-digit number, limits the overall capacity of the ISBN system. If the ISBN was a "dumb number" (i.e. if it did not contain any meaningful internal elements), then all of the unassigned ISBN would be available for use throughout the whole ISBN system. But because the system is partitioned into pre-determined blocks of ISBN the actual capacity is much less.

From the system's existing capacity of 1 billion numbers, ISBN have been assigned for almost 35 years in over 150 countries or territories. Exactly how many years the current system will last depends on several variables. In part the rate of depletion is determined by the proliferation of new publishing formats (print on demand, customisation, e-books, etc) and new publishers. It also varies for each group and for types of publisher within each ISBN group.

The point is that any shortage of numbers in one area of the global ISBN system affects the utility and credibility of the system as a whole. We want to prevent this problem before it actually occurs so that the ISBN will remain viable for international trade far into the future.

More information about the structure of the ISBN system is available on the International ISBN Agency's Web site at: http://isbn-international.org/html/userman/usm4.htm.

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What are the changes to the ISBN system?

Simply put, the length of the ISBN number is changing from 10 digits to 13 digits.

At the same time, other issues that may require changes to the ISBN system are also being considered, such as: standardized metadata for ISBN assignments; the application of ISBN to certain types of publications (e.g. print-on-demand materials); and funding and support for administration of the ISBN system.

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How does this change to a 13-digit ISBN work exactly?

To explain the nature of this change to the ISBN, you need to know a bit about the inner workings of the current system.

In its present form, a 10-digit ISBN is made up of 4 elements: a group element, a publisher prefix, a title element, and a check digit. Example: ISBN 1-85375-390-4.

When a barcode is applied to the publication, as is required by retail systems throughout the supply chain, that 10-digit ISBN has to become compatible with the 13-digit EAN-UCC international product coding system for bar codes. This is done by adding the 3-digit EAN product code for books "978" in front of the 10-digit ISBN and recalculating that ISBN's check digit to include those extra 3 digits. This 13-digit combination of the EAN 978 product code and an ISBN with a recalculated check digit is sometimes referred to as the "Bookland EAN".

EXAMPLE:

The 10-digit ISBN 0-901690-54-6 looks like this when it becomes part of the 13-digit barcode on a publication:

Picture of an ISBN converted into a barcode (courtesy of the International ISBN Agency)

To expand the capacity of the ISBN system, we're going to add another EAN product code, "979", into the mix which will open up a new range of slightly less than 1 billion numbers. (Some of the numbers available in a particular group of the "979" range have already been assigned to printed music publications so those numbers can not be re-used as ISBN).

Because both the "978" and "979" EAN product codes will apply to book products, the EAN product code will have to become an integral element of the ISBN to prevent any possible confusion between duplicate numbers in the "978" and "979" ranges of ISBN. That will turn the ISBN from a 10-digit into a 13-digit number. It also means that its check digit will be calculated over the preceding 12 digits (instead of 9).

We're calling this new iteration the 13-digit ISBN (or "ISBN-13") to distinguish it from the current 10-digit ISBN.

The new 13-digit ISBN format is identical to the barcoded version of a 10-digit ISBN.

More information about the EAN-UCC product code system is available on the Web site for EAN International at: www.ean-int.org.

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Why this solution and not others?

The 13-digit solution was proposed since books already carry both the ISBN and the UCC/EAN-13 barcode (i.e. the 10-digit ISBN prefixed by 978 and with a recalculated final check digit). This solution also enables the ISBN system to make use of the "979" EAN prefix which was reserved years ago for the future use of the book trade within the EAN system.

Another factor is that in January 2005 the Uniform Code Council (UCC) will begin migrating the U.S. system of 12-digit UPC barcodes to the UCC/EAN-13 international standard. That change will affect point of sale systems throughout North America. The 13-digit solution for the ISBN system dovetails nicely with this move to the UCC/EAN-13 format in the North American supply chain. It also aligns the ISBN system for books with all other product numbering, making trade with non-book retailers much easier. And it will be more efficient and cost-effective to introduce the new 13-digit ISBN while North American users are already adapting to an equivalent change in their UPC bar code system.
More information about the UCC/EAN-13 change is available on the Uniform Code Council's Web site at: http://www.uc-council.org/2005sunrise/.

The idea of expanding the capacity by changing to an alphanumeric or hexadecimal ISBN (using a combination of letters and numbers within the 10-digit format), was rejected because it would be incompatible with most barcode systems.

We also rejected the idea of changing the ISBN into a completely "dumb" number and culling all the unassigned ISBN for re-allocation elsewhere in the system. Such a system would be unmanageable without the support of a strong central database to administer the assignment of ISBN and prevent duplication. Developing that central database, even in the form of a distributed network, would make that proposal one of the most costly and complex solutions for users of the ISBN system.

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Who will be affected by these changes?

Everyone in the supply chain who currently uses an ISBN will be affected by this change to some degree.

All types of publishers (trade, educational, etc.) will be equally affected.

Distributors, retailers, libraries and any other organizations that record and exchange ISBN in automated systems will have to ensure that their systems can accommodate the new 13-digit ISBN format.

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What are the impacts of changing to the 13-digit ISBN?

Everyone who records, stores or exchanges ISBN data in an automated system is going to have to ensure that those systems can accommodate the 13-digit ISBN format. Publishers, distributors, retailers, and libraries are the main user groups affected by these changes. It will affect software applications such as automated ordering systems, inventory control systems, point-of-sale systems, and library databases.

If you're using a turnkey system, you should check with the vendor that they plan to prepare for the 13-digit ISBN.

If you're using a system that was developed or customized in-house, you should inform your IT staff that the ISBN will be changing to a new 13-digit format and ask them to check what that will entail for changes to your automated system.

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When will these changes take place?

The aim is to have the ISBN standard revised and approved by the third quarter of 2004. The revised standard will specify all of the changes to the ISBN system. Implementation of the changes agreed in that international standard will occur at some point thereafter.

The latest draft of the revised ISBN standard specifies an implementation date of January 1, 2007.

Guidelines for the implementation of the 13-digit ISBN are available on the Web site of the International ISBN Agency at: http://www.isbn-international.org/revision.html. These implementation guidelines are intended to provide guidance to all of the ISBN user communities and to help organisations prepare for implementation of the 13-digit ISBN in January 2007.

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Should we start making any changes in our company's systems right now?

No, not yet. First, the proposed 13-digit ISBN must be approved within ISO's member countries to ensure that there is international agreement for this change.

ISO's member organizations have already given approval for the 13-digit ISBN in principle. Approval for the full content of the revised ISBN standard will be ascertained by a formal vote among ISO's member countries in the first half of 2004.

Up to date information on the approval process for the revised ISBN standard is available in the "Project status" section of this site.

The implementation plan for the 13-digit ISBN will be available on the Web site of the International ISBN Agency at: http://www.isbn-international.org/revision.html.

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Who is making these decisions about changes to the ISBN?

The ISBN system is based on an ISO International Standard for which "ISO/TC 46/SC 9" is responsible:
  • ISO is the International Organization for Standardization.

    ISO is a worldwide federation of national standards bodies from more than 140 countries. Since its establishment in 1947, ISO's mission has been to promote and develop standards that facilitate the international exchange of goods and services. The international agreements that are developed within the framework of ISO and its subject committees are published as International Standards. More information about ISO is available on its Web site at: www.iso.org.

  • TC 46 is ISO's Technical Committee (TC) for information and documentation standards.

  • SC 9 is the TC 46 Subcommittee (SC) that develops and maintains ISO standards for identification and description within the broader field of information and documentation.

    SC 9 (and its predecessor within TC 46) has been responsible for the ISBN standard, ISO 2108, since it was first developed as an international agreement in the late 1960's. The first edition of ISO 2108 was published in 1972.
    The International Secretariat for TC 46/SC 9 is provided by the National Library of Canada (which also manages the Canadian ISBN Agency).

In January 2002, at the request of the International ISBN Agency and some industry organizations, ISO TC 46/SC 9 established an international Working Group (WG 4) to revise the ISBN standard.

The Working Group is chaired by Mr. Michael Healy of Nielsen BookData Ltd. (which provides the U.K. ISBN Agency).

It includes publishers, retailers, librarians and other stakeholders appointed by the national standards organizations of several countries, as well as representatives from the ISBN agencies and international associations of publishers, booksellers and libraries.

Working Group members participate in drafting the text of the revised ISBN standard. Once they reach general agreement on the draft text, it is distributed for comments and voting within ISO's member countries. The Working Group then responds to the comments arising from that world-wide review and makes further revisions to the draft standard as appropriate.

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Who are the members of ISO?

The official members of ISO are the national standards organizations of over 140 countries. Each ISO member country selects the particular ISO committees they want to participate in based on their national areas of interest.

Forty ISO member bodies participate in ISO Technical Committee 46/Subcommittee 9; each of them is the organization chiefly responsible for national standardization activities in their respective countries. They nominate experts to assist in the preparatory work of drafting an international standard and ensure that their national interests are represented during each of the subsequent approval stages for an ISO standard.

For example, these are some of the national organizations that participate in the ISBN revision project as members of ISO TC 46/SC 9:

  • British Standards Institute (for the U.K.);
  • NISO, on behalf of the American National Standards Institute (for the U.S.A.);
  • Deutsches Institut für Normung (for Germany);
  • Association française de normalisation (for France);
  • Ente Nazionale Italiano di Unificazione (for Italy);
  • Standards Council of Canada (for Canada).

Contact information for all of ISO TC 46/SC 9's member organizations is available on the ISO Central Web site at: www.iso.org.

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What is the ISO process for approving these changes to the ISBN system?

Every ISO standard goes through several prescribed stages in its development. In the case of the ISBN project, we are actually revising an existing ISO standard, ISO 2108, which was first published in 1972 and is now in its 3rd edition. The process, however, is the same as for developing a new standard:

  1. Proposal stage (Project proposal)

    The proposal for an international standard is usually expressed by an industry sector which communicates that need to an ISO committee via one of ISO's national member bodies or an international organization related to the subject area. An outline of the proposal is prepared and distributed to the members of the ISO committee who respond by voting on whether or not they feel the proposed standard is justified and, if they decide to participate, by nominating national experts to help in preparing the standard.

  2. Preparatory stage (Working Draft)

    This phase is usually carried out in a working group established by the ISO committee. Technical experts nominated by the committee's members and by international associations in that subject field work together to define and resolve the technical issues that require harmonization within the scope of the proposed standard.

  3. Committee stage (Committee Draft)

    Once a Working Group has generally agreed on the technical aspects that should be covered in the standard, the resulting draft goes to each of the committee's participating member countries for review and written comment.
    This is the consensus-building phase during which the countries involved negotiate the detailed specifications of the standard. A Committee Draft may sometimes go through several rounds of review and comment until there is general consensus on its specifications.

  4. Enquiry stage (Draft International Standard)

    This is a 5-month ballot period during which ISO's members formally review and vote on the Draft International Standard. Acceptance requires approval of the draft by two-thirds of the ISO members that participated in the earlier committee review, plus approval by 75 % of all the ISO members that vote. Comments submitted with votes at the Enquiry stage may sometimes result in further changes to the draft standard which can lead to a second two-month ballot at this stage.

  5. Approval stage (Final Draft International Standard)

    This stage consists of a final "yes or no only" vote on the standard to confirm approval for the text immediately prior to publication. This stage can be omitted if there were no negative votes on the Draft International Standard at the Enquiry stage.

  6. Publication stage (ISO International Standard)

    The International Standard is published and every 5 years thereafter it undergoes a review among ISO's membership to determine whether it is still valid and continues to address industry requirements in that subject area.

Further details about the ISO process for approving International Standards are available on the central ISO Web site at: www.iso.org.

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What stage is the project at now?

At this point, the draft revision of the ISBN standard has undergone its first round of international review as an ISO Committee Draft by ISO/TC 46/SC 9's national member organizations. Earlier in 2003, those organizations distributed ISO Committee Draft 2108 to interested parties in their countries. The comments and responses that were received from that process formed the basis for elaboration of the Draft International Standard.

The Draft International Standard for the ISBN revision (DIS 2108) should be distributed early in 2004 for formal approval by ISO's membership.

The aim is to have the ISBN standard revised and approved by the third quarter of 2004. The revised standard will specify all of the changes to the ISBN system.

The latest draft of the revised ISBN standard specifies an implementation date of January 1, 2007 for the change to a 13-digit ISBN.

Bookmark this site; we'll keep it up to date with the latest information on the status of the ISBN revision project.

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Will new ISBN have to be assigned to products that have already been published?

ISBN that have already been assigned will not be replaced by new ISBN for the same product. The change will be in how those 10-digit ISBN are displayed or written. Instead of being shown as a 10 digit number, the ISBN should appear in the 13-digit ISBN format.

The 13-digit ISBN format is identical to the way that any 10-digit ISBN is currently displayed when it is printed with the bar code on a publication.

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Will existing ISBN be supported?

All existing ISBNs will be supported. The recommendation is that publishers should add a 978 prefix to any existing ISBN and replace its check digit with the one that is used in the bar code for that publication. These actions will create a 13-digit ISBN that is compatible with the new system.

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What happens to ISBN that have already been obtained by a publisher but are not yet assigned?

Any publisher who has ISBN that have not yet been assigned to a publication will be able to continue issuing those ISBN until their block of unassigned ISBN is used up. However, publishers should ensure that they are issuing these ISBN in the new 13-digit ISBN format, which is identical to the way it would currently appear when printed with the barcode on a publication.

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Will publishers have to change to 13 digit ISBN or can they continue using the 10 digit ones?

Publishers can continue using their unassigned inventory of 10 digit ISBN but should ensure that they are displaying these ISBN in the new 13-digit ISBN format, as reflected in the EAN-13 bar code. Once their blocks of existing unassigned ISBN are used up, new ISBN that they obtain from their national ISBN agency will be a 13-digit ISBN.

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If our company still has lots of 10-digit ISBN available, why do we need to change to the 13-digit ISBN?

You don't - but we are strongly recommending that you convert your supply of 10-digit ISBN to the new 13-digit ISBN format to facilitate the integration of all ISBN information in trade applications. It's a relatively minor change to your existing supply of unused ISBN that will make it easier for systems throughout the supply chain to handle your ISBN data.

Actually, this conversion is already taking place every time a 10-digit ISBN is printed in the bar code on your publications. To create that bar code, the 978 EAN prefix is inserted before the ISBN and the check digit is recalculated, thereby automatically converting the 10-digit ISBN into a bar code that is identical to new ISBN 13-digit format.

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Will our company get the same prefixes in the new 979 range as we have in the 978 range?

There is no fixed relationship between the two ranges of EAN prefixes so it is very unlikely that a publisher will have the same prefix(es) in the EAN 979 range as they do in the existing EAN 978 range.

To prevent confusion, any references to a publisher's ISBN prefix will have to include the EAN prefix as well. For instance: a publisher prefix that is currently referred to as "0-671" should be referred to as "978-0-671". This is similar to including the area code as an integral part of the local phone number.

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How will ISBN be assigned to e-books?

The revised ISBN standard will make it clear that the ISBN system applies to any form of monographic publication, including e-books.

Each different format of an e-book will be assigned its own ISBN. This is important to the supply chain. In the same way that the ISBN distinguishes between the hardcover and paperback edition of a title, the supply chain also needs the ISBN to distinguish between each of the different formats in which an e-book can be ordered and sold.

The ISBN is a vital tool for managing transactions on products in the publication supply chain. Each tradeable product within the publication supply chain must be uniquely identified by an ISBN so that automated ordering and other information transactions can be conducted with precision and efficiency.

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What happens if a publisher doesn't know in advance exactly how many different formats there will be for an e-book?

The ISBNs assigned to all of the various formats of an e-book don't have to be sequential numbers. ISBN should be assigned to each new format of an e-book as the need arises to identify it as a new item entering the supply chain.

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What is the relationship of the ISBN revision project to the DOI?

The DOI is not a factor in revising the ISBN system, although the International DOI Foundation is participating in the ISO Working Group for this project.

ISBNs can be incorporated into other "umbrella" systems that make use of existing identifiers, in the same way that product numbering systems for bar codes incorporate the ISBN for books. The DOI (Digital Object Identifier) can be considered another such mechanism. A DOI is a persistent identifier mechanism for use on digital networks to enable the resolution of an identifier (to URL or other data) and interoperablilty via declared metadata. The DOI consists of a prefix and a suffix: an ISBN can be used as the suffix portion of a DOI.

Further information on this topic is available on the DOI Web site at: http://www.doi.org/handbook_2000/enumeration.html.

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How can I participate in the ISBN revision project?

Any organization, company, or other interested party that uses the ISBN system is welcome to contribute comments to the ISBN revision project.

Interested parties should contact the ISO member for their country to enquire about participating in their countries' national review and vote on the revised ISBN standard.

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Where can I get further information on the ISBN revision project as it develops?

Up to date information on the ISBN revision project will be available in the "Project status" section of this site.

As the project progresses and we reach agreement on definite changes to the ISBN system, those decisions will be communicated to users of ISBN services and to the relevant trade and library associations by the International ISBN Agency and the national ISBN agencies.

When the ISBN revision project is completed, the International Standard for the revised ISBN system will be published as ISO 2108, 4th edition.

In the interim, specific questions or comments about the ISBN revision project can be submitted to the TC 46/SC 9 Secretariat (at the address below) which will forward them to the Convenor and members of the Working Group for the ISBN revision project.

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Copyright © ISO 2004.
Latest update: 2004-02-10.
Comments: iso.tc46.sc9@nlc-bnc.ca
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/iso/tc46sc9/isbn.htm

The ISO TC46/SC9 Secretariat is provided by Library and Archives Canada on behalf of the Standards Council of Canada, a member of the ISO.