by Muhammad Yousuf Ali
International standard book number (ISBN), This article provides basic information about the ISBN and discusses the following point about the ISBN.
- What is International Standard Book Number (ISBN)?
- How many digits are in ISBN?
- What are the Elements of ISBN?
- Does the ISBN same for each edition or electronic version?
- Where does an author or Publisher get ISBN?
- What are the characteristics of ISBN?
- What are the functions of ISBN?
1. What is International Standard Book Number (ISBN)?
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric book identifier. This number is a unique number for every book and cannot be duplicated from around the world. Publishers/Authors purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
David Whitaker from the United Kingdom is considered the father of ISBN and initially designed the format of ISBN.
2. How many digits are in ISBN?
Initially, ISBN has ten digits. First is the book published with ISBN in 1970. From 1970 to December 2006, ISBN is issue with ten digits. After 01 Jan 2007 onward, ISBN consists of 13 digits.
3. What are the Elements of ISBN?
An International Standard Book Number consists 13-digit ISBN and has five parts or elements/sections. 10-digit ISBN has four parts or elements. These elements are
- Prefix Element
- Group/Registration Group Element
- Registrant element
- Title/Publication element.
- Check digit.
- Prefix Elements
The prefix element is the initial three-digit number which is probably 978 or 979.
2. Group/Registration Group Elements
The group is sometimes referred to as a registration group element it consists of a 1-to-5-digit length. This identifies a specific country, geographical area and language area of a particular country or ISBN System.
3. Registrant Element.
Registrant Element has also known as the publisher element. It has information about the particular publisher and imprint area. The length of the Registrant element is about 5 to seven digits.
4. Publication Element
Publication elements identify the edition and the format of the specific title. It may be a 1 to 6-digit length.
5. Check digit.
It is a single-digit number at the end of the ISBN. mathematically check digit validates the rest of the number.
Q No. 4 Does the ISBN same for each edition or electronic version?
ISBN is separate for each edition and electronic version of the book. The electronic version of the book is given eISBN which is known as electronic ISBN.
Q No. 5 Where does an author or Publisher get ISBN?
ISBN issuance is country-specific, in that ISBNs are issued by the ISBN registration agency that is responsible for that country or territory regardless of the publication language.
In most cases National libraries of the country are responsible for issuance of ISBN. However, some countries have also separate ISBN agency for assigning ISBN.
Q No. 6 What are the Characteristics of ISBN?
1 International uniqueness
The ISBN is a unique international identifier for monographic publications; assigning a number replaces the handling of long bibliographic descriptive records, thereby saving time and staff costs and reducing copying errors.
2 Identifications of Books
Correct use of the ISBN allows different product forms and editions of a book, whether printed or digital, to be clearly differentiated, ensuring that customers receive the veritas they require. The ISBN is machine-readable in the form of a 13-digit EAN-13 bar code.
3 Verification characteristics
The accumulation of sales data is done by the ISBN. 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.
The ISBN does not provide any form of legal or copyright protection. However, some countries legally require the use of an ISBN to identify publications. The ISBN cannot be duplicate number for the two books.
4 ISO Standardization
ISBN has ISO standardization and 13-digits EAN barcode. This is fast and avoids mistakes. Many publishing and supply chain systems are based on ISBN. In publishing house and book trade industry Books are identifies through ISBN rather than real title.
Q No. 7 What are the functions of ISBN?
Searching of Books
The ISBN facilitates 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.
Purchasing of Books
Ordering and distribution of books is mainly executed by ISBN; this is a fast and efficient method. Most libraries and individuals ordered their books through ISBN and verify their orders through ISBN. The ISBN is required for the running of electronic point-of-sale systems in bookshops.
Cataloguing of Books
ISBN is of the important field in the cataloguing tags and library automation programs. Libraries can search books for respective users. Brief the book status and matching of exact title.
How to cite this article
M.Y. Ali (2023). ISBN and its different elements. https://profileusuf.wordpress.com/isbn/
References : –
“The International ISBN Agency”. Archived from the original on 14 February 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
“Emery Koltay, David Whitaker Named NISO Fellows” (PDF), Information Standards Quarterly, National Information Standards Organization, 8 (3): 12–13, July 1996, archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2023
Research Knowledge and Information 