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independent publishers guild
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Are you ready for the 13-digit ISBN?
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What will change?
* All existing ISBNs will be prefixed by 978, and the check digit recalculated accordingly.
* The resulting 13-digit number will be identical with the EAN-13 number used in the bar code.
* The 979 prefix will be introduced when the current stock of numbers is exhausted.
* Publishers' identifiers are not likely to remain the same for ISBNs under the 979 prefix.
* Orders and other commercial transactions, both paper and EDI, will use 13-digit ISBNs by 1 January 2007.
* After 1 January 2007, bar codes will carry the 13-digit ISBN with hyphenation above the barcode and the same number in EAN-13 format (as a numerical string, without hyphens or spaces) below.
Why does it need to change?
* The numbering capacity of the ISBN system needs to be increased.
* This solution will make the ISBN totally compatible with the EAN-13 used for other products and supply chains.
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What needs to be done?
* Publishers must convert all ISBNs in active use as of January 2007 (including backlist).
* New publications after 1 January 2007 should be assigned only 13-digit ISBNs.
* Conversion will be possible through software available on the International ISBN Agencies website, http://www.isbn-international.org
* All orders and other commercial transactions should carry both the 10-digit ISBN and the corresponding 13-digit EAN number from 1 January 2006.
* 10-digit ISBNs should not be used after 1 January 2007. (See the BIC guideline on 13-digit ISBNs and EDI at http://www.bic.org.uk/ISBN revision.html)
* Publishers may print both 10 and 13-digit versions of the ISBN on the title verso at any time. The 10-digit ISBN should be dropped after 1 January 2007.
* All organisations should share their implementation plans and timetables with their trading partners and ensure that those partners are also taking similar implementation measures.
* Publishers and booksellers should review all existing systems – manual and electronic – as soon as possible to assess the implications of moving to the 13-digit ISBN.
* Catalogues and advertisements referring to books published in the winter of 2006/2007 should carry both 10 and 13-digit ISBNs.
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What publishing systems might be involved?
* ISBN allocation
* Product information
* Editorial management
* Production systems
* E-book supply systems
* Order fulfilment/warehouse management
* Accounting/financial systems
* Rights and contracts
* Rights management and royalty systems
What bookselling systems are involved?
* Ordering systems
* Stock control
* Returns
* Point of sale systems
* Accounting systems
What library systems are involved?
* Acquisitions systems including transaction messages with trading partners
* Cataloguing and other bibliographic data entry systems
* Interlibrary loan systems
* Bibliographic record importing routines
* Barcode scanners
* Local catalogues
* Information portal / metasearch systems
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Other considerations
Although the ISBN and its EAN13 counterpart used in the barcode will remain 13- digit numbers for the foreseeable future, developers should note the following developments relating to field lengths in databases:
Some organisations are taking an interest in a 14-digit GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) where the 13-digit ISBN is prefixed by an additional digit that can be used as a packaging level indicator.
The use of the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or of Uniform Resource Names (URN) may become more widely adopted in parts of the industry supply chain; these are variable length identifiers that can accommodate ISBNs.
Useful URLs:
International ISBN Agency: ISBN-13 Implementation Guidelines:
http://www.isbn-international.org/en/revision.html
BIC: http://www.bic.org.uk/isbnbarcode-isbn13.html
For further information, please contact the UK ISBN Agency or BIC:
UK ISBN Agency:
isbn@nielsenbookdata.co.uk
Phone: 0870 777 8712
BIC:
isbn@bic.org.uk
Phone: 0207 607 0021
For the BIC Publisher Checklist for ISBN-13 click the link at the bottom of the page.
Peninsular Software: http://www.peninsula-group.com/
For barcode conversion software.
Book Industry Study Group: http://www.bisg.org/isbn-13/for.dummies.html
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Other Related Pages
ISBN Info.
ISBN 13 - Publisher Checklist
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