ISBN Full Form – International Standard Book Number

ISBN means International Standard Book Number. The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a number. It is used to identify books. Each ISBN is unique. Publishers buy ISBNs. They get ISBNs from an official agency. These agencies work under the International ISBN Agency. The ISBN helps in finding and selling books.

What is an ISBN?

ISBN is a special code for books. It is used worldwide. A book’s ISBN varies depending on its edition. Every book edition is assigned a unique ISBN. ISBNs are also different for different formats. For instance, distinct ISBNs are required for e-books, paperbacks, and hardcovers.

A simple reprint keeps the same ISBN. Before 2007, ISBNs had ten digits. 13-digit ISBNs were assigned after 1 January 2007. Every nation assigns ISBNs according to its own regulations. The rules depend on the size of the publishing industry in the country.

A 9-digit SBN becomes a 10-digit ISBN by adding a zero at the front. Some privately published books do not have an ISBN. The International ISBN Agency sometimes assigns ISBNs to these books itself. There are other similar codes. ISSN is used for magazines and newspapers. ISMN is used for musical scores.

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History of ISBN

A nine-digit code was used for the Standard Book Number. It was a commercial system for book identification. In 1965, WHSmith announced a plan. They desired a standardized book numbering scheme. For this task, they engaged consultants.

This system was created by Gordon Foster. He was a statistics professor at Trinity College Dublin. ISO wanted to make this system international. Their Technical Committee on Documentation worked on it.

In the UK, the ISBN format was introduced in 1967. It was created there by David Whitaker. He is referred to as the “Father of the ISBN.” The United States adopted the concept in 1968. In the USA, Emery Koltay worked on it. Later on, he was appointed head of R. R. Bowker, the U.S. ISBN agency.

The 10-digit ISBN was developed by ISO. It was published in 1970. It became an international standard as ISO 2108. The UK used the 9-digit SBN until 1974. ISO appointed the International ISBN Agency. This agency handles ISBN registration worldwide.

ISO Technical Committee 46 is responsible for developing the ISBN Standard. This work is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee 9 (TC 46/SC 9). Only records from 1978 are available online at ISO.

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An SBN can be changed to an ISBN. You do this by adding a “0” at the start. For example, the book Mr. J. G. Reeder Returns used “SBN 340 01381 8”. “340” shows the publisher. “01381” is the serial number. “8” is the check digit.

After adding “0”, it becomes ISBN 0-340-01381-8. The check digit stays the same. Some publishers used 12-digit SBNs. Ballantine Books did this. The last 3 digits showed the book price.

The valid SBN was “345-24223-8”. Its ISBN became “0-345-24223-8”. It cost $5.95. Since 1 January 2007, ISBNs have had thirteen digits. This matches “Bookland” EAN numbers. These also use 13 digits. Since 2016, ISBNs have identified mobile games in China.

This is managed by China’s Press & Publication Office. In 2020, the USA had 3.9 million ISBNs registered. It was the biggest user. Next came South Korea with 329,582. Germany had 284,000. China had 263,066. The UK had 188,553. Indonesia had 144,793. In the USA, there will be more than 39 million lifetime ISBNs by 2020.

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Why is ISBN important?

ISBN is important for many reasons. An ISBN is a tool for clear book identification. It connects authors, publishers, sellers, and readers.

• It gives each book a unique number. This helps to identify books easily.
• This avoids confusion between books with similar titles.
• ISBN makes selling and buying books simple. ISBNs are used by bookstores & libraries to keep track of books.
• Publishers use ISBNs to list books in databases. It helps in cataloging books worldwide.
• Online shops like Amazon use ISBNs. It helps customers find the exact book they want. Without an ISBN, managing books would be difficult. It saves time for publishers, sellers, and buyers.
• ISBN also helps with international sales. It is recognized worldwide.

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How does ISBN work?

Each book edition & version is assigned a unique ISBN. An eBook, an audiobook, a paperback, and a hardcover of the same title need different ISBNs. An ISBN for an electronic book is sometimes called “eISBN,” but this term is not official. ISBN does not show whether a book is print or electronic.

ISBNs have 10 digits if given before 2007. If an ISBN is issued after January 1, 2007, it has 13 digits. There are four components to a 10-digit ISBN. There are five components to a 13-digit ISBN.

Parts of a 13-digit ISBN

1. Prefix element: 978 or 979
2. Registration group: Country or language group
3. Registrant: Publisher
4. Publication: Specific book
5. Check digit: Verifies the number

These parts are separated by hyphens or spaces. A 10-digit ISBN is also separated into parts. The number of digits in each part can change. This makes separating ISBNs tricky. Online tools help divide ISBNs correctly. Examples are ISBN Converter and ISBNBarcode.org.

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How is an ISBN Issued?

ISBNs are issued country-wise. Each country has an ISBN agency. That agency gives ISBNs to publishers. ISBN ranges depend on a country’s publishing activity. Large publishing markets get larger numbers. Some agencies are run by libraries or cultural ministries. Some are run by private organisations. These agencies issue ISBNs to publishers and help them use ISBNs correctly.

ISBN Registration Group Element

The ISBN includes the registration group element. It is a number between 1 & 5 digits. It works under a prefix like 978 or 979. These numbers show the language or country group. For instance, 978-1-… is used for English-speaking countries. Examples of 978-prefix registration groups:

• 0 or 1 = English-speaking countries
• 2 = French-speaking countries
• 3 = German-speaking countries
• 4 = Japan
• 5 = Russian-speaking countries
• 7 = China

Some countries use longer codes like 99936 for Bhutan. Small countries or rare languages often have longer numbers.

979-prefix groups:

• 0 = Reserved for music (not used for books)
• 8 = USA
• 10 = France
• 11 = South Korea
• 12 = Italy

Old 9-digit SBNs had no group element. Adding zero in front made them valid 10-digit ISBNs.

ISBN Registrant Element

The registrant element identifies the publisher. These numbers are provided to publishers by each nation’s ISBN agency. Publishers get blocks of ISBNs to use for their books. Publishers assign one ISBN to each publication.

ISBNs are not legally required in many countries, but big bookstores usually prefer books with ISBNs. These publishers are listed by the International ISBN Agency. It manages over one million ISBN prefixes worldwide. This data is free to search online.

Big publishers get larger ISBN blocks. Small publishers get smaller blocks. A big publisher may have more publications digits. When a publisher uses up its ISBNs, it can get more. The new block may come with a different registrant number.

Some countries may have more than one group code. This happens if a country runs out of publisher numbers. Block sizes vary to fit each publisher’s needs. Big publishers get fewer registrant digits. They get more digits for their many publications. Countries with many books have shorter group codes. They have more digits for registrant and publication codes.

ISBN Check Digit

A check digit is used to detect errors. It is a type of redundancy check. It works like a decimal version of a binary check bit. The check digit is calculated from the other digits. For 10-digit ISBNs, this method extends from the old SBN system. So, an old SBN with a zero added will keep the same check digit. The 10-digit ISBN check digit is base eleven.

It can be a number from zero to nine, or sometimes the letter ‘X’. ‘X’ stands for the value 10 in this system. The 13-digit ISBN check digit is different. It is not compatible with the old SBN system. It gives a different check digit from the 10-digit ISBN.

The 13-digit ISBN was made to match the EAN barcode system. EAN codes cannot use the letter ‘X’. So, the 13-digit ISBN only uses numbers from 0 to 9. The 13-digit system offers different error protection. It does not protect against mistakes in the same way as the 10-digit system.

ISBN-10 check digit calculation

ISBN-10 contains 10 digits. The last digit is called the check digit. Only the first 9 digits are used for calculation. Each of the 9 digits is multiplied by a weight. The weight starts at 10 and decreases to 2. After multiplying, add all the numbers together.

Choose a number from 0 to 10. This sum must be divisible by 11 when added. The check digit is this number. Write ‘X’ as the check digit if the number is 10. The calculation of ISBN-10 check digits is done this way.

ISBN-13 check digit calculation

ISBN-13 has 13 numbers. The check digit is the last number. The check digit is between 0 and 9. Each number is multiplied by 1 or 3. First number × 1. Second number × 3. Third number × 1. Fourth number × 3. Repeat this pattern. Add all the answers. Find the number needed to reach the next 10. That number is the check digit. ISBN-13 and EAN-13 use the same rule.

Errors in ISBN

ISBN-13 has 13 numbers. The last number is called the check digit. The check digit is between Publishers and libraries, following different rules for ISBN check digits. Sometimes, publishers do not check the ISBN properly. This can cause confusion. It can create problems for libraries, booksellers, and readers. One ISBN may be used for two different books.

For example, ISBN 0-590-76484-5 was used for two books. Both books were from Scholastic. One was published in 1990 and one in 1997. Libraries and booksellers often list these books with the wrong ISBNs.

The Library of Congress keeps records of such mistakes. They mark these as “Cancelled ISBN.” WorldCat (OCLC) also keeps records of invalid ISBNs. They list them if any library uses them.

Difference Between ISBN and Other Codes

ISBN is used for books. ISSN is used for magazines. ISMN is used for music sheets. Each one is for a different type of publication.

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