Special Considerations for Libraries

What does ISBN-13 mean for libraries?
Pre-2007 Implementation
Full Implementation
CIP Program Policy in Regard to Implementation of ISBN-13
BISG resources for Libraries

What does ISBN-13 mean for libraries?

The ISBN-13 transition will require libraries to begin using 13-digit product identifiers when transacting business with their customers and their retail and wholesale distributors.

Every library's system will need to accommodate 13-digit identification numbers. To accomplish the conversion, some libraries may need to implement a systems change. Library systems—acquisitions, cataloging, Online Public Access Catalogs (OPAC), and all other modules—must be converted so that staff is able to communicate with customers and outside trading partners using 13 digits.

For the ISBN-13 transition period (January 2005 to January 2007), publishers are being encouraged to supply both an ISBN-10 and an ISBN-13 for the same manifestation of a title.

The Library of Congress, after consulting with some of the larger users of MARC 21 Format for Bibliographic Data, began accommodating ISBN-13 on October 1, 2004 in response to requests made by publishers who wanted to use ISBN-13 for inclusion in Cataloging in Publication (CIP) prior to 2005.

Beginning January 1, 2007, publishers will supply only ISBN-13.

Pre-2007 Implementation (October 1, 2004 through January 1, 2007)

Prior to October 1, 2004, no 13-digit ISBNs were added to bibliographic records issued by the Library of Congress, either through the CIP Program or the Pre-assigned Control Number Program (PCN), whether occurring in records used for copy cataloging or printed in a book.

Beginning October 1, 2004, the Library of Congress began accepting an ISBN-13 and an ISBN-10 for the same title manifestation through the CIP Program and PCN Program, whether occurring in records used for copy cataloging or printed in a book.

For CIP records created prior to October 1, 2004, the Cataloging in Publication Division will entertain the standard pre-publication change requests to 10-digit ISBNs. It will not, however, accept requests to add ISBN-13s to records created prior to that time. Publishers are encouraged to add such numbers in the CIP data they print in their books. The guidelines for doing so call for grouping the pairs of numbers by manifestation, giving the ISBN-13 first with each number preceded by a print constant as follows:

ISBN-13: 978-1-873671-00-0
ISBN-10: 1-873671-008

Note that in cases of multiple pairs, these same guidelines call for the pairs to be printed on separate lines down the page one pair after the other. This is in contrast to the style used in CIP data—printed across the page as part of a single paragraph, each instance of an ISBN separated by a space-dash-space—which is designed to meet publishers' concerns to conserve space. At the time the bibliographic record is updated to reflect the actual book, Library of Congress staff will add any ISBN-13s printed in the book.

For CIP and other bibliographic records created after October 1, 2004, and before January 1, 2007, the Library of Congress will group pairs of ISBN-13 and ISBN-10 by manifestation in repeated MARC 21 020 fields, with the ISBN-13 input preceding the ISBN-10, each number qualified as appropriate. The pair related to the manifestation represented by the bibliographic record will be given first.

Although all ISBN pairs provided by publishers will be input into the bibliographic record, no more than two pairs will be printed in the CIP data supplied to publishers to be printed in the book on the verso of the title page. This limitation is needed because of space concerns, since the CIP Division has agreed temporarily to follow the style for printing ISBN pairs recommended by the International ISBN Agency (IIA). To indicate that additional ISBN pairs are in the bibliographic record beyond those provided in the printed CIP data, "[etc.]" will be printed on the line under the last printed ISBN.

For records that do not contain one or more pairs of ISBN-13 and ISBN-10, the CIP data supplied to publishers to be printed in the book will continue to reflect the current style—printed across the page as part of a single paragraph with each instance of an ISBN separated by a space-dash-space.

Full Implementation (Beginning Jan 1, 2007)

Upon full implementation of ISBN-13, the Library of Congress anticipates that publishers will supply only one ISBN-13 for each manifestation and that the style for printing multiple instances will revert to the current CIP style—printed across the page as part of a single paragraph, each instance separated by space-dash-space and with the current print constant "ISBN" preceding each instance.

Strategies
After locating relevant information, the library needs to inventory every application, applet, and piece of code that may or may not use an ISBN. One suggestion would be to create a committee that goes over every program and process to uncover everything that is being used. It would be very easy to overlook a program that is used only once a year due to some special features in it.

Technology Upgrades and Performance Tracking
After cataloging all of their applications, libraries need to talk to software vendors (or internal IT staff for home-grown applications) to find out:

• If they plan on upgrading the software (will the vendor upgrade an old DOS program that very few people use?)
• When they expect to be finished
• How the system will work when upgraded

Alternatives
The faster libraries determine what will not be upgraded, the sooner they can start planning to migrate to something else. Considering that some of these alternatives will have to go through the budget process, time is of the essence.

Technical Considerations
Technical services needed for implementation in most libraries will be provided by Integrated Library System (ILS) vendors. BISG is currently evaluating the readiness of this community to provide solutions to such issues as:

• The ISBN will become a 13-digit number as of January 1, 2007
• The 13-digit ISBN (ISBN-13) and the 13-digit number represented by the Bookland EAN bar code for any given book will be identical
• Sometime after January 1, 2007, national ISBN agencies will begin issuing ISBN-13s with a prefix of 979
• Once 979 prefixes are issued, 'parsing' an ISBN-13 / Bookland EAN by stripping off the initial three digits, recalculating the check digit, and storing the resulting 10-digit number will no longer be a viable option (a 978 ISBN and a 979 ISBN, both having the same nine-digit core, will both convert to the same 10-digit number)
• Once the ISBN becomes a 13-digit number, the old BISAC fixed-format for electronic orders and order acknowledgements will be unable to handle the new, longer number, and will thus have to be replaced with a different EDI format.

CIP Program Policy in Regard to Implementation of ISBN-13

Prior to October 2004, the CIP Division did not include ISBN-13s either in distributed CIP records or non-distributed Initial Bibliographic Control (IBC) Pre-assigned Control Number records.

For books processed through the CIP program prior to October 2004 and projected to be published during the interim period (January 2005 through December 2006), publishers themselves are encouraged to add ISBN-13s to the CIP data printed in the book according to the IIA implementation guidelines. ISBN-13s that appear in the published books will be added to CIP bibliographic records upon receipt of the books at the Library of Congress.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2004, for CIP bibliographic records and other bibliographic records, the Library of Congress grouped pairs of 10-digit and 13-digit ISBNs by manifestation in repeated MARC 21 020 fields, the ISBN-13 preceding the associated ISBN-10.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2004, the CIP Division agreed temporarily to adopt the style for printing ISBN pairs recommended by the International ISBN Agency implementation guidelines (i.e., printed on separate lines one pair beneath the other) rather than following the standard style for printed CIP data.

Although all ISBN pairs provided by publishers will be input into the CIP bibliographic record, no more than two ISBN pairs will be provided in the CIP data supplied to publishers to be printed on the verso of the title page. To indicate that additional ISBN pairs are present in the bibliographic record beyond those provided in the printed CIP data, "[etc.]" will be printed on the line under the last ISBN provided in the data. The standard paragraph style will be retained in instances when a publisher provides only ISBN-10s.

Upon full implementation of ISBN-13 on January 2007, anticipating that publishers will supply only an ISBN-13 for each manifestation, the style for printing multiple instances will revert to that of standard printed CIP data. All ISBNs provided in the CIP bibliographic record will be included in the CIP data.

In conjunction with updates to the CIP application form, BISAC will also work with the Network Development and MARC Standards Office at the Library of Congress to facilitate updates to the MARC record format.

BISG Resources for Libraries

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the organization that is spearheading the global conversion to ISBN-13, provided much of the information you find here. More BISG resources for libraries can be found here.