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Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About I.S.B.N.
Anyone who has ever purchased a book may have noticed that below the bar code on the back cover, there is a long 10-13 digit number. This number is the ISBN, or the International Standard Book Number. While this string of numbers may appear to be random, it is actually composed of five parts that identify, among other things, the language in which the book is written, the publisher, and the book’s title. The ISBN is the most exact way to identify a book, and thus is used by book retailers and libraries for cataloging and tracking inventory.
Who assigns an ISBN?
There are 160 International Standard Book Number agencies around the world, each of which assigns blocks of ISBN numbers to publishers. Publishers contact these agencies with a projection of the number of books that they will be publishing in the next five years. The agency uses these projections to assign them blocks of ISBN numbers, all with the same publisher code. Once these blocks have been assigned, the publisher itself can use them for any title that they choose.
In the United States, R.R. Bowker is in charge of assigning these numbers to books that will be published domestically. Not only are they charged with the assignation of ISBN numbers, they also create unique bar codes for each book that will be sold in both the US and abroad.
What are the parts of an ISBN?
As of 2007, there are 5 parts to each 13 digit string of numbers. Each of these 5 groups of digits tells readers something about the origin or the contents of a book.
The first three numbers that are found on all books published since 2007 are 978. This prefix was added in order to ensure that there would be a sufficient number of unique ISBN’s for every book that is released. As this addition is quite new, any book that displays it was published no earlier than 2005 (when it was first introduced but before it became standard.)
The next number or numbers are used to indicate the language in which the book is published. This is referred to as the group identifier. For more common languages, like English, French or Russian, this is a one digit number that ranges from 0-10, with 10 being marked as an X. However, these numbers can go up to 9999 for languages that are spoken in certain areas.
The publisher code follows the group identifier. Lists of the codes that are used by various publishers can be found online. Using this list, it is possible to know who published a book by referring only to the ISBN. While smaller publishers may have only one code assigned to them, larger publishers who release many books each year may use any code that falls within a certain range.
A code indicating the title of the book can be found after the publisher’s code. This number is assigned by the publisher and then registered with their ISBN agency. If a new edition of an already published book is released, it will be given a new code. This specificity is the main reason why the ISBN is the system of choice for libraries and book sellers as there is no ambiguity about which book you are referencing.
The single number is called the check digit. As the name implies, this number is derived from a standard algorithm that is used to check that all the digits in the ISBN code are correct. Check digits are always a single number from 0-10. Once again, the Roman Numeral X is used instead of the Arabic numbers that are most commonly used in the United States and Europe.
Can I search for a book using the I.S.B.N.?
In most cases, you can. Almost every library that has an online card catalog and most large online and local book retailers allow customers to search for books using this 10 or 13 digit number. If you are searching for a particular edition of a book that was published multiple times, this can actually be the fastest way to make sure that you are getting exactly what you are looking for.
When using the ISBN to find a book, it is important that you use each number in the code. Even one incorrect number means that you will be directed to an entirely different book, albeit one that may be in the same language or released by the same publisher.
Is an ISBN the same as a bar code?
Bar codes and ISBN’s are not exactly interchangeable. Not every book that has an ISBN must have a bar code, though that is usually the case. After an ISBN has been assigned, the number is submitted back to the agency for verification, at which point a unique bar code is supplied. However, the bar code does convey the same information that the accompanying number does.
Does every book have its own ISBN?
Almost every retailer requires that each book it sells be assigned an ISBN. It is standard practice for both major and small publishing houses alike to register one such number for each title that it publishes. However, if a book is published for private use or is not destined for retail distribution and inclusion in a library, it is not required to have this code. A book without a
code may still be copyrighted, but it is rarely distributed on any sort of scale.
These codes are also assigned to books of all genres. Everything from trade paperbacks to hardcover editions, textbooks to cook books is given its own unique identifying number. Any book that can be scanned at a register or through a library has one such number.
While the process through which International Standard Book Numbers is assigned may seem complex, its complexity is the thing that guarantees its effectiveness. More than 50,000 new titles or editions are published every year in the United States alone, and each of these can be specifically identified and cataloged anywhere in the world by the ISBN.