Are You Ready for ISBN-13?

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Table of Contents

Basic Information

Transitioning the ISBN from 10 to 13 digitS

ABOUT THE ISBN SYSTEM EXPANSION: ADDING THE '979' PREFIX

OTHER ISSUES OF CONSIDERATION

Will these changes affect the EAN price add-on?

What is a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), and where does it fit into the ISBN change?

Where can I read more?

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ISBN?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. It is a unique identifier assigned to every book which provides a standard way to identify books in global trade.

How is the ISBN being changed?

The International Standards Organization (ISO) has approved changing the length of the ISBN from 10 to 13 digits effective January 1, 2007.

This change will require that all book industry trading partners use 13 digits instead of 10 when transacting business for new and backlist titles.

By industry agreement, the 10-digit ISBN is referred to as "ISBN-10" and the 13-digit ISBN is referred to as "ISBN-13".

Why is the ISBN being changed?

The ISBN standard is being changed to expand the numbering capacity of the ISBN system and alleviate numbering shortages in certain areas of the world.

Changing the ISBN to 13 digits will fully align the numbering system for books with the global EAN.UCC identification system that is widely used to identify most other consumer goods. [See What is EAN? below for more information about EAN]

What will the new ISBN look like?

The ISBN-13 is exactly equivalent to the 13-digit Bookland EAN (EAN-13) currently displayed below (and encoded within) every book's Bookland EAN bar code.

In the bar code example above:

the ISBN-10, in human-readable text above the bar code: 0-940016-64-8

becomes the ISBN-13/EAN-13 below the bar code: 978-0-940016-64-4

note that the ISBN prefix and check digit change: 978- -4

while the core 9-digits remain the same: 0-940016-64

Note:

Every ISBN ends with a check digit whose computed value is based on all preceding digits. The check digit must be recalculated every time the numbers in the ISBN change, as when the '978' prefix is placed in front of the 9-digit core. [See the UCC Check Digit Calculator for more information about conversion rules]

Who will be affected by the ISBN change?
Everyone who currently uses ISBNs will be affected by this change. This includes publishers, booksellers, libraries and educational institutions throughout the world. Any organization that stores and exchanges ISBNs in automated systems will have to ensure that their systems can accommodate the new ISBN-13 format.

What is EAN?

EAN stands for "International Article Number" and is the 13-digit standard for product identification in global trade. EANs are distributed by EAN International, an organization that also establishes the standards and rules for assigning numbers to products and encoding these numbers in readable bar codes, electronic data interchange (EDI), and RFID messages.

EAN International designated the prefixes '978' and '979' for the identification of books within the global EAN identification system. The prefixes were assigned to the fictitious country of "Bookland" so that the book identifiers would be compatible with other EANs worldwide.

For the past 20 years, the book industry has used the 13-digit Bookland EAN (EAN-13) to encode book identifiers in bar codes for scanning by retailers at point of sale. EAN International established the prefixes '978' and '979' for the identification of books and book-like products within the global EAN system.

EAN International, based in Europe, and GS1 (formally the Uniform Code Council), based in North America, have joined forces to coordinate global standards for the identification of all types of goods and services under the EAN.UCC system.

Will the ISBN change affect the bar code on books?

No. There is no change to the Bookland EAN bar code itself or to the number encoded within it.

The human-readable ISBN displayed above the Bookland EAN bar code will change, however, with the currently printed ISBN-10 being replaced by the new ISBN-13.

ISBN: 978-1-4028-9462-6

All books that are presently marked with the Bookland EAN bar code on Cover 4 are correctly bar coded both for the present and the future. There is NO new bar code for books.

Please note that BISG has adopted a policy recommending there be only one bar code, the Bookland EAN bar code, on Cover 4 (the back cover) of any book.

How will current ISBNs be affected by the ISBN change?

All ISBN-10s will officially change to ISBN-13s on January 1, 2007. This will be accomplished by prefixing all ISBN-10s the Bookland EAN prefix '978' (not '979') and recalculating the check digit.

'978' can be thought of as the area code to which all ISBN-10s belong. All ISBN-13s that begin with '978' can be presumed to have corresponding ISBN-10s. This logic allows trading partners to readily translate between ISBN-10s and ISBN-13s.

For example:

the ISBN-10: 1-4028-9462-7

can be converted to the ISBN-13: 978-1-4028-9462-6

and back to the ISBN-10: 1-4028-9462-7

[See "How is an ISBN-10 converted into an ISBN-13?" for more information]

How is an ISBN-10 converted into an ISBN-13?

There are standard rules for converting an ISBN-10 into an ISBN-13:

Begin with any 10-digit ISBN: 094001685-0

Eliminate the check digit: 094001685-

Add the prefix '978': 978-094001685-

Calculate a new check digit: 978-094001685-9

The ISBN-10: 094001685-0

Converts to the ISBN-13: 978-094001685-9

See Conversions & Calculations for a complete listing of conversion rules.

Several online calculators have been developed for those who do not want to convert ISBNs on their own.

For the U.S. ISBN Agency online converter, click here.

For the International ISBN Agency online converter, click here.

For the Library of Congress online converter, click here.

To check the accuracy of an ISBN's check digit, see UCC Check Digit Calculator

Note:

Any ISBN-13 prefixed with '978' can be converted to an ISBN-10.

There is no ISBN-10 equivalent, however, for an ISBN-13 beginning with '979'.

How will hyphenation be handled for ISBN-13?

Beginning January 1, 2007, ISBN agencies will provide only 13-digit ISBNs comprised of the following five elements:

Element 1: Identifies the EAN prefix (currently either '978' or '979')
Element 2: Identifies the country or language agency
Element 3: Identifies the publisher prefix
Element 4: Identifies the title or specific edition of a publication
Element 5: Identifies the check digit

The elements must be separated clearly by hyphens or spaces when displayed in human readable form. Of the five elements, the middle three will be of variable lengths; the EAN prefixes as currently defined (i.e., '978' or '979') and the check digit lengths will remain fixed.

The Library of Congress ISBN Converter can be used to determine the proper hyphenation for any ISBN. Click here to access the Library of Congress online converter.

For more information about ISBN-13 hyphenation rules and the evolving data and information associated with the rules see the ISBN Users' Manual.

Who should convert ISBN-10s to ISBN-13 for books originally published with ISBN-10s?

All book industry trading partners are encouraged to convert ISBN-10s to ISBN-13s (and visa versa) as needed to accommodate their internal system requirements and particular position within the ISBN-13 transition.

After January 1, 2007, however, only ISBN-13s should be stored and sent between trading partners to communicate the book identifier.

What if my organization is unable to convert ISBN-10s to ISBN-13s internally?

Publishers and book suppliers will need to provide ISBN-13s to any trading partner (retailer, distributor, etc.) who is unable to convert and assign new ISBNs on their own.

When should existing ISBNs be converted from ISBN-10s to ISBN-13s?

By January 1, 2007, all ISBN-10s should be converted to ISBN-13s within all systems.

Which ISBN should be displayed on the outside of cartons (case packs) containing multiple copies of a specific book?

Cartons should be labeled with the same human-readable ISBN used to mark the books inside. If you are marking your books with only a human-readable ISBN-10 (pre 01/01/07) or only a human-readable ISBN-13 (post 01/01/07) then only the human-readable ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 should be printed on the product label. Conversely, if you are marking your books with dual human-readable ISBNs (i.e. both an ISBN-10 and an ISBN-13 printed above the bar code and on the copyright page) the product label should be marked with dual human-readable ISBNs as well.

Please remember, however, that regardless of the format used to print the human-readable ISBNs on books and carton labels, the expression of the ISBN within the Bookland EAN bar code remains the same. [See DEIG Carton Labeling Guidelines, page 6, for more information].

How will the ISBN change affect the way ISBNs are assigned to future publications?

Beginning January 1, 2007, ISBN agencies will begin allocating ISBNs beginning with the ISBN prefix '979'. Because '979' ISBN-13s do not have equivalent ISBN-10s, those publishers who receive '979' ISBNs will be required to publish books with an ISBN-13 for which no equivalent ISBN-10 will apply.

Many existing publishers hold large blocks of unassigned ISBN-10s and will have a significant supply remaining after January 1, 2007. Although these publishers may continue to use these ISBN-10s until the block is exhausted, they should convert them to their ISBN-13 formats when assigning them to product in preparation for 2007 introduction into the market.

Some publishers plan to assign dual (10- and 13-digit) ISBNs to publications until they are satisfied that their trading partners are prepared to handle ISBN-13s alone. [See ISBN-13 For Dummies^� for more information about dual numbering]

How is the numbering capacity of the ISBN system being expanded?

The numbering capacity is being expanded by introducing the second ISBN prefix, '979', into the global marketplace. Think of introducing '979' as analogous to introducing a new area code for books. Now, instead of only one area code ('978'), there are two ('978' and '979'). When this occurs, the same 9 digit core will be used with both '978' and '979' ISBNs.

For example, two ISBNs (potentially from different publishers) will share the same middle 9 digits. The only difference between the two numbers would be the prefixes (one would be '978', one '979') and the check digits.

978-123456789-X

979-123456789-0

Once this occurs, an ISBN will not be unique unless the '978' and '979' prefixes are used. This is why it is critical that all systems (both paper-based and computer-based) be able to accommodate the full 13 digit identifier by January 1, 2007.

How and when will the '979' ISBN-13 prefix be introduced?

Ranges of ISBNs beginning with '979' are not expected to be assigned to publishers in North America before mid-2007. However, ISBNs prefixed with '979' may begin to emerge as soon as January 1, 2007 on titles imported into North America.

Can ISBN-13s beginning with '979' be converted to ISBN-10s?

No. '979' ISBN-13s do not have corresponding ISBN-10s.

Will these changes affect the EAN price add-on?

No. The transition to ISBN-13 will not affect the price add-on. However, a recently approved BISAC initiative did raise the limit of the Bookland EAN bar code price add-on:

50001 to 59998 - US$ 0.01 to US$ 99.98
59999 - Price over 99.98; enter manually
10000 to 19999 - US$ 100.00 to US$ 199.99
20000 to 29999 - US$ 200.00 to US$ 299.99
30000 to 39999 - US$ 300.00 to US$ 399.99
40000 to 49999 - US$ 400.00 to US$ 499.99
90000 to 98999 - Price not encoded; enter manually
99000 to 99999 - Reserved for industry wide uses; no pricing uses known

Click here for more information on the changes to the price add-on.

What is a Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), and where does it fit into the ISBN change?

Although the ISBN itself is changing to 13 digits, BISG recommends that organizations expanding the product identifier in their databases expand it to 14 digits, rather than to only 13. Organizations that do not expand their database fields to 14 digits may find themselves at a disadvantage down the line. Here's why.

The reason for expanding the product identifiers within databases to 14 digits is to provide for the future implementation of the Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN). The GTIN is a family of numbers that encompasses the entire range of product identifiers, expressed in a 14-digit field. In the future, it may become necessary to express the ISBN in 14-digit GTIN format rather than as an ISBN-13. Although the GTIN may not be fully utilized by all trading partners, BISG is concerned that some organizations may unknowingly restrict their future options if they do not arrage to communicate in 14 digits now.

Future use of GTIN within the book industry could increase supply chain efficiency by designating differing case packs and standardizing product identification in communications.

Where can I read more?