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 Document Library:
Standards: ISBN-13
ISBN-13: Quick Facts
The
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
is a unique identifier assigned to every published book and
book-like product. It provides a standard way
to identify books in global trade.
The
International Standards Organization (ISO) is changing the
length of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) from 10 to
13 digits, effective January 1,
2007.
The length
of the ISBN is being changed to expand the numbering capacity of the
ISBN system and prevent numbering shortages from occurring in
certain areas of the world.
Prior to
January 1, 2007 books will continue to be published using ISBN-10s.
Beginning
January 1, 2007 all books will be published with ISBN-13s.
Although
some publishers are planning to continue identifying their books
using dual ISBN-10s and ISBN-13s until the book industry completes
the transition to ISBN-13, book industry trading partners should be
prepared to accommodate ISBN-13s in business transactions no later
than January 1, 2007.
Readiness to handle ISBN-13s will
vary by trading partner. Most publishers and book suppliers are
preparing to transact business with trading partners using ISBN-13s
beginning January 2007. However, most publishers and book suppliers
will continue to accept orders with ISBN-10s until the industry has
completed the transition to ISBN-13.
The EAN-13
currently displayed below (and encoded within) the Bookland EAN bar code is already a 13-digit equivalent of the
current ISBN-10. This means that effective January 1, 2007, the
EAN-13 will become numerically equivalent to the ISBN-13. (Note: The EAN-13 appears on a book's outside back cover
- Cover 4 - of most
books and on the inside front cover - Cover 2 - of most mass market
paperbacks. See
Book Labeling
for
examples and more information.)
EAN-13 is a product identification
standard for identifying goods and services in global trade. For the
past 20 years, the book industry has used the EAN-13 standards to
encode book identifiers in bar codes for scanning by retailers at
point of sale. This bar code identifier has usually begun with the EAN prefix
'978', one of two prefixes EAN International has established solely for book
identification.
Changing
the ISBN-10 to an EAN-13 number (i.e. an ISBN-13) will bring the numbering system for
books into full alignment with the global EAN.UCC numbering system
that is widely used to identify most other types of consumer goods.
The new
ISBN standard specifies that all ISBN-10s be assigned the
ISBN-13/EAN-13 prefix
'978' when converted to ISBN-13s. It is
important to remember, however, that a new check digit must be
calculated when the '978' prefix is added. [See
ISBN-13 FAQ for an outline of ISBN
conversion rules]
All book
industry trading partners are encouraged to convert all ISBN-10s
into ISBN-13s to facilitate use of the new book identification
standard in global trade. [See
Book Ordering for more information.]
After January 1, 2007, the ISBN-13 is required to appear, in its
hyphenated form, above the bar code, preceded by the abbreviation
"ISBN" or "ISBN-13". At this time, users will be able to refer to
either this number or the numerically equivalent EAN-13 below
the bar code.
Sometime
in 2007, it is likely that some publisher’s books (in some parts of the
world) will be assigned the ISBN-13/EAN-13 with the new '979'
prefix. These
books will not have corresponding ISBN-10s.
Once the
existing supply of ISBN-10s is exhausted in each country, publishers
needing new allotments of ISBNs will be provided ISBNs with the
'979' prefix. It is important to note that publishers
are not likely to be assigned the same ISBN prefixes following '978'
and '979' as they currently hold. (e.g. the publisher prefixes "978-0-1234" and
"979-0-1234" will probably belong to different publishers.)
Once the '979' prefixes enter the
market place, the uniqueness of an ISBN will not be assured unless
13 digits (including the '978' or '979' prefix along with the
properly calculated check digit) are used.
Organizations making system changes to handle ISBN-13 are encouraged
to anticipate the future need to accommodate (store, view, and exchange) any of the EAN.UCC product identifiers which can be up to
14 digits long. [See
section for IT Professionals for more information.]
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