Posted Wednesday, March 21, 2007
PRESS RELEASE
BISG Approves Policy Statement on the Elimination Of Dual Identifiers
New York, NY (March 21, 2007) -- The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) has just announced a new Policy Statement advocating the elimination of dual identifiers on physical books and related products.
The Statement, "Elimination of Dual Identifiers on Books and Related Products" (BISG Policy Statement POL-0701), addresses the problem of dual bar codes on products intended for retail sale by booksellers and general retailers in the United States. Specifically, it addresses which identifier, ISBN (bar coded with a Bookland EAN) or U.P.C. (bar coded with a UPC-12), is recommended for a given product or class of product. Recommendations as to which identifier is appropriate for which product are included in the Statement. For example, the Statement recommends ISBN for maps and U.P.C. for calendars.
Several months of review, feedback and debate involving the full BISG membership preceded the endorsement of the Policy Statement by the BISG Board of Directors during their March 2007 meeting.
Some of the organizations which have indicated support of the Statement include GS1 U.S., the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the American Booksellers Association (ABA), the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Association for Christian Retail (CBA), and Map Link.
"Assigning more than one identifier to a book is a practice that provokes higher costs and inefficiencies in so many parts of the book supply chain," said Michael Healy, BISG Executive Director. "The release of this Statement is a small but important step toward greater efficiency in our industry."
BISG recommends the implementation of the Policy Statement as soon as practical, with a target date for new publications or product introductions of no later than March 31, 2008.
A complete list of BISG Policy Statements is available online.
Media Contact:
Angela Bole
Deputy Executive Director
Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
646-336-7141
angela@bisg.org
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About Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. book industry's leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry supply chain. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community.
Learn more about BISG at www.bisg.org.
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The Statement, "Elimination of Dual Identifiers on Books and Related Products" (BISG Policy Statement POL-0701), addresses the problem of dual bar codes on products intended for retail sale by booksellers and general retailers in the United States. Specifically, it addresses which identifier, ISBN (bar coded with a Bookland EAN) or U.P.C. (bar coded with a UPC-12), is recommended for a given product or class of product. Recommendations as to which identifier is appropriate for which product are included in the Statement. For example, the Statement recommends ISBN for maps and U.P.C. for calendars.
Several months of review, feedback and debate involving the full BISG membership preceded the endorsement of the Policy Statement by the BISG Board of Directors during their March 2007 meeting.
Some of the organizations which have indicated support of the Statement include GS1 U.S., the Association of American Publishers (AAP), the American Booksellers Association (ABA), the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), PMA, the Independent Book Publishers Association, the Association for Christian Retail (CBA), and Map Link.
"Assigning more than one identifier to a book is a practice that provokes higher costs and inefficiencies in so many parts of the book supply chain," said Michael Healy, BISG Executive Director. "The release of this Statement is a small but important step toward greater efficiency in our industry."
BISG recommends the implementation of the Policy Statement as soon as practical, with a target date for new publications or product introductions of no later than March 31, 2008.
A complete list of BISG Policy Statements is available online.
Media Contact:
Angela Bole
Deputy Executive Director
Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
646-336-7141
angela@bisg.org
About Book Industry Study Group, Inc.
The Book Industry Study Group, Inc. (BISG) is the U.S. book industry's leading trade association for policy, standards and research. The mission of BISG is to create a more informed, empowered, and efficient book industry supply chain. Membership consists of publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and others engaged in the business of print and electronic media. For 30 years, BISG has provided a forum for all industry professionals to come together and efficiently address issues and concerns to advance the book community.
Learn more about BISG at www.bisg.org.