Metadata Committee
We help shape and create standards.
About the Metadata Committee
The Metadata Committee is responsible for suggesting changes to the ONIX standard and its code lists, so distributors and retailers can easily identify what a book is about and successfully market it. Building on BISG best practices, we make recommendations to help metadata providers and recipients provide timely, high-quality metadata for all book formats.
How to Get Involved
Participation in BISG's committees are an exclusive benefit of BISG membership. Any BISG member with an interest in metadata is welcome to participate.
- To join the Metadata Committee, e-mail info@bisg.org to express your interest and get on the mailing list for meeting invites, agendas, and other key communications.
- Attend committee meetings, held every month except August in 2026. View the full schedule of Metadata Committee meetings here.
- Engage in discussions, resource development, and programming based on your expertise and capacity.
By joining, your organization will have a direct impact on metadata in the book industry.
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Committee Chair:Claire Holloway, OCLC 2026 Committee charter Metadata resources |
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Committee Objectives
- Shape and communicate identification and metadata standards such as ISBN and ONIX 3.0
- Strengthen documentation of the metadata supply chain
- Identify weaknesses in the current approaches
- Make recommendations for operational improvements to metadata or structural changes in the metadata supply chain to address shortcomings
What We Do
We suggest changes to the ONIX standard and its code lists, as well as oversee its development and maintenance. The Metadata Committee also acts as a forum for members to discuss current issues in ONIX and metadata in general, sharing ideas and solutions across a broad spectrum of companies, including data senders and recipients.
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When We Meet
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The Metadata Committee meets monthly via Zoom; our full meeting cycle for 2026 is listed below. Meetings are held 11 AM - 12:30 PM ET. If you're a member of the Metadata Committee, click here to register for meetings.
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What We Produce
From metadata best practices to an ONIX implementation grid, we create recommendations and materials to improve the industry.
- Statement on misuse of the title and subtitle fields (May 2023)
- Industry support for the statement on misuse of the title and subtitle fields
Click here to browse a complete list of Metadata Committee work.
Committee FAQ
When it comes to book publishing and marketing, metadata are the vital details about a book that allow distributors and retailers to easily identify what it’s about and successfully market it. These include things like page count and critical reviews, title, author or series.
ONIX (ONline Information EXchange) is the international standard for representing and communicating book industry product information in electronic form. A useful, 15-minute introductory video on ONIX for Books is available for viewing on the EDItEUR web site.
Across book publishing, identifiers are typically numeric or alphanumeric strings that specify an aspect of the supply chain. An ISBN uniquely identifies a manifestation of a book. An ISNI uniquely identifies an author or contributor, as does an ORCID in the academic and scholarly space. A standard approach to creating and maintaining identifiers across the publishing ecosystem improves transparency, faciliates reporting, and reduces friction in moving physical and digital products across the supply chain.
Explore Our Committees
Rights Committee Subject Codes Committee Supply Chain Committee Workflow Committee
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