BISG Publishes Recommended Practices for Assigning ISNI to Strengthen Contributor Identification
The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has published Recommended Practices for Assigning ISNI, a new resource outlining six recommendations to encourage broader adoption of the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) in the U.S. book market.
ISNI is a globally recognized ISO standard that provides a unique, persistent identifier for authors, illustrators, translators, publishers, and other contributors to creative works. By helping distinguish individuals and organizations with similar names and consistently connecting creators to their works, ISNI supports more accurate metadata, improved discoverability, and more efficient rights and royalties management.
Although ISNI adoption has gained momentum internationally, particularly in countries where national libraries and cultural organizations have taken a leading role, implementation in the United States has been slower. For almost two years, BISG hosted an ISNI Working Group to address this gap and develop practical recommendations for integrating contributor identifiers into existing publishing workflows.
The working group brought together approximately four dozen volunteers representing publishers, distributors, retailers, libraries, and other industry stakeholders. Meeting seven times over 18 months in 2024 and 2025, the group developed recommendations that recognize the varying needs and capabilities of organizations throughout the supply chain.
Six Recommendations for ISNI Adoption
The new publication outlines six recommended practices:
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Obtain or assign ISNIs as early as practical. Publishers, agents, and authors should work to ensure contributors have identifiers early in the publishing process, first checking whether an ISNI already exists.
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Address both frontlist and backlist titles. Publishers should incorporate ISNI assignment into workflows for new publications while developing strategies to identify and address gaps in existing catalogs.
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Engage publishing platforms. Self-publishing platforms can encourage independent authors to obtain ISNIs and help streamline registration at scale.
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Encourage metadata recipients to identify gaps. Distributors, retailers, and other recipients can help identify missing contributor identifiers and communicate those gaps to publishers and other partners.
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Leverage libraries' expertise. Libraries can use their cataloging and name authority expertise to identify contributors whose records may lack ISNIs.
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Use ONIX to communicate identifiers. Publishers should share assigned ISNIs through ONIX metadata to ensure consistent communication across the supply chain.
Together, these recommendations provide a framework for improving contributor identification while recognizing that successful implementation will require collaboration among organizations with different roles, resources, and technical capabilities.
Addressing Barriers to Adoption
The report also examines challenges that have limited ISNI adoption in the United States, including insufficient awareness, implementation costs and complexity, competing identifier systems, and the decentralized nature of the publishing industry.
To provide additional context, BISG has published a companion resource, ISNI Implementation in the U.S. Market: Examples and Blockers, which explores implementation efforts in Europe, Asia, and Latin America and identifies lessons that may help inform adoption in the U.S.
Building on the Working Group's Recommendations
Publication of the recommended practices marks the beginning of BISG's ongoing efforts to promote broader ISNI adoption.
Planned activities include educational programming, engagement with publishing systems providers and metadata recipients, practical guidance on obtaining ISNIs, and the development of case studies demonstrating their value. BISG will coordinate these efforts with its Metadata Committee and continue participating in international discussions about contributor identification.
The recommendations are published as a living document, allowing them to evolve as industry practices, technology, and ISNI adoption develop.
Explore the Resources:
BISG welcomes participation from organizations interested in advancing ISNI adoption and encourages industry stakeholders to share use cases and implementation experiences. To learn more or contribute, contact info@bisg.org.