Identifying Digital Content: BISG Updates Its Guidance

At its April 23 meeting, the BISG board approved a set of changes to policy 11-01, "Best Practices for Identifying Digital Content," to better address current requirements for describing accessible content. The policy had been reviewed at several meetings of BISG's Metadata Committee, which discussed potential changes and recommended the final draft to the board.

The updated policy provided critical guidance when it was introduced in 2011, in the first few years of widespread ebook consumption. A mix of practices, including using the same ISBN for physical and digital content, had created confusion in the marketplace. At the time, BISG undertook a study of existing practices, ultimately recommending that unique identifiers be assigned to digital content.

The original policy, which was updated in 2013, also provided several examples of how different parts of the best practices could be applied. In the 2026 revision, these examples have been extended to include guidance around accessible content and instances in which it should be distinguished with a unique ISBN or proprietary identifier.

BISG's Metadata Committee also updated earlier guidance that described use cases in which ISBNs were assigned by either publishers or their trading partners. Committee discussion confirmed that instances in which a trading partner assigns an ISBN in lieu of a publisher were minimal. The revised policy removes this option and presents recommendations that assume the an ISBN is assigned by a publisher.

Publishers that sell accessible versions of their digital content should evaluate their practices against guidance contained in the revised policy. Feedback to the committee is welcome. Questions and comments can be emailed to info@bisg.org. BISG bembers are also welcome to attend a Metadata Committee meeting to raise an issue. Reach out to Brooke Horn to be added to an upcoming meeting invitation.