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Are you sure you have the right copy? Identifying E-Books with ISBN

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National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
National Information Standards Organization (NISO)

This document discusses identifying e-books with ISBNs. It notes that the International ISBN Agency and Book Industry Study Group have released guidelines recommending that each distinct file format version of an e-book that a publisher produces and distributes externally be assigned a separate ISBN. This approach to assigning ISBNs to e-books is meant to provide clarity about product forms and versions being identified. The document also provides context on NISO and its work developing technical standards related to publishing and information distribution.

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Are you sure you have the right copy? Identifying E-Books with ISBN Todd A. Carpenter, NISO Executive Director Society for Scholarly Publishing Annual Meeting May 31, 2012 - Arlington,VA
About • Non-profit industry trade association accredited by ANSI • Mission of developing and maintaining technical standards related to information, documentation, discovery and distribution of published materials and media • Volunteer driven organization: 400+ spread out across the world
NISO Portfolio • ISSN • Paper Permanence Where the library, • RFID in Libraries publishing and • OpenURL automation suppliers converge • DOI • SUSHI Greatest focus on • KBART interoperability • SERU
The Community
32% Libraries/Library 35 % Publishers/Publishing Organizations! Organizations! 36 LSA Members ! (non-voting)! ANSI! ISO! Other SDOs! 33% Library Systems Suppliers, Publishing Vendors & Intermediaries! NISO’s Community
NISO Internationally Actively participate internationally with ISO, EDItEUR, IFLA, ICSTI, International STM Association, CODATA, UK Serials Group, LIBER, Standards Australia, IETF, ISO Registration Authorities
Technical Committee (TC) 46 Information & Documentation Subcommittees (SC): 4 – Systems Interoperability 8 – Performance Measurement 9 – Identification & Description 11 – Records Management NISO manages the Secretariat of ISO TC 46, SC 9
Standards are familiar, even if you don’t notice Image: DanTaylor Image: : Joel Washing
Key Concepts in Standardization
The Referent The thing being identified
The Identifier The string identifying the referent
The Metadata The data that describes the referent
An ID & its metadata • Identifiers can be but are not necessarily names (often better if they aren’t) • IDs can be but need not be human- readable. They also may or may not be human understandable. • Metadata describe attributes of the referent • Not every attribute need be described
Functional Granularity
Functional Granularity You ID an item at the level at which it makes sense for your business needs to identify that item
A lesson in functional granularity
How do these things apply in my life? Identifying Ebooks
When is a new thing a new thing?
What make one ebook different from another?
E-book characteristics Encoding structure possibilities (file formats) Platform dependencies (different devices) Reflowable (resize) Mutable (easily changed/updated) Chunked (the entire item or only elements) Networkable (location isn’t applicable) Actionable/interactive Linkable (to other content) Transformable (text to speech) Multimedia capable Extensible (not constrained by page) May operate under license terms (not copyright) Digital Rights Management (DRM)
“Different product forms (e.g. hardcover, paperback, Braille, audio-book, video, online electronic publication) shall be assigned separate ISBNs. Each different format of an electronic publication (e.g. “.lit”,“.pdf”, “.html”, “.pdb”) that is published and made separately available shall be given a separate ISBN.” ISO 2108: 2007 - Information & Documnetation -- International Standard Book Number
ISBN-13 for E-books When should a new version get a new ISBN? PDF? HTML? EPUB? MOBI? KINDLE? If a publisher refuses to assign one, can a supplier; such as Baker & Taylor, Ingram, or Google? Metadata bloat – 1 book, with 15 chapters Sold separately available in 5 formats + HC, SC, PoD Potentially 78 ISBNs assigned to one book
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN E-ISBN There are only ISBNs asigned to ebooks (OK?)
Industry recommendations released in 2011 ------ International ISBN Agency Guidelines for the assignment of ISBNs to e-books & Book Industry Study Group (BISG) POL-1101: Best Practices for Identifying Digital Products
Simply put: Each file a publisher produces for external distribution gets an ISBN
Thank you! Todd Carpenter, Executive Director tcarpenter@niso.org National Information Standards Organization (NISO) One North Charles Street, Suite 1905 Baltimore, MD 21201 USA +1 (301) 654-2512 www.niso.org

More Related Content

Are you sure you have the right copy? Identifying E-Books with ISBN

  • 1. Are you sure you have the right copy? Identifying E-Books with ISBN Todd A. Carpenter, NISO Executive Director Society for Scholarly Publishing Annual Meeting May 31, 2012 - Arlington,VA
  • 2. About • Non-profit industry trade association accredited by ANSI • Mission of developing and maintaining technical standards related to information, documentation, discovery and distribution of published materials and media • Volunteer driven organization: 400+ spread out across the world
  • 3. NISO Portfolio • ISSN • Paper Permanence Where the library, • RFID in Libraries publishing and • OpenURL automation suppliers converge • DOI • SUSHI Greatest focus on • KBART interoperability • SERU
  • 5. 32% Libraries/Library 35 % Publishers/Publishing Organizations! Organizations! 36 LSA Members ! (non-voting)! ANSI! ISO! Other SDOs! 33% Library Systems Suppliers, Publishing Vendors & Intermediaries! NISO’s Community
  • 6. NISO Internationally Actively participate internationally with ISO, EDItEUR, IFLA, ICSTI, International STM Association, CODATA, UK Serials Group, LIBER, Standards Australia, IETF, ISO Registration Authorities
  • 7. Technical Committee (TC) 46 Information & Documentation Subcommittees (SC): 4 – Systems Interoperability 8 – Performance Measurement 9 – Identification & Description 11 – Records Management NISO manages the Secretariat of ISO TC 46, SC 9
  • 8. Standards are familiar, even if you don’t notice Image: DanTaylor Image: : Joel Washing
  • 10. The Referent The thing being identified
  • 11. The Identifier The string identifying the referent
  • 12. The Metadata The data that describes the referent
  • 13. An ID & its metadata • Identifiers can be but are not necessarily names (often better if they aren’t) • IDs can be but need not be human- readable. They also may or may not be human understandable. • Metadata describe attributes of the referent • Not every attribute need be described
  • 15. Functional Granularity You ID an item at the level at which it makes sense for your business needs to identify that item
  • 16. A lesson in functional granularity
  • 17. How do these things apply in my life? Identifying Ebooks
  • 18. When is a new thing a new thing?
  • 19. What make one ebook different from another?
  • 20. E-book characteristics Encoding structure possibilities (file formats) Platform dependencies (different devices) Reflowable (resize) Mutable (easily changed/updated) Chunked (the entire item or only elements) Networkable (location isn’t applicable) Actionable/interactive Linkable (to other content) Transformable (text to speech) Multimedia capable Extensible (not constrained by page) May operate under license terms (not copyright) Digital Rights Management (DRM)
  • 21. “Different product forms (e.g. hardcover, paperback, Braille, audio-book, video, online electronic publication) shall be assigned separate ISBNs. Each different format of an electronic publication (e.g. “.lit”,“.pdf”, “.html”, “.pdb”) that is published and made separately available shall be given a separate ISBN.” ISO 2108: 2007 - Information & Documnetation -- International Standard Book Number
  • 22. ISBN-13 for E-books When should a new version get a new ISBN? PDF? HTML? EPUB? MOBI? KINDLE? If a publisher refuses to assign one, can a supplier; such as Baker & Taylor, Ingram, or Google? Metadata bloat – 1 book, with 15 chapters Sold separately available in 5 formats + HC, SC, PoD Potentially 78 ISBNs assigned to one book
  • 23. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN E-ISBN There are only ISBNs asigned to ebooks (OK?)
  • 24. Industry recommendations released in 2011 ------ International ISBN Agency Guidelines for the assignment of ISBNs to e-books & Book Industry Study Group (BISG) POL-1101: Best Practices for Identifying Digital Products
  • 25. Simply put: Each file a publisher produces for external distribution gets an ISBN
  • 26. Thank you! Todd Carpenter, Executive Director tcarpenter@niso.org National Information Standards Organization (NISO) One North Charles Street, Suite 1905 Baltimore, MD 21201 USA +1 (301) 654-2512 www.niso.org