ISO TC46 / SC9 / N518
                                                                                           2009-05-12




   From: Todd Carpenter
         ISO/TC46/SC9 Secretariat


   Title: Report on ISO 2108 (ISBN) for the SC9 plenary meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, May 14, 2009

   Source: International ISBN Agency

   Project(s): ISO 2108, International Standard Book Number (ISBN)

   Status:

   Additional information:




    REQUESTED ACTION
    Circulated to P- and O-members, and to technical committees and organizations in liaison for:

         information

        discussion at SC9 plenary meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, May 14, 2009
         [venue/date of meeting]

        comments by
        [date]

         voting (P-members only by:


        [date]
    P-members of the technical committee or subcommittee concerned have an obligation to vote.




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                                                                    International ISBN Agency
                                                                    Agence Internationale ISBN
                                                                    Agencia Internacional ISBN
                                                                    Международное агентство ISBN



International Standard Numbering System for Books, Software,
Mixed Media etc. in Publishing, Distribution and Library Practice
________________________________________________                                       _____


May 2009

Report of the International ISBN Agency
Registration Authority for ISO 2108

New agencies
There are now 178 countries in the international ISBN system covered by 150
national or group agencies. The most recent applicants for national ISBNs agencies
are Syria, Oman, Aruba and Liberia.

Digital publications
The International ISBN Agency and its national agencies continue to attempt to
ensure that publishers of digital monographic publications, especially audiobooks and
eBooks, use separate ISBNs for each separately available digital format - a problem
where formatting is carried out by third parties unused to the system.

Retrospective assignment
The International ISBN Agency has set up a working group to investigate the
feasibility of assigning ISBNs to the tens of millions of books published before the
introduction of ISO 2108 in 1970.

Training and software
In the year ahead, regional training courses for ISBN Agencies are planned for the
Balkan and Arabic speaking countries. The International ISBN Agency will also be
developing further software to help smaller national agencies assign ISBNs, collect
metadata from publishers and build title-level databases.

Systematic review
ISO 2108:2005 was confirmed in the systematic review carried out during the last
year, although new manuals for agencies and FAQs for users are being published to
take account of recent developments in digital and on-demand publishing.

Introduction of 979 prefix
The first 979 prefixed group identifier (979-10) has been assigned to the French ISBN
agency and will come into use during the autumn of 2009. Since there are still plenty
of 978-prefixed group identifiers for countries requiring smaller quantities of ISBNs,
the two ranges will run in parallel for the foreseeable future.

Brian Green
Executive Director
International ISBN Agency
www.isbn-international.org