ISBN
Also aka: International Standard Book Numbering
ISBN stands for International Standard Book Numbering or International Standard Book Number. Dutch International Standard Book Number also appears as an explanation for the abbreviation.
The ISBN number is a unique identifier that can be assigned to published books, or trade units. Using the unique number, books can be distinguished from one another, which simplifies ordering, stocking and checkout of books. Because it consists of numbers, an ISBN number can be easily noted as a bar code.
'Published book' should not be taken to mean a particular title by a particular author. Several versions of the same book may circulate. Consider the binding form (hardcover/pocket), revised editions and translations. In addition to books, ISBN numbers are also assigned to certain other information carriers such as educational software and maps.
What does an ISBN number look like?
The identifier consists of 13 digits. All ISBN numbers begin with 978, to distinguish the numbers from those of other EAN systems. This is followed by a country code. For the Netherlands, this country code is 90 or 94.
This is followed by a section referring to the publisher. The length of the publisher number varies by publisher. The more books a publisher expects to publish, the shorter the publisher number and the more remaining number positions are left to link to published books.
To mark the end of a complete ISBN code, it always ends with a check digit. This is derived from the preceding sequence and is used by systems to verify that the code is valid and thus has been properly read.
The international ISBN standard is managed centrally by the International ISBN Agency. In the Netherlands, ISBN is managed by the Centraal Boekhuis, which also handles much of the distribution of books in our country.
