Government of Canada ISBNs

Contents

• Introduction
• What does ISBN stand for?
• What is an ISBN?
• What identifies the government of Canada in an ISBN?
• What if I have an X in my ISBN?
• Can my department have its own ISBN block?
• What should have an ISBN?

Introduction

ISBNs should be assigned to all appropriate government of Canada publications. Their use is mandated under the Treasury Board Communications Policy.

ISBNs are assigned to most goverment of Canada publications by the DSP. The DSP administers two blocks of ISBNs that have been delegated to it by the Canadian ISBN Agency which is a part of the National Library of Canada.

What does ISBN stand for?

ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number. The abbreviation ISBN is international and is used in both English and French.

What is an ISBN?

As defined by the Canadian ISBN Agency, the ISBN is a system of numerical identification for books, pamphlets, educational kits, microforms, CD-ROM and braille publications. By assigning a unique ten-digit number to each published title, the system provides that title with its own, unduplicated, internationally recognized "identity". Publishers, booksellers, libraries and other participants in the book industry use ISBN to identify publications in order to expedite their handling and retrieval. ISBN ensures that ordering, inventory control and accounting are executed more efficiently.

An ISBN is a 10-digit number that uniquely identifies each specific edition of a book or book-like product. This 10-digit number is divided into four parts of variable length; each part is separated by a hyphen or space.

The four parts of an ISBN, in order, are:

• the group identifier: "0" and "1" are the group identifiers used by the ISBN agencies for Canada, the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom;
• the publisher prefix: a number which identifies a particular publisher within the preceding group;
• the title identifier: a number which identifies a particular title or edition of a title issued by the preceding publisher;
• the check digit: a single digit at the end of the ISBN which validates the accuracy of that ISBN.

What identifies the government of Canada in an ISBN?

The Government of Canada as publisher is identified by the prefixes 0-660 and 0-662. The block of numbers beginning 0-660 is used for priced publications; the block of numbers beginning 0-662 is used for free publications.

The DSP has subdivided these blocks so that the ISBN will indicate the language of each publication, or at least the official language. At present, the sub-blocks 20000 indicate English unilingual, 60000 indicate bilingual and 80000 indicate French unilingual.

For example, the number 0-662-63498-3 would indicate a government publication which is being distributed free of charge and which is bilingual in one volume (or file). Since 1978, the numbers preceding 10000 have been reserved for publications in non-official languages. The numbers following the language indicator are applied in order as publications are prepared for press.

What if I have an X in my ISBN?

An X can appear in the last digit of an ISBN (for example 0-660-64321-X). It is simply acting as a 10 in the check digit. An X in any place in an ISBN other than the last digit is an error.

Can my department have its own ISBN block?

Attempts to loan out blocks of ISBNs to other agencies within the government have proved very unsatisfactory on the whole, both in terms of record-keeping and in terms of the workload of all concerned. At present, only the National Museums and Statistics Canada hold apply and report on blocks of ISBNs sub-contracted to them by the DSP. The multiplicity of publishing points in many agencies and the turn over of publications staff seem to make it impracticable at present to loan out the assignment of ISBN.

What should have an ISBN?

An ISBN is applied to a particular publication, not to the whole group of issues of a serial publication. The ISBN identifies the particular physical document. In the case of a work issued in more than one volume, an extra ISBN is used to identify each volume.

An ISBN is required for:

• each individual new publication, other than a periodical issued more than once a year; including
  
• each annual edition,
  
• each issue in a series,
  
• each revision or new edition,
  
• each separate language edition,
  
• each set of a work issued in more than one volume, and each volume in the set.

If you are unsure as to whether or not your publication requires an ISBN, please contact DSP staff.