After 30 years, the ISBN might be getting a facelift.
The updated International Standard Book Number being proposed by a standards organization will increase the number of titles computer systems can track.
It could also require publishers to spend millions on software upgrades. The reason: The proposal expands the ISBN to 13 digits, breaking computer programs designed to use the original 10-digit standard.
The update is being developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The group has overseen the standard since 1972.
The ISBN is used by publishers, distributors, and retailers to identify books in 160 countries. The new standard could be in place by 2004.
Supporters of the change say the update is needed to avoid running out of ISBN numbers, and to make ISBN compatible with Europe's standard. The 13-digit European Article Numbering/Uniform Code Council, or EAN.UCC, is used by 900,000 companies.
"There's a shift under way at the retailer level, and the entire U.S. marketplace is moving to a 13-digit ISBN," says Pat Harris, executive director of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), a nonprofit association that develops technical standards, in Bethesda, Md. "Small publishers may be faced with a capacity issue in the next few years. We want to be prepared."
Preparation means software at publishers, printers, distributors, retailers, and libraries will require potentially costly updates to expand 10-digit ISBN codes to 13.
It's not unlike the Y2K situation, where databases with 2-digit years had to be updated to 4 digits, Harris says. "Across the publishing house and the supply chain, the 10-digit ISBN is likely to be embedded in a lot of different department [computer] programs and operations. Those will have to be updated."
COSTS STUDIED
Some members of the ISO committee say upgrade fees won't become a major expense for publishers. However, the committee plans to consider the issue.
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ISBN Changes Could Cost Publishers
After 30 years, the ISBN might be getting a facelift.
The updated International Standard Book Number being proposed by a standards organization will increase the number of titles computer systems can track.
It could also require publishers to spend millions on software upgrades. The reason: The proposal expands the ISBN to 13 digits, breaking computer programs designed to use the original 10-digit standard.
The update is being developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The group has overseen the standard since 1972.
The ISBN is used by publishers, distributors, and retailers to identify books in 160 countries. The new standard could be in place by 2004.
Supporters of the change say the update is needed to avoid running out of ISBN numbers, and to make ISBN compatible with Europe's standard. The 13-digit European Article Numbering/Uniform Code Council, or EAN.UCC, is used by 900,000 companies.
"There's a shift under way at the retailer level, and the entire U.S. marketplace is moving to a 13-digit ISBN," says Pat Harris, executive director of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), a nonprofit association that develops technical standards, in Bethesda, Md. "Small publishers may be faced with a capacity issue in the next few years. We want to be prepared."
Preparation means software at publishers, printers, distributors, retailers, and libraries will require potentially costly updates to expand 10-digit ISBN codes to 13.
It's not unlike the Y2K situation, where databases with 2-digit years had to be updated to 4 digits, Harris says. "Across the publishing house and the supply chain, the 10-digit ISBN is likely to be embedded in a lot of different department [computer] programs and operations. Those will have to be updated."
COSTS STUDIED
Some members of the ISO committee say upgrade fees won't become a major expense for publishers. However, the committee plans to consider the issue.