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ONIX Implementation Guidelines for ISBN-13
The
ISBN
Standard ISO 2108
is in the final stages of a revision that means that from January 2007
the
ten-digit ISBN
(ISBN-10)
will be replaced by a thirteen-digit ISBN
(ISBN-13),
initially starting with the three-digit prefix 978 or 979.
For
more details, see the general 13-digit
ISBN Implementation Guidelines.
ISBN-13
numbers in their
unhyphenated form constitute a range of EAN.UCC-13 numbers that has
been
reserved for the international book trade, and that can only be
assigned by ISBN
agencies in accordance with the rules of ISO 2108. This
means that book and non-book products
can be identified by the same type of product identifier, which also
matches
what will by 2007 have become the universally-accepted standard product
barcode.
In
ONIX, an ISBN-13
can be
specified either as an EAN.UCC-13 number (code 03 in List 5, Product
Identifier
Type), or as an ISBN-13
number (new
code 15 in
List 5, Product Identifier Type, added as part of Issue 4 of the Code
Lists). It has been agreed by
ONIX
national groups that it will be mandatory in
an ONIX <Product> record for any item carrying
an ISBN-13
to include the ISBN-13
labelled as an
EAN.UCC
number (code 03), since this is how the ISBN-13
will be universally used in trading transactions. For
many ONIX applications this will also be
sufficient.
For
some ONIX applications,
however, the US and Canadian
national groups require that the ISBN-13
should also
be sent labelled
distinctively as an ISBN-13
(code 15). This means that for
these applications the
ONIX record for an item that has an EAN.UCC-13 number that is not
an ISBN-13
will carry the EAN.UCC-13 number only. The
ONIX record for an item that has an ISBN-13
will carry both the EAN.UCC-13 number
and the (identical) ISBN-13
number,
labelled
as such. This deliberate
redundancy is
specified in order to ensure that ISBN-13
items can be immediately and unambiguously recognised.
Please
see US
and Canadian
national ONIX guidelines
for more
information.
Code
02 in List 5 (ISBN-10)
will be strictly reserved for the 10-character ISBN. Under
no circumstances, before or after
1 January 2007, should an ISBN-13 be sent in a
<ProductIdentifier>
composite coded 02 in <ProductIDType>, or in any separate ISBN-10 element.
EDItEUR
recommends that, from
1 January 2006 at the latest,
all ONIX <Product> records
carrying an ISBN-10
should also
carry the corresponding ISBN-13
labelled as an EAN.UCC-13 number (and, in addition, labelled as an ISBN-13
where national guidelines so require). This
allows receivers a minimum of one year in which to
adapt their
systems so that they rely only on the 13-digit form, and cease using
the ISBN-10.
It
will still be possible
to include an ISBN-10
in ONIX records, but it is recommended that from January 2007 an ISBN-10
should be sent only when there is a specific business reason to do so. For
unambiguous identification, all ISBN-10
items will have a corresponding ISBN-13
even
if this was not explicit on the product. For
such items, in the same way as for items which carry
the ISBN-13
on the product, the ISBN-13
should always
be sent labelled as an EAN.UCC-13
number (code 03 in List 5, Product Identifier Type), and may also need
to be
sent labelled distinctively as an ISBN-13
(code 15), where national guidelines so require.
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