Revision of the ISBN System: From 10 to 13 Digits
A revised ISBN system will become effective on 1 January 2007. The revised ISBN is identical to the current 13-digit EAN code appearing on a publication's back cover.
The current 10-digit ISBN is converted to 13 digits by attaching the EAN prefix 978 in front of the 10-digit ISBN. The formula for calculating the check digit at the end of the ISBN is the same as that for the corresponding 13-digit EAN code (see Conversion programs below). If the unchanged edition of a publication is going to be published after the 1st of January in 2007, the ISBN-10 should be converted to ISBN-13 as well. Thus the new ISBN check digit can no longer be an X.
Only already calculated but unassigned 10-digit ISBNs can be converted to 13 digits. Below is an example of how to convert a 10-digit ISBN to 13 digits:
ISBN 951-98548-9-4
ISBN 978-951-98548-9-2
The revision of the system will ensure the ISBN numbering capacity also in the future. In Finland the old country identifiers 951 and 952 will continue to be used because there are still plenty of unused blocks of ISBNs and free publisher identifiers left.
The prefix 979 will be taken into use after the existing unassigned 10-digit ISBNs carrying the 978 prefix have been assigned. The prefix 979 is already being used for the barcodes of ISMNs (a standard number for notated music). When the 979 prefix is taken into use, the old publisher identifiers are very likely to be changed.
What to do before 1 January 2007
The revised ISBN can be taken into use already before 1 January 2007. To do so, both the new and the old ISBN should be printed one below the other on the verso of the title page of the publication. In addition, the ISBN should be preceded by either the acronym ISBN-10 or ISBN-13. This is to make sure that publications can also be located during the transition period. The human-readable ISBN above the barcode will remain 10 digits long during the transition period.
ISBN-13: 978-951-98548-9-2
ISBN-10: 951-98548-9-4
What to do after 1 January 2007
As of 1 January 2007, only 13-digit ISBNs should be printed on books. The barcode and the EAN code printed on the back cover will remain unchanged, but the human-readable ISBN should be converted to the 13-digit ISBN (hyphenated) and preceded by the letters ISBN.
Conversion programs
All branches of the book supply chain using ISBNs should ensure that their systems can accommodate the 13-digit ISBNs by 1 January 2007. Publishers can use a conversion program to convert 10-digit ISBNs to 13-digit ISBNs. The International ISBN Agency has a converter online (see below).
With it publishers can convert existing, unassigned 10-digit ISBNs to 13 digits. Systems providers will also supply conversion programs to their customers.Those publishers who have received their single ISBNs directly from the Finnish ISBN Agency will receive them from the Agency during the transitional period as well as after that period.
ConverterGuidelines and standards
The Finnish ISBN Agency website provides access to the ISBN User's Manual, 5th edition.
The revised international ISBN standard ISO 2108: Information and documentation. International Standard Book Number (ISBN) was released on 1 June 2005.
The ISBN standard ISO 2108 has been published as the Finnish-language standard SFS-ISO 2108: Tieto ja dokumentointi. Kirjan tai muun erillisteoksen kansainvälinen standarditunnus (ISBN).
The standard SFS-ISO 2108 can be purchased from the Finnish Standards Association (Suomen Standardisoimisliitto SFS), tel. (09) 149 9331/customer service, e-mail sales(at)sfs.fi. It can also be downloaded from the SFS online shop at SFSImplementation of the ISBN according to the revised standard ISO 2108:2005
As far as traditional materials are concerned, the guidelines on how to implement the new ISBN standard will remain largely the same as those applied to the old standard. The ISBN will continue to be assigned to each different product form and edition of a publication. What is new are the guidelines on the numbering of new publication types, such as electronic publications, print-on-demand publications and separately available sections or chapters of a publication.
An electronic publication can be assigned an ISBN if it is a traditional book-like publication with permanent content. All different file formats of an online publication (PDF, HTML, RTF etc.) must be assigned separate ISBNs. This is the same as assigning ISBNs to various product forms of a printed publication.
According to the new ISBN standard, the publisher should provide the ISBN Agency some minimum metadata (descriptive) elements about the publication to which the ISBN is assigned. The ISO standard lists the elements that must be included in the metadata. The details on how to produce the required metadata will be disseminated later in 2006.
For further information please contact:
Maarit Huttunen
Finnish ISBN Agency
The National Library of Finland
P.O.Box 26 (Teollisuuskatu 23) 00014
University of Helsinki
Tel.: +358 9 191 44329
E-mail: maarit.huttunen(at)helsinki.fi
Calculate the check digit
(From the ISBN Users' Manual, Fifth Edition, International ISBN Agency, 2005, ISBN 3-88053-113-7; chapter 4. Structure of the ISBN)
4. Structure of the ISBN
From 1 January 2007, national ISBN agencies shall only provide ISBNs that consist of 13 digits, comprising the following elements:
* Registration group element
* Registrant element
* Publication element
* Check digit
4.5. Check digit
The check digit is calculated using a modulus 10 algorithm.
Each of the first 12 digits of the ISBN is alternately multiplied by 1 and 3. The check digit is equal to 10 minus the remainder resulting from dividing the sum of the weighted products of the first 12 digits by 10 with one exception. If this calculation results in an apparent check digit of 10, the check digit is 0.
Example:
Use the following steps to calculate the check digit for the ISBN 978-0-11-000222-?:
Step 1: Determine the sum of the weighted products for the first 12 digits of the ISBN (see following table).
| Prefix | Registration group element | Registrant element | Publication element | Check digit | Sum | |||||||||
| ISBN | 9 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ? | |
| Weight | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | - | |
| Product | 9 | 21 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 6 | - | 56 |
Step 2: Divide the sum of the weighted products of the first 12 digits of the ISBN calculated in step 1 by 10, determining the remainder.
56 / 10 = 5, remainder = 6
Step 3: Subtract the remainder calculated in step 2 from 10. The resulting difference is the value of the check digit with one exception. If the remainder from step 2 is 0, the check digit is 0.
10 - 6 = 4
Check digit = 4
ISBN = 978-0-11-000222-4
The following mathematical formula is an alternative way of expressing the calculation of the check digit:
Check digit = mod 10 (10 - [mod 10 {sum of weighted products of the first 12 ISBN digits}])
Check digit = mod 10 (10 - [mod 10 {56}])
Check digit = 4
The sum of the weighted products of the first 12 digits plus the check digit must be divisible by 10 without a remainder for the ISBN to be valid,
N.B.! The length of the registration group, registrant and publication elements are variable and may not always be the same as in the example table above. Not all registration group and registrant combinations are valid. See section 4.6 Distribution, of ranges, from the Users' manual for the formulaic information required to validate and split an ISBN.
