Publications
NASIGuide: ISSNby Donna Packer October 2004 What is the International Standard Serial Number? The ISSN is a standardized international code, numeric in nature, which provides a unique and precise identifier for serial publications. ISSNs are constructed according to the International Organization for Standards ISO 3297, first published in 1975. They consist of the acronym ISSN, followed by two groups of four digits, separated by a hyphen. The number has no significance in itself, and is assigned to serial publications independently of their country of publication, language or alphabet, frequency, etc. It is linked to a standardized form of the serial title, known as the "key title," which repeats the title of the publication, qualifying it with additional elements in order to distinguish it from other publications having identical titles. Both the numeric identifier and the key title are recorded in the "ISSN Register." Who assigns ISSNs and maintains the ISSN Register? Publishers or other interested parties (e.g. libraries, documentation centers) may request the assignment of an ISSN to a given periodical, and more than 1 million ISSN numbers have so far been assigned and recorded in the ISSN Register. The ISSN Network now covers some 240 countries, with some 70 national centers issuing ISSNs. The work of these centers is coordinated by the ISSN International Centre, located in Paris, and backed by UNESCO and the French Government. The International Centre also maintains the database for the ISSN Register. ISSNs are issued free of charge, but the financial resources of the Network depend on the contributions it receives from the French Government, as host, and from the other member states, as well as UNESCO. The financial contributions of the member states are based on their Gross National Product. Do ISSNs change? A new ISSN is required when the title of the publication changes in any significant way or when the medium of the publication changes. Each separate edition on a different medium (e.g. when an electronic version is introduced for an existing print title) should have its own ISSN, even if the title is identical. Mergers with other serials or serial supplements may require new or separate ISSNs. Other changes, such as change of publisher, place of publication, frequency, editorial policy, do not warrant a new ISSN. An ISSN can be assigned to a monographic series, but ISBNs are assigned to each separate book in a series. What are some practical uses of the ISSN? Librarians, publishers and subscription agents all use the ISSN as a precise identifier of a title and the specific medium in which it is presented. It is a permanent, "persistent" identifier, which can be used in conjunction with added codes to meet a variety of new needs for both electronic access and electronic commerce. The role of the ISSN is expanding far beyond the traditional uses as an identifier in the serial ordering process and in library bibliographic records. The ISSN is part of the SICI (Serial Item and Contribution Identifier) scheme which allows serials publications to be identified at the volume and issue level. The SICI can also be used in bar code format to facilitate a number of tracking functions. The ISSN plays an important identification role in the Interlibrary Loan process, and as part of monitoring systems for copyright royalty payments. Libraries use the ISSN through the MARC 780 and 785 fields as part of the linking to earlier and later versions of a serial title. And the ISSN may well play an important role in the development of a new identifier, the URN (Universal Resource Name). Can the ISSN meet the needs of the rapidly changing electronic information environment? There is now a need for identification of serial material at the article level. It is anticipated that libraries will increasingly make links between traditional serial catalog records in their library catalogs and article level records. The scope of the ISSN may be broadened to include not only continuing resources (i.e. those that are issued over time with no expected conclusion) but also "integrating resources" that are updated or added to periodically or continuously. Many web sites meet the definition of a "continuing" or "integrating" resource. The ISSN Network recognizes the importance of the harmonization efforts undertaken by the AACR, ISBD(S) and ISSN communities that have resulted in new definitions which have important consequences for the scope of the ISSN. As publishing conventions change, collections of articles may no longer be published in packages called "issues" but on a daily or even hourly basis. The result would be more like a database than a traditional publication. Many monographs now have a continuing nature. They are published electronically and are updated routinely, with frequent versions. Web sites may also be updated on a periodic basis and, under this new definition, could qualify as continuing resources. Publishers and subscription agents as well as libraries need identifiers that will travel with an object throughout its life cycle from authoring to possible pre-print stages through sales and distribution, to reader level access, and to archiving. In addition, electronic journals now routinely include hyperlinks between the references in the articles and the documents to which they refer. The need for a persistent identifier is even more important in this environment, to support links, and to trace authorship and ownership of copyright. For more information: Websites ISSN International Centre: http://www.issn.org/ U.S. ISSN Center (National Serials Data Program, located at the Library of Congress): http://www.loc.gov/issn/ Articles Reynolds, Regina Romano. "ISSN: Dumb Number, Smart Solution." Cataloging and Classification Quarterly 36, no. 3/4 (2003): 155-171. |
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