Serials identification and the electronic environment F. Pellé, ISSN IC Cairo, October 2001

2 ISSN : International Standard Serial Number An identification system for serial publications …..today « continuing resources » An international network –73 member countries –1 regional Centre for South-East Asia –the International Centre

3 The identification system An international standard : ISO 3297 The ISSN number : a unique « dumb » number –structure : X 9 = digits (0 to 9) X = control digit (0 to 9 and X) –Example : X linked to the identification data –titles (title proper, key title, etc…), bibliographic address, publishing date(s), etc….

4 Uniqueness –An ISSN is assigned to only one publication –a publication is identified by one (and only one) ISSN Persistence –Once assigned, an ISSN is never re-assigned –All assigned ISSN are registered : ISSN Register ( 1,022,388 records on 1/10/2001)

5 What is the ISSN for ? Unique and reliable identification of an object Identification shared by all actors interested in this object –dealing with the right object –processing the right object

6 The ISSN is used : By the information producers and distributors –publishers, press distributors, postal services, subscription agents,... –Often through bar-codes (EAN, UCC) by the actors of the information chain –data base producers, libraries, union catalogues,...

7 The ISSN is used : By other identification systems (articles : SICI) On the Internet, as a persistent identifier

8 Changes in publishing practices Relatively few publications will move completely electronic Complex relationhips between print and electronic editions Dominant model : Web site, continuously/regularly updated Serial in the electronic world : more than an object

9 Evolution of the concepts Seriality : the core concept Form of issuance –successive parts –integrating

10 AACR Type of Publication Model

11 Definitions -Bibliographic resource : a manifestation of a work that forms the basis for bibliographic description. A bibliographic resource may be in any medium or combination of media and may be tangible or intangible.

12 Definitions (2) -Continuing resource : a bibliographic resource that is issued over time with no predetermined conclusion. Continuing resources include serials and ongoing integrating resources. -Integrating resource : a bibliographic resource that is added to or changed by means of updates that do not remain discrete and are integrated into the whole. Examples of integrating resources include updating loose-leafs and updating Web sites.

13 Definitions (3) –Serial : a continuing resource issued in a succession of discrete parts, usually bearing numbering, that has no predetermined conclusion. Examples of serials include journals, magazines, electronic journals, continuing directories, annual reports, newspapers and monographic series.

14 ISSN Strategic Plan New scope –from serials to continuing resources serials (whatever the medium) : exhaustivity integrating resources : selectivity New functions –from identification to access –ISSN : a piece of the information infrastructure

15 Harmonization : ISBD, AACR and ISSN Revision of the cataloguing codes Main aim : re-use of existing records

16 The ISST project International Standard Serial Title IFLA ISBD (CR) WG Objective : to increase record sharing and bibliographic control By unifying the purposes of the key title and uniform title

17 The ISST project (2) Title proper + qualifier (when needed) Would accompany the ISSN number Provisional form created by all cataloguers (not only ISSN NCs)

18 The ISST project : challenges Data flows Access to the whole set of ISSTs Corporate bodies Etc… Work in progress

End of the 1rst part of the presentation

URN / ISSN PROJECT

21 Persistent identification on the Internet Problem : –longevity of links broken links Solution : –Uniform Resource Name (URN) : framework defined by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)

22 Uniform Resource Name persistent identifier for a resource independent of information such as protocol, host, port, etc. mapped to a set of URLs, that are the current locations of the resource divided into "namespaces" (collections of identifiers related through some relationship, e.g. NBN, ISBN, SICI, ISSN,...)

23 The ISSN system provides persistent identifiers for continuing resources is independent of information such as protocol etc. maps identifiers to URLs is a "Name Space" => ISSN, a URN Name Space Identifier (NID)

24 To retrieve the serial entitled «Annual report - Unesco Cairo Office (Online)» (ISSN ) instead of typing in the browser command line type urn:issn:

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29 Plug in freely available : for Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Explorer

30 Other persistent naming systems / projects Basic principle –huge amount of information to be identified –not manageable by only one system co-operation Other URN-NIDs (ISBN, NBN, SICI) : –no technical problem –SICI : being experimented ( DIEPER Project ) –Others : to be discussed and established DOI and other projects : under discussion

31 THANK YOU