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INTRODUCTION
What follows this introduction is a slightly updated version
of the Library's general information brochure about the ISSN:
"ISSN is for Serials." The brochure was prepared by the National
Serials Data Program (NSDP), the office within the Library of
Congress which assigns International Standard Serial Numbers
(ISSN.) The brochure gives information about how the ISSN is
used and how to obtain an ISSN. The brochure includes an ISSN
application form. This introduction augments the brochure by
clarifying some of the requirements for obtaining an ISSN, by
further discussing ISSN use by the U.S. Postal Service, and by
addressing some newly expanding uses of the ISSN, such as its use
in bar codes and its applicability to electronic serials.
The ISSN is an internationally recognized identification
number for serials. It can be thought of as the "social security
number" of the serials world. The ISSN is the serial counterpart
of the ISBN (International Standard Book Number). However, NSDP
does not assign ISBN numbers. ISBN are assigned by the R.R.
Bowker Co., 121 Chanlon Rd., New Providence, NJ 07874.
NSDP is the U.S. center of the International Serials Data
System (ISDS), the international body which coordinates
assignment and use of the ISSN worldwide. NSDP can only assign
ISSN to serials published in the United States. ISSN for serials
published outside the United States are assigned by ISDS national
centers located in the country of publication, or by the ISDS
International Center located in Paris. There are approximately
50 national centers in the ISDS network. For a referral to the
appropriate center, please contact the ISDS International Centre,
20, rue Bachaumont, 75002 Paris, France.
ISSN can be assigned to serials published in any medium.
Different ISSN are usually required for each physical medium,
e.g., print, electronic, sound recording, etc. In order to be
considered a serial all issues (except for volumes in unnumbered
monographic series) must carry unique numerical or chronological
designations (e.g., Vol., No., and/or date) by which individual
issues can be identified and distinguished from each other.
The requirement that each serial issues carry a unique
designation applies to electronic publications (e.g., CD-ROMs,
electronic journals), as well. If an electronic publication is a
dynamic database, a bulletin board, or a listserv, it is probably
not eligible for an ISSN, but in any case of doubt please contact
NSDP.
One major use of the ISSN in the United States is its use by
the U.S. Postal Service as an identification number for certain
publications mailed at second class rates. However, it is not
necessary to have an ISSN before applying for a second class
mailing permit; the ISSN can be assigned or confirmed as part of
the application process. Also, merely printing the ISSN does not
automatically confer any special mailing status on a publication.
For specific information about obtaining second class permits,
consult your local postmaster.
A growing use of the ISSN is in bar codes. While the ISSN
is not used in the UPC code (the code seen primarily on trade and
mass market titles) it is used in the EAN and SISAC bar codes.
In these two codes, the ISSN constitutes the portion of the code
that identifies the title of the serial. Other data in various
bar codes can represent the number or date of the issue, or the
price. Bar coding of serials is further speeding the
efficiencies in serial processing which can be realized through
the use of the ISSN. For information about ISSN in the SISAC bar
code, contact the Serials Industry Systems Advisory Committee,
160 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10010 and for information about ISSN
in the EAN code, contact the Uniform Code Council, 8163 Old
Yankee Road, Dayton, OH 45458.
ISSN can be assigned to serials either before the first
issue is published or after publication has begun. ISSN
requestors should allow about one month for NSDP to assign the
ISSN and send it to them by return mail. There is no charge for
an ISSN assignment.
In 1992 an American ISSN friends group, called "AmIS" (as in
the French pronunciation) was established to help defray the cost
of dues assessed the United States for participation in the
International Serials Data System. This dues obligation, one of
the several means by which the ISDS International Center is
financed, amounted to $100,000 in 1991, of which the Library of
Congress could pay only $55,000. AmIS provides the opportunity
for those who share in the benefits of the ISSN to help ensure
its financial viability. Membership benefits include an annual
report containing news from NSDP and ISSN statistics from the
previous year, as well as receipt of other ISSN, and ISDS
information. Subscriptions to AmIS can be arranged through
periodical subscription agents such as Faxon, EBSCO, or a
library's regular agent. Brochures listing categories of
membership in AmIS are available from NSDP.
National Serials Data Program
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4160
8/31/92
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********* ISSN IS FOR SERIALS *********
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SERIALS DEFINED
Serials are print or non-print publications issued in parts,
usually bearing issue numbers and/or dates. A serial is expected
to continue indefinitely. Serials include magazines, newspapers,
annuals (such as reports, yearbooks, and directories), journals,
memoirs, proceedings, transactions of societies, and monographic
series.
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD SERIAL NUMBERING
The various and constant changes to which serials are
subject, combined with the large growth in the world's publishing
output, prompted the development of a standard (ISO 3297-1975;
ANSI Z39.9-1979) for the identification of serials: the
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN).
A single ISSN uniquely identifies a title regardless of
language or country in which published, without the burden of a
complex bibliographic description. The ISSN itself has no
significance other than the unique identification of a serial.
An ISSN is eight digits long. Always displayed this way:
ISSN 1234-5679, the first seven digits serve as the title number
and the eighth is a check digit which provides an efficient means
for discovering transcription errors. The system used for
calculating the check digit sometimes requires a check number of
10, in which case, to prevent a nine-digit ISSN, the roman
numeral "X" is substituted.
For each serial with an ISSN there is a corresponding "key
title"--a commonly acceptable form of the title established at
the time of ISSN assignment. The title provides a benchmark
which serves to regulate the assignment of ISSN: if the title of
a serial chances, a new ISSN must be assigned.
ADMINISTRATION OF ISSN
The coordination of the ISSN is international, with
registration initiated at the national level where serials are
published. The National Serials Data Program (NSDP) within the
Library of Congress is the U.S. Center of the International
Serials Data System (ISDS), which coordinates the two-level
network with an International Center in Paris. NSDP is
responsible for registering and numbering serials published in
the United States and for promoting use of and fulfilling
requests for ISSN.
ADVANTAGES OF USE
The ISSN should be as basic a part of a serial as the title.
The advantages of using it are abundant and the more the number
is used the more benefits will accrue.
1. ISSN provides a useful and economical method of
communication between publishers and suppliers, making trade
distribution systems faster and more efficient.
2. The ISSN results in accurate citing of serials by scholars,
researchers, abstracters, and librarians.
3. As a standard numeric identification code, the ISSN is
eminently suitable for computer use in fulfilling the need
for file update and linkage, retrieval, and transmittal of
data.
4. ISSN is used in libraries for identifying titles, ordering
and checking in, and claiming serials.
5. ISSN simplifies interlibrary loan systems and union catalog
reporting and listing.
6. The U.S. Postal Service uses the ISSN to regulate certain
publications mailed at second-class and controlled
circulation rates.
7. The ISSN is an integral component of the journal article
citation used to monitor payments to the Copyright Clearance
Center Inc.
8. All ISSN registrations are maintained in an international
data base and are made available in the ISDS Register, a
microfiche publication which is scheduled to cease in the
near future, or in "ISSN Compact," a newly-available CD-ROM.
HOW TO OBTAIN ISSN
The assignment of the ISSN is free and there is no charge
associated with its use.
The Serial Data Sheet for Publishers on the verso of this
brochure can be used for ISSN application. Instructions for
supplying the desired bibliographic information for registering
the serial in the ISDS data base appear on the form. Whether or
not a form is submitted with the ISSN request, a suitable
representation of the publication (a sample issue or photocopy of
the title page, cover, and masthead) must be provided.
Publishers are encouraged to allow sufficient time (approximately
one month) for the assignment of the ISSN. When publication
deadlines are imminent, requests for ISSN may be sent by Fax.
Telephone requests can ONLY be accepted for prepublication
assignments, i.e., for ISSN requests for serials which have
published NO issues to date.
When requesting an ISSN for an already published serial,
send NSDP a sample issue or copy of the cover, title page, and
masthead as appropriate. For prepublication requests, a mock-up
or artist's conception of the same identifying parts of the
publication should be sent, if possible. In these "v. 1, no. 1"
cases, a follow-up sample issue or surrogate of the actual serial
must be sent directly to NSDP after publication has begun.
HOW TO USE ISSN
To fulfill its purpose, the ISSN should be displayed
prominently on every issue, preferably in the top right corner of
the cover. It is acceptable, however, for the number to appear
elsewhere on the publication (usually in the masthead area).
Various user groups--particularly the U.S. Postal Service--have
specific printing regulations which must be adhered to.
If the serial has an International Standard Book Number
(ISBN) for the individual volumes within a series, in addition to
the ISSN for the series as a whole, the two numbers should appear
together, each with its own prefix. The ISSN should be printed
right after the title of the series, both in books and in
advertising pieces.
It is appropriate for both ISBN and ISSN to be assigned to
certain other types of publications, most notably annuals and
other directories or reference publications. The ISBN identifies
the particular year or edition, the ISSN identifies the ongoing
serial.
ISSN should appear on publisher's advertisements (both
direct mail and space ads) and catalogs, on the serials
themselves, and in all other places where details of books and
serials normally appear.
CHANGES AFFECTING ISSN
Serials often undergo changes, many of which result in a
change of title. When this occurs a new ISSN must be assigned.
The earlier ISSN is not discarded, however, because it is a
permanent attribute of the serial when it was issued under the
earlier title. To avoid printing an incorrect ISSN, publishers
must notify NSDP in advance of a pending title change--especially
one affecting the cover title (which is often the source for the
key title). The notification will be treated as a request for a
new ISSN and the procedure is the same as that for the original
ISSN request. Other changes to a serial such as those of imprint
and frequency do not affect the ISSN assignment.
Display and careful use of the ISSN will help in the world-
wide effort to make the number achieve its intended role as a
valuable means of identifying serials.
Library of Congress
National Serials Data Program
Washington, D.C. 20540-4160
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Library of Congress
National Serials Data Program ISSN APPLICATION FORM
Washington, D.C. 20540-4160
_________________________________________________________________
For NSDP Use Only
Date received______________________________ ISSN:
___ Req. postpub. issue ___ Call publisher
_________________________________________________________________
Instructions: There is no charge for an ISSN assignment.
However, a sample issue or photocopy of the cover, title page and
masthead is required either at the time of application or after
publication of the first issue of a new serial. Furthermore,
application for a new ISSN must be made if the title of the
serial changes.
1. Complete this form.
2. Attach a sample issue or photocopy. (If available, a
mock-up of the requested pages is suggested for
prepublication titles.)
3. Return to NSDP at the above address.
If you have any questions, please contact NSDP for assistance.
_________________________________________________________________
1. ___ This is a new serial (no issues of this publication
have appeared in print under this title). The first issue
will appear ___________________________ (expected date of
publication) and will carry the following number and/or date
designation, e.g., Vol. 1, no. 1, or issue no. 1, or year,
etc. ___________________________________.
___ This is an existing serial which has been published
under this title since _________________ (date); the first
issue under this title had the following number and/or date
designation:_____________________________ .
2. TITLE (from the title pages or the cover if there is no
title page)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
3. VARIANT FORMS OF THE TITLE on the cover, masthead, or other
parts of current issues.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
4. EARLIER TITLES which this serial continues__________________
____________________________________________________________
5. PUBLISHING COMPANY
____________________________________________________________
6. CITY AND STATE OF PUBLISHING COMPANY
____________________________________________________________
7. FORMER PUBLISHING COMPANY (if taking over publication from
another publishing company
____________________________________________________________
8. FREQUENCY___________________________________________________
9. SINGLE ISSUE PRICE__________________________________________
10. SUBSCRIPTION ADDRESS________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
11. SUBSCRIPTION PRICE__________________________________________
12. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS ________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
13. CONTACT PERSON _____________________________________________
PHONE _____________ FAX _______________ DATE________________
14. I WOULD LIKE
____ additional application forms
____ information on Copyright
____ information on ISSN use by U.S. Postal Service
MAIL NOTIFICATION TO:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
HAVE YOU:
* Completed all necessary spaces?
* Enclosed a sample issue or mock-up?
* Included the expected date of publication for a new serial?
* Included a daytime telephone number?
INCOMPLETE APPLICATION FORMS OR FORMS WITHOUT REQUIRED SAMPLE
ISSUES OR SURROGATES WILL BE RETURNED.
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Note: This file has been edited for use on computer networks.
This editing required the removal of diacritics, underlining, and
fonts such as italics and bold. You can obtain a copy of the
original by writing to the National Serials Data Program at the
above address.
kde 8/92