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FAQs: ISBN (International Standard Book Number)
return to list of ISBN (International Standard Book Number) FAQ topics ISBN-13 Questions
Why did the ISBN change to 13 digits?
The change to 13 digits was needed in order to expand the numbering capacity of the ISBN system and alleviate numbering shortages in certain areas of the world. Also, by changing the ISBN to 13 digits, the book industry has fully aligned the numbering system for books with the global GTIN identification system that is widely used to identify most other consumer goods worldwide. Does the ISBN-13 change affect the bar code on books?
No. There has been no change to the Bookland EAN bar code itself or to the number encoded within it. The human-readable ISBN displayed above the Bookland EAN bar code has changed, however, with the currently printed ISBN-10 being replaced by the new ISBN-13. All books that are presently marked with the Bookland EAN bar code are correctly bar coded both for the present and the future. There is NO new bar code for books. How have 10-digit ISBNs been affected by the ISBN change?
All ISBN-10s officially changed to ISBN-13s on January 1, 2007. This has been accomplished by prefixing all ISBN-10s with the Bookland EAN prefix '978' (not '979') and recalculating the check digit. '978' can be thought of as the area code to which all ISBN-10s belong. All ISBN-13s that begin with '978' can be presumed to have corresponding ISBN-10s. This logic allows trading partners to readily translate between ISBN-10s and ISBN-13s. Can ISBN-13s beginning with '979' be converted to ISBN-10s?
No. '979' ISBN-13s do not have corresponding ISBN-10s. When will I need to use 979s?
The International ISBN Agency expects to begin assigning ISBNs that begin with 979 in countries that do not have a supply of ISBNs that begin with 978. The United States has a ready supply of ISBNs beginning with 978 and will not begin assigning ISBNs that begin with 979 for at least several years. ISBNs beginning with 978 and 979 will be in use simultaneously for a long time. ISBNs beginning with 979 will not replace available ISBNs that begin with 978. Whether beginning with 978 or 979, all ISBNs will be 13-digits long.
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