What Is the Origin of ISBN Numbers?

International Standard Book Numbers, commonly known as ISBN, are part of an extensive book identification system. The system originated in Great Britain with the dawn of computerized inventory management.

Origin

In 1965, British book retailer W.H. Smith required a standard book numbering system as they planned to move their inventory to a computerized warehouse. The Standard Book Numbering (SBN) system was implemented in Great Britain in 1967.

History

A meeting was held in 1968 to discuss adaptation of Britain's SBN system for international use. Representatives from seven nations, including the United States, were involved in the meetings, and the ISBN system was internationally adopted in 1970.

Misconceptions

Although ISBNs were originally intended to identify books, changes have been made to the standard as new technologies developed. ISBNs are now also used to identify book-like material, including VHS tapes, DVDs and e-books.

Meaning

The 10-digit ISBN is broken into four sections to identify the publishing country, publisher name, book title and a check digit for validation.

Evolution

ISBNs were expanded to include 13 digits in 2007. The new format contains a three-digit prefix before the original four identifying sections of the number.

References

• ISBN