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13-digit ISMNs from January 2008

The National Library of Australia has been operating the Australian International Standard Music Number (ISMN) Agency since 2001. The ISMN, as with other systems used internationally in the book trade such as ISBNs and ISSNs, is used in over 50 countries around the world. It is a unique number used to identify a particular piece or item of music, and is used for print, electronic, facsimile, microform or Braille formats of music publications. It also assists the music book trade with stock control, identification, efficient ordering and distribution of items. Currently there are over 120 Australian publishers registered for this free service.

The Library has been advised by the International ISMN Agency in Berlin that from 1 January 2008 ISMNs should be issued in 13 digits. This will bring ISMNs in line with ISBNs which formally changed to 13 digits in January 2007. The expansion of the 10-digit ISMN to 13-digits involves replacing the alphabetical prefix ‘M’ with the numerical prefix ‘979-0’.

As the Australian ISMN Agency, we are in the process of updating our online forms and internal databases to accommodate this change. We are also sharing this information with publishers and booksellers. As 13-digit ISMNs will be assigned from January 2008 for both current and backstock items, they will start to appear in catalogue records from early 2008.

Libraries Australia is currently testing support for ISMNs in both the Search and Cataloguing services and aims to support 13-digit ISMNs as soon as possible. Libraries Australia users will be kept informed via the ‘librariesaustralia-l’ list.

More information on 13-digit ISMNs can be found on the International ISMN Agency website (http://ismn-international.org/index.html) and on the Australian ISMN Agency website (www.nla.gov.au/ismn/).

Sally Manning
Administrator, Australian ISMN Agency