What's New In Bibliographic Standards

Data exchange is never static. Here are some recent changes to best practices and standards that the industry is implementing.

ONIX Codelist Issue 35

Released October 28, 2016.

EDItEUR has released a new Codelist update, 35, and the next, 36, is expected January 2017. Requests related to Issue 36 should be passed to BookNet before November 25, 2016.

Changes:

This document list all changes added to Issue 35: ONIX_BookProduct_Codelists_Issue_35_Changes.pdf. Here are some highlights:

List 22 Language role code (ONIX 2.1 and 3.0) now offers several language of audio track options to identify the track's language, its original language and its original language for multilingual audio product. Language of notes is now also supported (it's atypical in English but not unknown for other languages that text and notes are in different languages).
List 27 Subject scheme identifier (ONIX 2.1 and ONIX 3.0) now supports a value for Key Character Names specially to highlight fictional character names. In North America we'd recommend caution using this as retailers are using code 20 for Keywords and character names would be a typical inclusion. Check with trading partners before shifting data to the new value.
List 51 Product relation code (ONIX 2.1 and ONIX 3.0) has new support for educational products to identify related teacher or student material. As well as there is a focused "shared content" code for products where neither product is wholly represented in the other. Reference the notes to understand the difference between the several shared contents code
List 175 Product form detail (ONIX 3.0 only) supports "pull-the-tab-book" and two new values everyone thought were already there: a code for "Acid-free paper" and one for "Archival paper."
List 147 Unit of usage (ONIX 3.0 only – digital use) A way to set a maximum times a "usage event" may occur during the purchase lifetime of a product.

Changes to support of ONIX 2.1 Codelists

There are 24 Codelists that are unique to ONIX 2.1 including List 7 Product Form and List 78 Product Form Detail. The ONIX 2.1 only code lists have been static since 2014 and all correspond to areas where ONIX 3.0 differs from 2.1. So while the Product Form code lists continue to be developed only the ONIX 3.0's code lists 150 and 175 are updated. In other cases there is no or little development but the 3.0 codes are different because they work better: The 2.1 only List 6 for Barcodes is replaced by the unique to 3.0 Lists 141 and 142, but this is simply an improvement where two short lists Type (10 entries) and Position (12 entries) replace a convoluted list of 75 options.

There are also 85 ONIX 3.0 code lists that are shared with ONIX 2.1. The code lists are currently valid for either ONIX version and continue to be updated as necessary for use in ONIX 3.0 with ONIX 2.1 continuing to have this back door access to change. Supporting the static ONIX 2.1 lists in the ONIX documentation can create confusion – which Product Form list do you use? What's with some of the code lists getting updates and others not? How do end users continue to provide support with this much variation?

EDItEUR's Board has made a general statement of intent that ONIX 2.1 should become truly and fully static with Issue 36 (Spring 2017) being the last one where changes to shared lists would be consider to be part of ONIX 2.1. Starting with changes with Issue 37 changes to shared lists are no longer available to ONIX 2.1 even if the code lists are "shared"

That intent is clear and needed. Most suppliers of ONIX 2.1 data are not using the new codes and will not be adversely affected. And the exact details on how this will be implemented is still under discussion.

The following changes are likely but if this will impact your business get in touch with biblio@booknetcanada.ca to say how:

The schema's code list file – ONIX_BookProduct_CodeLists.xsd is the most common but there are different versions – will be stripped of ONIX 2.1 only code lists. Users of ONIX 2.1 should use Issue 36's version thereafter as Issue 37's code list file will not contain the support to allow 2.1 validation.
The linked code list files that accompany the specifications and best practices will no longer carry the ONIX 2.1 only code list HTML pages. End users can continue to copy the ONIX 3.0 code lists to a directory with Issue 36's code list files in it and thereby maintain support, but this will mean that their shared code lists may contain codes that are no longer formally available for 2.1 use. That may cause confusion, so the request would be that you simply leave these directories supporting Issue 36 as that's the formal end point for ONIX 2.1.
EDItEUR also supports an "all-code-list-in-one" file and it will probably lose the ONIX 2.1 only code lists.

Finally, as always, actual use of ONIX 2.1 is a matter of agreement between two trading partners. None of this will affect your current feeds – companies accepting your ONIX 2.1 file will continue to do so. If you don't remember the last time you updated your code list or took advantage of a newly minted code then it's unlikely that ONIX 2.1 formally becoming static will affect you in any way.

Anyone using XML processing of ONIX 2.1 should think very carefully about their procedures to ensure they are not affected.

Please contact biblio@booknetcanada.ca if you have questions or concerns on this change.

Stay current: Update your Codelists, schemas and documentation regularly:

Complete listings of the ONIX codelists in PDF and HTML formats can be downloaded from the EDItEUR website:

Issue 35 stand-alone codelist documentation as readable PDF or HTML, plus comma-separated, tab-separated, XML and JSON files
Issue 35 TXT, CSV , XML, JSON files for loading into your data management applications, and XSD, RNG DTD schema modules for use with older XSD, RNG and DTD schemas
Issue 35 has also been incorporated into the Specification and Best Practice Guide documentation packages for ONIX 3.0
Need help finding the documentation? Finding and Using the ONIX Manual

Thema version 1.2, updated August 2016 with Chinese national extension

The latest version of Thema, version 1.2, released April 2016, has had a major update with Chinese national extensions. See details here: Changes for Thema August 2016.pdf

See more about using Thema here: Thema Subject Codes

The 2015 BISAC Subject Codes – MAJOR REVISION

December 2015

The Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has released the annual update of BISAC Subject Codes. The current version is now the 2015 edition and include documentations of the changes as well as cumulative list of changes, making it easy to see what’s new and needs attention.

This is a major revision as it introduces over 500 new BISAC Codes – 446 of which are a completely new section of Young Adult codes.

BISG has recommended that end users (not senders) implement the new code list by January 31, 2016. This is a short deadline for a big change. As of early January it appears that, while end users are aware of and working towards implementation, that not everyone will be able to accept the new codes by that date. Metadata senders should be aware that both the companies they are sending data to and the software they are using to create it might not support the new codes yet. We know from previous years that BISAC code changes can create loading issues if the end user is not prepared – normally that affects a small number of titles, but this could affect many. BNC BiblioShare can, and has received files supporting the new codes, but it has also received records where the sender applied new codes but the file arrived with "empty" subject code elements. Their software didn't (yet) support the value.

General recommendations for data senders:

Publishers and other senders should update their datasets AFTER January 31, 2016. If possible update all records simultaneously
Publishers should confirm with their most important accounts they are ready before beginning to send updates, particularly if a Buyer meeting is imminent.
Publishers should re-send records affect monthly until they are confident that all recipients have fully absorbed them (likely May or June)
Check your software and ONIX file to ensure it supports and that you are exporting codes as you expect.

Resources on this major change:

BISG Subject List, on-line reference and other formats
BISG has a mapping of the old JUV 2014 codes to their equivalent and now split JUV and YA 2015 codes and literals.
A BNC Webinar with BISG Subject chair Connie Harbison was held on Thursday January 14. Link to webinar archive.
BNC Blog post January 19, 2016
BNC Blog post December 10, 2015
BNC Blog post December 22, 2016

For more information including questions about how to use the codes email BookNet Canada at biblio@booknetcanada.ca

BNC THEMA to BISAC Translator Updated

Released March 2016 – the translator supports BISAC 2015 to Thema version 1.1.

While each standard is updated yearly, BISAC releases a new version in Nov / Dec and Thema updates in March / April. This makes syncing the two standards problematic. The translator is updated based on word done by BISG in January and February making it out of date foe Thema around the same it's released. Care should be taken to try to incorporate changes to Thema on with it's yearly release.

ONIX 2.1 is no longer a formally supported standard.

End of 2015

The agreed upon "Sunset of ONIX 2.1" was the end of 2014, a year ago. The "limited twilight extension" ends with Code List 31 the last update of 2015 (well maybe something might sneak into List 32 in January but I doubt it). Here's a review of what that means:

Companies that accept ONIX 2.1 now will continue to accept ONIX 2.1. Nothing will change in terms of who is accepting or using ONIX 2.1. BNC BiblioShare, for example, remains primarily focused on ONIX 2.1 because most of the data we get remains ONIX 2.1 (read more here).
ONIX 2.1 only Code Lists – including the very important List 7 Product Form and List 78 Product Form Detail are now static. EDItEUR will no longer consider, document, or add to any value to an ONIX 2.1 only lists. We can continue to use and reference these lists, just not formally change them.
Code Lists shared by ONIX 2.1 and ONIX 3.0 will continue to be updated for ONIX 3.0 use and so by default are updated for 2.1. For example, the very important List 5 Product Form Identifier is shared and updates will still be available for ONIX 2.1 so if you use the current ONIX 3.0 schema file for code lists (normally ONIX_BookProduct_CodeLists.xsd) with your ONIX 2.1 validation set up (read more here) you'll be able to utilize those changes. NOTE: EDItEUR is proposing that with Issue 36 (January 2017) removing the ONIX 2.1 only codes from ONIX_BookProduct_CodeLists.xsd
BNC BiblioShare will update it's 2.1 set up with the new ONIX 3.0 Codelist file for as long possible to take advantage of that limited opportunity.

In short, nothing has changed for using ONIX 2.1, but it's now fully unsupported and formally static. One of the drivers for the transition to ONIX 3.0 will be companies' unwillingness to accept or trade using an unsupported standard. ONIX 2.1 is at that point. Having said that, North American metadata remains almost universally ONIX 2.1 based either because only ONIX 2.1 is supported or because what ONIX 3.0 files are available are "converted" from 2.1 without adding full ONIX 3.0 support (read more here)

Active 979 ISBN-13s are in BiblioShare now

October/November 2015

There's only a few of them, but they represent real books actually being bought and sold in Canada today. Up to now any 979 ISBN in our data had been a test or a typo and not being traded. So let's pause for a moment and mark the functional end of the ISBN-10 in North America. It's been a long run and a good time.

Any company with a report based on ISBN-10 (Mother BookNet knows they're out there still and doesn't judge) should convert it to an ISBN-13 based one. Up to now you could still convert a 978 ISBN-13 to a unique ISBN-10 but you can't do that with a 979 ISBN-13 – there is no corresponding ISBN-10 to a 979 ISBN-13.

It is recommended that all companies test their systems to ensure that they really are ready for 979 ISBNs – funny things can happen when your primary identifier starts with new digits.

Best Practices for Product Metadata: Guide for North American Data Senders and Receivers

June 2015 – NEW EDITION RELEASED

A joint BookNet Canada / BISG document that defines the 32 most important pieces of data exchanged in the North American market, provides detail for ONIX 2.1 and 3.0 and offers advice on all product types including print and digital.

What's New In Bibliographic Standards

It and the EDItEUR ONIX for Books Implementation and Best Practice Guide for ONIX 3.0 (which can be used as a reference to understand many aspects of ONIX 2.1) should be the primary documents used by anyone using or implementing ONIX in North America.

Best Practices for Identifying Digital Products updated

February 2013

BISG Policy Statement POL-1101 -- Best Practices for Identifying Digital Products

An excellent document from 2011 is fully updated and made clearer and more specific.