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 40

Released January 24, 2018

Please see the attached for detailed changes.  Highlights of particular note to Canadians are:

EDItEUR clarified entries on (Clarified entries are always worth reviewing because it's done in response to misuse and need):

• List 163 (3.0 only) Publishing date role (this is particularly important to review)
• List 51 Product Relation (Related Product)
• List 203 ONIX Adult audience rating

List 147 (3.0 only) Unit of usage (to allow for extra level of differentiation for licensed material)

List 153 (3.0 only) Text Type (adds a value for Introduction) 

List 196 (3.0 only)  E-publication accessibility detail (now allows coding for "inaccessible" where the "publisher or an intermediary has assessed the product and considers one or more requirements deemed necessary for broad accessibility is missing." BNC added italics to highlight that others in the supply chain monitor and care about accessibility.)

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:

ONIX 2.1 documentation, codelists and schemas:  http://www.editeur.org/15/Archived-Previous-Releases
(Use ONIX Code List Issue 36 with ONIX 2.1)

ONIX 3.0 documentation:

• Issue 40 stand-alone codelist documentation as readable PDF or HTML
• Issue 40 TXT, CSV, XML, JSON files for loading into your data management applications, and XSD, RNG, DTD schema modules for use with existing XSD, RNG and DTD schemas
• Issue 40 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 and Code Lists

Revision completed to ISO ISBN Standard December 2017

We're now at the 5th edition of the ISBN standard and it's not revised often so this is big news on our most important identifier.  This revision was over 2 years in the making.  Download the new version of the ISBN User Manual (the seventh edition as of January 2018)
https://www.isbn-international.org/content/isbn-users-manual

It's only 34 pages long and genuinely helpful.   You can also find the very helpful ISBN FAQ

The new Standard contains:

• expanded guidance on assignment to digital publications
• revised metadata specifications which now bring these in line with ONIX 3.0
• expanded terms and definitions sections
• further clarity on the scope of eligible products
• detailed guidance on the granularity of individual products and the impact on ISBN assignment, such as changes in usage constraints (allowing printing of some pages of a digital publication or lending to a friend), or different product form details (jacketed versus unjacketed hardback)
• an informative annex about how to make ISBN resolvable on digital networks using persistent identifiers, such as expressing an ISBN in DOI or URN
• explanation about the conditions of compliance when implementing ISBN

If you need more information on ISBN head over to BookNet Canada's ISBN page

2017 BISAC Subject Codes

November 2017

The 2017 BISAC Subject list is available from BISG (free to their members):  http://bisg.org/page/PurchaseBISAC

For more information see the BISG Subject List, on-line reference and general information.  The BISAC to Thema Mapping will be released later.

The general expectation is that the industry will update their records – including backlist -- to reflect these changes.  BISAC Subjects are designed to support retailers and as a list represents a snapshot of what a retailer needs to know, today.  By updating your records yearly you ensure retailers can make the best use possible of all your records.  The above changes only represent 4% of the list. This year, unless you publish graphic novels or histories of Great Britain you likely won't have many changes.

When should a publisher update their list is always a question:  If a trading partner hasn't updated their system data can be lost, or sometimes the record won't get loaded, so it's good to give retailers time to up and generally publishers updating by Feb / March is fairly safe.  If you've coded your biggest title carried a new BISAC Subject I'd get confirmation that my partners were ready to accept the data.

ONIX Version 3.0.4 released

 November 2017

Attached:  Changes for ONIX 3.0.4.pdf

•  This is a relatively small version update and is well detailed in the attached documentation.  Highlights of particular interest in Canada are:
•  Supporting detailed contact information for Suppliers, including using identifiers and establishing a unique code list for the Role.
•  The Price Constraint established for digital use in Version 3.0.3 needed additional support for licensing which has been provide in a Price specific Epub License and Expression composites.
•  Name as Subject’s definition has been broadened to allow it to support fictional characters, both fictionalize versions of real people or organizations as well as entirely fictional entities
• Support for “reserved” stock.  This is generally something traded between publishers and distributors and not released to retailers, but it can now be carried within an ONIX record.
• Support for Language within Content.   While North American metadata doesn’t  currently make use of Content Item, this is expected to change as it’ where complicated structured content can be added.   That content might be in a different language than the record and it can now be specified.
• There a several other changes, one to support for French taxes within price and some additional tweaks to Content Item that can be found in the attached document

New interactive code list lookup sites available

 EDItEUR supports both ONIX Code lists and Thema Subject and Qualifier lists with dedicated lookup sites, complete with their notes.  Pro tip on using either of these in any form:  Read the notes!  You can't know the intent of the value without them and using precisely defined metadata is fundamental to any business exchange.  The description is not intentionally misleading but the notes give clarity. Use your software drop downs as reminders of for the definitions the notes provide and these interactive look-ups make it easy to check. (A little prompt to developers: You should think about how to integrate note access into your ONIX systems and these might help.)

 ONIX 3.0 (updated with every code issue):   https://ns.editeur.org/onix/en

ONIX 2.1 (locked to Issue 36):  https://ns.editeur.org/onix36/en

Interactive Thema code list site:  https://ns.editeur.org/thema/en

Thema has been updated

 Thema is also organized by EDItEUR and is moving to a version / update structure similar to ONIX:

•  There will be regular changes to Qualifier lists (especially needed for  National Extensions but can include "regular" qualifier codes) that will happen several times a year.
•  Changes to the main Subject list will happen less frequently as part of a formal version change. The goal is yearly at the London Book Fair, but there are international board meetings for both Thema and ONIX at both Frankfurt and London Book Fair.  Version changes might happen at either.

 There have been extensive additions to the Qualifier List made since the initial release of Thema version 1.2.  Most of them involve National Extensions from other countries but Quebec has added some for their province and there are new Geography codes:

1KBC‑CA‑Z  Canada: Places of interest
1KBZAS  St Lawrence river & tributaries
1KBZAS‑CA‑L  Yukon river & tributaries

 Like ONIX Thema users should expect to use current lists and to update them regularly. As the system becomes more stable expect BookNet Canada to announce updates as it currently does for ONIX Issue changes.

 Expect a new Thema version soon

 Version 1.3 will be released soon – expected for February this year but certainly by the London Book Fair.

 Get involved with Thema

 There is an Implementer group specific for Canadian English Language Thema that can be joined by contacting biblio@booknetcanada.ca.   And you can request to join the Thema CEL Working Group by contacting the same email.

New addition to the Canadian Bibliographic Standard
January 2017

Date Recommendations for Canadian Publishers

ONIX 2.1 is now a completely static standard

January 2017

As of Code Issue 36 January 2017 EDItEUR will no longer update future ONIX 2.1 schema to include new "shared" code lists.  In short: New codes in Issue 36 are part ONIX 2.1, but any new code in Issue 37 or after will not be.

Functionally this means that the ONIX 2.1 schema published by EDItEUR in January 2017 includes Issue 36 codes but will never be changed after this point. This marks the end of the extended twilight support offered by EDItEUR.   Therefore:  BNC BiblioShare will continue to process ONIX 2.1 as usual, but will base all future processing on the last published schema for Issue 36.

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.

Read more here:

http://www.booknetcanada.ca/blog/2014/4/24/introducing-bncs-bisac-to-thema-translator.html#.U8WO8PldXMQ

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.