{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.international-standard-book-number","code":"thing-q33057","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q33057/","name":"International Standard Book Number","alternateNames":["e-book: Lecture Notes Information Theory"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.1.0-research.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a standardized identifier assigned to a particular edition and product format of a monographic publication issued by a particular publisher, rather than to its abstract work or an individual copy.","purpose":"Enable an agent to recognise an ISBN, assess evidence for its assignment to a publication product, and decide whether to match, retain, correct or refer it for authoritative review.","scope":{"in":["ISBN representations, normalization and validation","Registration-group, registrant and publication-element interpretation","Evidence connecting an ISBN to a particular publication product","Edition, language and format boundaries relevant to assignment","Legacy equivalence, conflicting uses and correction decisions"],"out":["Numbers as mathematical quantities and arithmetic objects","Complete descriptions of works, expressions, manifestations and individual copies","Copyright ownership, licensing and permission to reproduce content","Full models of publishers, registration agencies and their organizations","Barcode graphics, retail inventory and pricing","Other identifier systems, including ISSN, ISMN and DOI"],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Functions as an assigned identifier rather than a quantity: adding or ordering ISBN values has no bibliographic meaning.","Identifies a specific publication product rather than an abstract work or an individual copy. Title, edition and format are material to its referent. [International ISBN Agency](https://www.isbn-international.org/index.php/content/what-isbn/10)","Requires separate assessments of structural validity and evidenced assignment; a successful check-digit test alone cannot establish the publication referent.","Can be represented as text or encoded in a barcode; the graphic carrier is distinct from the identifier.","Supports legacy equivalence only where defined: an ISBN-13 beginning with 979 has no ISBN-10 equivalent. [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/programs/preassigned-control-number/isbn-converter/)"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"isbn-representation","name":"ISBN representation","description":"Capture the identifier as encountered and establish a comparable representation.","layers":[{"id":"capture-and-normalization","name":"Capture and normalization","description":"Separate source transcription from normalized identifier content.","findings":[{"id":"preserve-observed-isbn","name":"Preserve observed ISBN","description":"Retain the original string and its location alongside any normalized value.","questions":[{"text":"What exact string was observed, and on which page, cover, feed field or record?","id":"preserve-observed-isbn-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which removed characters were presentation separators, and which changes would require a correction hypothesis?","id":"preserve-observed-isbn-q02","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"legacy-equivalence","name":"Legacy equivalence","description":"Distinguish alternative representations from different assignments.","findings":[{"id":"verify-conversion","name":"Verify conversion","description":"Record conversion eligibility and the checked counterpart; 979-prefixed ISBN-13 values have no ISBN-10 equivalent. [Library of Congress](https://www.loc.gov/programs/preassigned-control-number/isbn-converter/)","questions":[{"text":"Does the applicable conversion rule permit an equivalent representation for this ISBN?","id":"verify-conversion-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Has the converted value been checked before it is used to merge records?","id":"verify-conversion-q02","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"isbn-validity","name":"ISBN validity","description":"Assess mathematical and registration-structure constraints without overstating their implications.","layers":[{"id":"syntax-and-check-digit","name":"Syntax and check digit","description":"Evaluate the string under the rules for its representation.","findings":[{"id":"separate-validation-results","name":"Separate validation results","description":"Record syntax and check-digit outcomes separately from publication matching and assignment evidence.","questions":[{"text":"Which ISBN representation and validation rule were applied?","id":"separate-validation-results-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Do the observed length, characters and check digit satisfy that rule?","id":"separate-validation-results-q02","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"If validation fails, what source evidence supports any proposed correction?","id":"separate-validation-results-q03","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"registration-range-interpretation","name":"Registration-range interpretation","description":"Ground element boundaries in authoritative allocation information.","findings":[{"id":"evidenced-element-parsing","name":"Evidenced element parsing","description":"Require dated range evidence for interpreting the registration-group, registrant and publication elements.","questions":[{"text":"Which authoritative range information supports the proposed element boundaries?","id":"evidenced-element-parsing-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Is the range recognized, excluded from ISBN use or unresolved under the consulted information?","id":"evidenced-element-parsing-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"publication-referent","name":"Publication referent","description":"Determine precisely which publication product the ISBN is asserted to identify.","layers":[{"id":"bibliographic-level","name":"Bibliographic level","description":"Locate the referent relative to work, expression, manifestation and item.","findings":[{"id":"identify-product-level","name":"Identify product level","description":"Record the publication product and avoid treating the ISBN as a universal identifier for its work or individual copies.","questions":[{"text":"Which title, edition, language and product format are associated with this assignment?","id":"identify-product-level-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Does the local catalogue attach the identifier to a product-level record, a work aggregate or an individual copy?","id":"identify-product-level-q02","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"edition-format-and-components","name":"Edition, format and components","description":"Evaluate distinctions among related publication products.","findings":[{"id":"differentiate-related-products","name":"Differentiate related products","description":"Different formats require distinct ISBNs; assess edition changes and set or component relationships using assignment guidance. [International ISBN Agency](https://www.isbn-international.org/content/isbn-assignment)","questions":[{"text":"Is this identifier associated with a paperback, hardback, digital format, complete set or individual component?","id":"differentiate-related-products-q01","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which documented differences between the compared products affect ISBN assignment?","id":"differentiate-related-products-q02","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Should the agent retain the assignment or refer the proposed change for a new-assignment decision?","id":"differentiate-related-products-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"assignment-authority","name":"Assignment authority","description":"Establish who supports the assignment and how strongly the evidence supports it.","layers":[{"id":"registrant-and-agency","name":"Registrant and agency","description":"Connect allocation and assignment assertions to responsible parties.","findings":[{"id":"trace-assignment-evidence","name":"Trace assignment evidence","description":"Distinguish evidence identifying a registrant from evidence identifying the publication assigned a particular ISBN.","questions":[{"text":"Which agency or registrant record supports the allocation interpretation?","id":"trace-assignment-evidence-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which source explicitly associates the complete ISBN with this publication product?","id":"trace-assignment-evidence-q02","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"metadata-agreement","name":"Metadata agreement","description":"Compare attributed claims without erasing disagreements.","findings":[{"id":"assess-record-conflicts","name":"Assess record conflicts","description":"Record disagreements over title, edition, format or publisher and the evidence used to resolve them.","questions":[{"text":"Which consulted sources agree or disagree about the ISBN's publication referent?","id":"assess-record-conflicts-q01","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Do apparent corroborating records derive from the same upstream metadata source?","id":"assess-record-conflicts-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"What additional evidence is required before accepting a match or merging records?","id":"assess-record-conflicts-q03","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"assignment-lifecycle-and-use","name":"Assignment lifecycle and use","description":"Control reliance on an ISBN through publication changes, errors and downstream operations.","layers":[{"id":"changes-and-corrections","name":"Changes and corrections","description":"Track reported identifier problems and proposed assignment changes.","findings":[{"id":"preserve-assignment-history","name":"Preserve assignment history","description":"Keep original assertions and corrections attributable, and assess suspected reuse rather than silently redirecting the identifier.","questions":[{"text":"Does the report concern a transcription error, a disputed assignment, suspected reuse or changed publication metadata?","id":"preserve-assignment-history-q01","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Who authorized the correction, and what evidence establishes its effective meaning?","id":"preserve-assignment-history-q02","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Does a publication's withdrawal or unavailability affect this identification decision under the applicable guidance?","id":"preserve-assignment-history-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"operational-reliance","name":"Operational reliance","description":"Determine which downstream actions the available evidence supports.","findings":[{"id":"gate-isbn-based-actions","name":"Gate ISBN-based actions","description":"Make lookup, matching, merging and ordering decisions depend on validation and referent evidence; assess rights and availability separately.","questions":[{"text":"Is the evidence sufficient for lookup, catalogue linking, record merging or ordering this specific format?","id":"gate-isbn-based-actions-q01","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which unresolved conflicts require review before the agent relies on this ISBN?","id":"gate-isbn-based-actions-q02","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which separate records establish availability or reproduction permission for the intended operation?","id":"gate-isbn-based-actions-q03","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]},{"id":"evidence-and-external-alignment","name":"Evidence and external alignment","description":"What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.","layers":[{"id":"reported-evidence","name":"Reported evidence","description":"Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.","findings":[{"id":"evidence-confidence-notes","name":"Check these first","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these check these first hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-confidence-notes-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-kinds","name":"Kinds and varieties","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-kinds-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-identifiers","name":"Identifiers and schemes","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-identifiers-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation","name":"Standards and regulation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-standards-and-regulation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-real-world-use","name":"Real-world use","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-real-world-use-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-measurements","name":"Typical measurements","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-measurements-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards","name":"Failure modes and hazards","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-failure-modes-and-hazards-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-regional-variation","name":"Regional variation","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-regional-variation-q01","kind":"provenance"}]},{"id":"evidence-neighbours","name":"Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart","description":"Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.","questions":[{"text":"Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of International Standard Book Number this model covers, and on what evidence?","id":"evidence-neighbours-q01","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Validate an ISBN's check digit and look it up in the bibliographic records it may query.","Distinguish editions and formats by their separate ISBNs."],"mustNot":["Assign or print ISBNs that the registration agency has not issued to that publisher.","Reuse one ISBN for a different edition or format.","Use an ISBN to pass off an unauthorised copy as the publisher's edition.","Treat an ISBN as proof of a book's quality or legitimacy."],"requiresHuman":["Requesting or assigning ISBNs on a publisher's behalf."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Shared identifiers let libraries, sellers and readers find books; misuse disrupts that commons.","Pirated editions with copied numbers deprive authors of income."],"affectedParties":["Authors","Publishers","Libraries and readers"]},"owners":{"steward":"The national ISBN registration agency that issues it; the publisher holds each assigned number.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["National ISBN agency records","National library catalogues"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q357404","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q420330","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q76497","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q83378208","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.international-standard-book-number","Wikidata: Q33057 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33057)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["Observed and normalized representation: Original transcription; normalized identifier string; ISBN-10, ISBN-13 or unrecognized","Validation assessment: Separate syntax, checksum and allocation-range results: pass, fail or unresolved","Registration interpretation: Parsed elements linked to dated registration-range evidence and registrant records","Publication referent: Publication product with recorded title, edition, language, format and set or component role","Assignment evidence: Unverified, supported, conflicting or authoritatively corrected","Equivalent representation: Verified ISBN-10/ISBN-13 counterpart, no counterpart or unresolved","Evidence observation date: Calendar date or timestamp"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["A 13-digit number beginning with 978 or 979, often prefixed ISBN.","Printed on the copyright page and above a barcode on the back cover."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["Normalize an observed ISBN while retaining its original transcription.","Validate syntax, check digit and range interpretation independently.","Resolve an ISBN against attributed publication metadata and compare candidate matches.","Convert eligible legacy representations and record verified equivalence.","Assess whether a proposed publication change needs assignment review.","Flag conflicting uses and prepare an evidence-backed correction request."]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Duplicate or reused numbers causing wrong orders and records.","Typos that fail the check digit or point to another book."]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["ISO 2108, Information and documentation - International standard book number (ISBN), International Organization for Standardization."]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["ISBNs are used in publishing, bookselling and library catalogues to identify particular editions and product formats of monographic publications.","Agents use them to match publication records, support ordering and distinguish formats, while checking assignment evidence because a correctly formatted number does not prove a valid assignment."]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q33057: International Standard Book Number","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33057","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: ISBN","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Which edition of ISO 2108, ISBN Users' Manual and dated registration-range release will govern implemented validation and assignment decisions?","How should assignment rules be applied to digital products distinguished by access restrictions, platform packaging or changing content?","What precise rules govern unchanged reprints, publisher or imprint transfers, withdrawn publications and suspected ISBN reuse?","How should sets, separately available volumes and mixed-product packages map to the platform's manifestation and product records?","Which authoritative evidence is accessible when publisher metadata, agency records and library catalogues disagree, and who may resolve the conflict?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q33057/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q33057/spec.json"],"providers":["Codex"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-07T11:00:26Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:30+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}