SEAFDEC/AQD Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center | Aquaculture Department
By Development Communication Section
A book publisher like SEAFDEC/AQD would need to apply for new unique codes for its e-publications. This was conveyed by the National Library of the Philippines (NLP) when it briefed stakeholders in the publishing industry during the “Forum on numbering systems (ISBN, ISSN, ISMN) vis-à-vis digital publications” held in Manila on 7 March. NLP also noted that:
(1) the ISBN or international standard book number is now a 13-digit code and that ISBNs will be issued separately for a book in (a) its print form or hardcopy, (b) its e-book version for posting online, and (c) its enhanced e-version which could have video and other links
(2) for an e-book, ISBN is issued separately for each (a) file format like .epub, .mobi, .kf8, .ibook, .pdf; and (b) digital rights management, that is, if copying, printing, loaning, or purchasing is allowed
(3) ISSN for serial publications will remain the same for all remotely-accessed digital versions of the same work
(4) ISMN for music sheets is new and can now be issued
ISBN/ISSN/ISMNs are global unique identifiers for materials and are the basis for generating directories, catalogs, and related tools in book production, logistics / statistics and management. These are issued by NLP, the official registry in the country, in compliance with the ASEAN common market policy.
