http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/shimenawa.php?disp=comments en-US http://backend.userland.com/rss 60 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:31:15 +0000 Adam Hodgkin [Visitor] c54386@http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/ Genuinely puzzled about one point. I always thought that the main point of the ISBN system was to provide publishers/distirbutors/booksellers with a consistent way of assigning SKU's. So what do you mean that the ISBN is *becoming* an SKU, isnt this what it has always been? http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/shimenawa.php/2008/06/13/the_isbn_as_sku#c54386 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:18:49 +0000 bowerbird [Visitor] c54375@http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/ customers will not<br /> buy this nonsense...<br /> <br /> or even tolerate it.<br /> <br /> publishers are just<br /> asking for napster.<br /> <br /> -bowerbird<br /> buy this nonsense...

or even tolerate it.

publishers are just
asking for napster.

-bowerbird
]]> http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/shimenawa.php/2008/06/13/the_isbn_as_sku#c54375 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:09:59 +0000 Personanondata [Visitor] c54373@http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/ (Firstly it was a little freaky hearing someone else's voice read your post - interesting app non the less).<br /> <br /> A number of years ago Michael Healy and I were involved in the revision of the ISBN standard. No other point garnered more emotion than the requirement that each version of a title p or e have its own ISBN. Both Michael and I (and all of the people on the administration side of ISBN) felt this was necessary to maintain the integrity of the system and accord the same treatment to varying versions of an ebook as we would to a large print or paper version of a print book. Some publishers didn't see this view; rather they saw the 'administrative' burden of applying many multiple ISBNs to a title as more than they could cope with.<br /> <br /> For me (and I think Michael H) the issue was more obvious. If different versions of an e-book title were not given ISBN's by a publisher then entities in the supply chain would apply them for them. At Bowker we saw this happen in multiple instances. Why a publisher would allow a retailer or wholesaler to mess with their bib data made/makes no sense to me. The Publisher should manage and administer this information and allowing others to apply their own ISBNs (or SKUs) is not in the publisher's interest. What happens is that each supply chain entity applies their own number and this just increases confusion and inefficiency. If publishers maintain the veracity of the standard then I don't think it will be difficult to identify specific formats of books and the channel in which they were sold.<br />
A number of years ago Michael Healy and I were involved in the revision of the ISBN standard. No other point garnered more emotion than the requirement that each version of a title p or e have its own ISBN. Both Michael and I (and all of the people on the administration side of ISBN) felt this was necessary to maintain the integrity of the system and accord the same treatment to varying versions of an ebook as we would to a large print or paper version of a print book. Some publishers didn't see this view; rather they saw the 'administrative' burden of applying many multiple ISBNs to a title as more than they could cope with.

For me (and I think Michael H) the issue was more obvious. If different versions of an e-book title were not given ISBN's by a publisher then entities in the supply chain would apply them for them. At Bowker we saw this happen in multiple instances. Why a publisher would allow a retailer or wholesaler to mess with their bib data made/makes no sense to me. The Publisher should manage and administer this information and allowing others to apply their own ISBNs (or SKUs) is not in the publisher's interest. What happens is that each supply chain entity applies their own number and this just increases confusion and inefficiency. If publishers maintain the veracity of the standard then I don't think it will be difficult to identify specific formats of books and the channel in which they were sold.
]]> http://blogs.lib.berkeley.edu/shimenawa.php/2008/06/13/the_isbn_as_sku#c54373