The International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) is a set of rules produced by the
(IFLA) to create a bibliographic description in a standard, human-readable form, especially for use in a bibliography or a
library catalog. A preliminary consolidated edition of the ISBD was published in 2007 and the consolidated edition was published in 2011, superseding earlier separate ISBDs for
monographs, older monographic publications, cartographic materials, serials and other continuing resources, electronic resources, non-book materials, and printed music. In 2022, IFLA published the 2021 update to the 2011 consolidated edition, which includes expanding ISBD to include unpublished resources, integrating stipulations for the application of ISBD to the description of component parts, clarifying cartographic resources stipulations, as well as added examples and updates to the Areas and glossary sections. IFLA's ISBD Review Group is responsible for maintaining the ISBD.
One of the original purposes of the ISBD was to provide a standard form of bibliographic description that could be used to exchange records internationally. This would support IFLA's
Universal Bibliographic Control program.
Structure of an ISBD record
The ISBD defines nine areas of description. Each area, except area 7, is composed of multiple elements with structured classifications. Elements and areas that do not apply to a particular resource are omitted from the description. Standardized punctuation (colons, semicolons, slashes, dashes, commas, and periods) is used to identify and separate the elements and areas. The order of elements and standardized punctuation make it easier to interpret bibliographic records when one does not understand the language of the description.
* 0: Content form and media type area
* 1: Title and statement of responsibility area, consisting of
** 1.1 Title proper
** 1.2 Parallel title
** 1.3 Other title information
** 1.4 Statement of responsibility
* 2: Edition area
* 3: Material or type of resource specific area (e.g., the scale of a
map
A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes.
Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...
or the numbering of a periodical)
* 4: Publication, production, distribution, etc., area
* 5: Material description area (e.g., number of pages in a book or number of CDs issued as a unit)
* 6: Series area
* 7: Notes area
* 8: Resource identifier and terms of availability area (e.g.,
ISBN
The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency.
An ISBN is assigned to each separate edition an ...
,
ISSN
An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit serial number used to uniquely identify a serial publication, such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs ...
)
Example
A typical ISBD record looks like this:
Text : unmediated
A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations : Chicago style for students and researchers / Kate L. Turabian ; revised by Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams, and University of Chicago Press editorial staff. — 7th edition. — Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2007. — xviii, 466 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm. — (Chicago guides to writing, editing, and publishing). — Includes bibliographical references (pages 409-435) and index. — (cloth : alk. paper) : USD35.00. — (pbk. : alk. paper) : USD17.00
See also
*
Bibliographic control
*
ISO 690
ISO 690 is an ISO standard governing bibliographic references in different kinds of documents, including electronic documents. This international standard specifies the bibliographic elements that need to be included in references to published ...
*
Supply chain management
*
Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules
Anglo-Americans are people who are English-speaking inhabitants of Anglo-America. It typically refers to the nations and ethnic groups in the Americas that speak English as a native language, making up the majority of people in the world who spe ...
(AACR)
*
Resource Description and Access
Resource Description and Access (RDA) is a standard for descriptive cataloging initially released in June 2010, providing instructions and guidelines on formulating bibliographic data. Intended for use by libraries and other cultural organization ...
(RDA)
*
Library catalog
*
MARC standards
MARC (machine-readable cataloging) standards are a set of digital formats for the description of items catalogued by libraries, such as books, DVDs, and digital resources. Computerized library catalogs and library management software need to st ...
*
BIBFRAME
*
Paris Principles (PP)
References
*
*
*
*
External links
ISBD Review Group''ISBD Consolidated edition'' (2011 version, full text)''ISBD Consolidated edition'' (2011 version, contents only)''Full ISBD Examples'' (2013 version, full examples in 16 languages) ''ISBD 2021 Update to the 2011 Consolidated Edition'' (2022 version, full text)
{{Authority control
Library cataloging and classification
Metadata