ISBN/ISMN allocation and management (for libraries)

Assignment of ISBNs/ISMNs

If a library catalogues a book/music published without a standard number, it can apply for its reassignment to the Czech National ISBN and ISMN Agency. On the basis of the supplied scans of the source description, the agency will verify whether the ISBN/ISMN was not actually assigned, or was just not printed/listed in the document. If necessary, it will proceed to renumber the document. The requesting library is informed of the additional ISBNs/ISMNs assignment directly, other libraries via the Czech National Bibliography (CNB) or the Czech Union Catalogue (SKC).

Methodological support for ISBNs/ISMNs users

The Czech National ISBN and ISMN Agency provides Czech libraries with the information and necessary support to enable the ISBNs/ISMNs to serve as a unique identifier of a book or music in catalogues and bibliographic databases.

Resolving duplicate ISBNs/ISMNs

If the library cataloguing the book/music discovers a duplicate ISBNs/ISMNs, it will notify the Czech National ISBN and ISMN Agency. On the basis of the scanned source descriptions, the agency will decide whether or not it is a duplication and, if so, will resolve it in cooperation with the publisher. The library that has pointed out the problem is informed directly, other libraries are informed through the Czech National Bibliography (CNB) or the Czech Republic's Collections Catalogue (SKC).

If the cataloguing system reports when saving a record that the ISBNs/ISMNs is not correctly constructed, you can ask the Czech National ISBN and ISMN Agency for the correct form.

Update of data in the Directory of Publishers in the Czech Republic (NAK)

Czech National ISBN and ISMN Agency creates and maintains the Directory of Publishers in the Czech Republic (NAK). If a library discovers that an entry in the NAK is not valid, it asks the administrator to correct it.