Using International Standard Book Numbers as Uniform Resource Names
RFC 3187
Document | Type |
RFC - Historic
(October 2001; No errata)
Obsoleted by RFC 8254
Status changed by status-change-rfc3044-rfc3187-orig-urn-regs-to-historic
Was draft-hakala-isbn (individual)
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Authors | Hartmut Walravens , Juna Hakala | ||
Last updated | 2017-10-21 | ||
Stream | Legacy | ||
Formats | plain text html pdf htmlized bibtex | ||
Stream | Legacy state | (None) | |
Consensus Boilerplate | Unknown | ||
RFC Editor Note | (None) | ||
IESG | IESG state | RFC 3187 (Historic) | |
Telechat date | |||
Responsible AD | (None) | ||
Send notices to | (None) |
Network Working Group J. Hakala Request for Comments: 3187 Helsinki University Library Category: Informational H. Walravens The International ISBN Agency October 2001 Using International Standard Book Numbers as Uniform Resource Names Status of this Memo This memo provides information for the Internet community. It does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited. Copyright Notice Copyright (C) The Internet Society (2001). All Rights Reserved. Abstract This document discusses how International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) can be supported within the URN (Uniform Resource Names) framework and the syntax for URNs defined in RFC 2141. Much of the discussion below is based on the ideas expressed in RFC 2288. 1. Introduction As part of the validation process for the development of URNs, the IETF URN working group agreed that it is important to demonstrate that the current URN syntax proposal can accommodate existing identifiers from well established namespaces. One such infrastructure for assigning and managing names comes from the bibliographic community. Bibliographic identifiers function as names for objects that exist both in print and, increasingly, in electronic formats. RFC 2288 [Lynch, et al.] investigated the feasibility of using three identifiers (ISBN, ISSN and SICI) as URNs. This document will analyse the usage of ISBNs as URNs in more detail than RFC 2288. A registration request for acquiring Namespace Identifier (NID) "ISBN" for ISBNs is included in chapter 5. Hakala & Walravens Informational [Page 1] RFC 3187 Using ISBNs as URNs October 2001 The document at hand is part of a global joint venture of the national libraries to foster identification of electronic documents in general and utilisation of URNs in particular. The document was written as a co-operative project between the Helsinki University Library and The International ISBN Agency. We have used the URN Namespace Identifier "ISBN" for ISBNs in examples below. 2. Identification vs. Resolution As a rule the ISBNs identify finite, manageably-sized objects, but these objects may still be large enough that resolution into a hierarchical system is appropriate. The materials identified by an ISBN may exist only in printed or other physical form, not electronically. The best that a resolver will be able to offer in this case is bibliographic data from a national bibliography database, including information about where the physical resource is stored in the national library's holdings. 3. International Standard Book Numbers 3.1 Overview RFC 2288 [Lynch] describes the ISBN system in the following way: An International Standard Book Number (ISBN) identifies an edition of a monographic work. The ISBN is defined by the standard NISO/ANSI/ISO 2108:1992 [ISO1] Basically, an ISBN is a ten-digit number (actually, the last digit can be the letter "X" as well, as described below) which is divided into four variable length parts usually separated by hyphens when printed. The parts are as follows (in this order): * a group identifier which specifies a group of publishers, based on national, geographic or some other criteria, * the publisher identifier, * the title identifier, * and a modulus 11 check digit, using X instead of 10. Hakala & Walravens Informational [Page 2] RFC 3187 Using ISBNs as URNs October 2001 The group and publisher number assignments are managed in such a way that the hyphens are not needed to parse the ISBN unambiguously into its constituent parts. However, the ISBN is normally transmitted and displayed with hyphens to make it easy for human beings to recognize these parts without having to make reference to or have knowledge of the number assignments for group and publisher identifiers. Groups usually cover only one country, but occasionally a single group is used in several countries. For instance, group "3" is utilised in Germany, Austria and German-speaking parts of Switzerland. "976" is used in Caribbean community (Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Virgin Islands (Br))and "982" in South Pacific (Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu; Vanuatu, WesternShow full document text