ISBN
An ISBN identifies books intended for public use. The Finnish national ISBNÂ Agency is responsible for handing out ISBNs in Finland.
Service description
An ISBN identifies books intended for public use. The Finnish national ISBN Agency is responsible for handing out ISBNs in Finland. The Agency maintains a national publisher register and provides information about Finnish publishers for national and international use.
Identifiers as a part of metadata serve the publishing industry and library sector in their entirety and support identification, processing and availability of publications. The identifiers are used, for example, in publishing industry's ordering and distribution systems to speed up the recognition of publications as well as international and domestic joint catalogues, bibliographies, library lending systems and information retrieval.
Each book and publication format as well as each edition containing changes are issued a separate ISBN. This promotes the identification of publications in the publishing industry's distribution chain and ensures that customers get the desired publication at their disposal. The publication format may be a printed book or an audiovisual or electronic recording.
Background information
The international ISBNÂ Agency coordinates and develops ISBN activities in cooperation with national ISBN Agencies. The international ISBNÂ Agency maintains the international identifier distribution system and publisher register.
The International ISBN Agency
https://www.isbn-international.org/
ISBN Users' Manual
https://www.isbn-international.org/content/isbn-users-manual
Joining the service
Information about joining the service
Free service
Service users
Libraries, museums and archives Information seekers Researchers, students Legal deposit donators Publishers Metadata and descriptionPart of a service package
Standards used
International standard organisation ISO maintains the international ISBN standard ISO 2108 and Finnish Standards Association SFS maintain the Finnish ISBN standard SFS-ISO 2108.
Organisation model
Steering responsibility
Suomen ISBN-keskus