Persistent Identifiers:A Publisher’s Perspective

Cliff Morgan, John Wiley & Sons LtdERPANET Seminar on Persistent IdentifiersUniversity College Cork, 17-18 June 2004

What identifiers do we most care about?

The ISBN (EAN/UCC/UPCThe ISSNThe DOIMaybe (in the future) the ISTCMaybe (if major multimedia), the ISWC, ISAN, V-ISANPS I think of the URL as a locator, not an identifierAnd I think of the DOI as an exemplar URN

Both the ISBN and ISSN are currently undergoing revision The ISTC hasn’t begun to establish itself yetThe DOI is the most important persistent, actionable identifier

ISBN

International Standard Book NumberWas the very first international standard product identifierHas been used successfully for over 30 yearsBut …

Reasons for revision

Although exhaustion across the board is unlikely, there is pressure on some number blocksGlobal harmonization of product identifiers from Jan 2007Clarification required re e-versions, component parts, POD, etc.

Where are we?

The last stage(s) of the ISO standardisation processDIS 2108 being balloted – by 30/6Meeting at end July to respond to comments (if any)May need further balloting, or may be confirmed as new standard

Main points

Move to 13 digitsEffectively, makes ISBNs EANs, with “Bookland” prefix (978, then 979)All systems must be able to handle by Jan 2007, although some major retailers (B&N) requesting much sooner

Main points (cont.)

Assignment to e-versions remains somewhat contentious (esp. AAP)Key is formats being “published and made separately available”ISBNs may also be assigned to chapters if they are published as separate monographs

ISSN

International Standard Serial NumberAt a much earlier stage in the revision processOnly two committee meetings to dateControversial issues include:

Controversial issues

Scope – e.g. extension to updateable databases, websites, blogs …E-versions – currently at “medium” level rather than “format” or “version”And not all publishers follow the rulesIs the ISSN a Work, Expression or Manifestation ID?

Where are we?

Too soon to say how this will all work outStakeholders (publishers, libraries, intermediaries, national centres) involved

ISTC

International Standard Text CodeDesigned to be a Work identifier, at the book/chapter/article levelEquivalent to the music ISWC but for textual worksClear application to rights issuesLooks like this: 0A9-2002-12B4105-7

Where are we?

Has stalled now and then over the last 4 years or soMost recent stall was over the appointment of a Registration AuthorityCurrently considering candidatesWork exists before it finds a publisherSo take-up depends on authors or their agents (collecting socs? publishers post-hoc?)

DOIs

Norman covered yesterdayTake-up by publishers has been phenomenal – over 12m DOIs to datePublishers often use one of the other IDs to create suffixBut this is just admin convenienceNot mandated, nor treated as intelligent

DOIs and CrossRef

The take-up of DOIs given a major impetus by CrossRefPublishers assign DOIs to articlesDeposit them with CrossRef (as an RA)Together with m/data that describes the article (author, title, jnl, vol, iss etc)Publishers also provide citation lists

CrossRef

CrossRef interrogates the citation listsMatches with the DOI m/data, and gets the DOIDOI is deposited with URL (or other locator)Hey presto – instantaneous linking from citation to source being cited

CrossRef Search

Recently launched as a pilot schemeExtends system to a Google search

Multiple resolution

DOIs can resolve to more than one locatorConditions can be provided in the m/data, or via a pop-up menuGood work on this done by CDI (Content Directions, Inc.)

The DOI’s our favourite persistent identifier because

It’s well establishedBy usIt’s easy to implementIt worksIt will help us to deliver extra or more targeted services

Where there are identifiers there is metadata

All identifiers have (or will have) m/data deposit requirementsPart of the ISO standardization processDOI kernel set is well establishedCrossRef (as a DOI application m/data set) implemented by all participating publishers, at least at version 1 level

What metadata sets do we most care about?

ONIXONIX for SerialsMaybe Dublin Core (as building block)Maybe OAI-PMH and OpenURLMaybe PRISM (if magazines)Maybe IEEE/LOM/SCORM (e-learning)Maybe XrML/ODRL/MPEG RDD and REL

ONIX

ONline Information eXchangeMuch investment since it’s a trading product metadata specificationHas been taken up by supply chain (publishers, wholesalers, library suppliers, booksellers, libraries, bibliographic data agencies)

ONIX (cont.)

Covers videos/DVDs and e-books tooSo successful that attempts to increase its scopeBut beware “Mother of all Metadata Sets” scope creep

ONIX for Serials

Still under developmentBeing piloted by NISO/EDItEUR Joint Working Party

Some thoughts

Technical issues – publishers likely to look kindly on m/data sets that can be produced as subset or 1:1 cross-map of ONIX (or other publisher-produced dataset, e.g. journal header info)Policy – publishers like to use m/data to drive revenue (improve reach, profile, brand)

And will tend not to support anything that facilitates access to a non-revenue-generating version Unless they believe that free availability will drive future revenueThat is, don’t confuse means and ends!