WorldCat xISBN

[Eric Hellman <eric@openly.com>]

Development and Support for xISBN and related "xIdentifier" 
services are being done by my group here in New Jersey...

Eric

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Bob Murphy +1-614-761-5136 murphyb@oclc.org

WorldCat xISBN service enhances search results with associated 
forms of individual works in WorldCat

DUBLIN, Ohio, May 11, 2007-The WorldCat xISBN service, the OCLC 
service that supplies International Standard Book Numbers 
associated with individual intellectual works represented in the 
WorldCat database, is now also available for commercial and 
high-use applications.

The WorldCat xISBN service, which began as an OCLC Research 
project, is a machine-to-machine service that supplies ISBNs and 
other information associated with an individual work in WorldCat, 
the world's richest database for discovery of items held in 
libraries. It has been a supported service, available at no 
charge for individual, non-commercial use, since February.  It is 
now also being made available for commercial and high-use 
applications (more than 500 requests per day) via subscription.

The xISBN service helps a user find a resource when an ISBN 
assigned to any printing or edition of the work is known.  Users 
submit an ISBN to the service to return a list of related ISBNs 
and selected metadata.

"The ability to automatically expand ISBN queries to include all 
editions of a work will help users find the information they 
need," said Robin Murray, Vice President, OCLC Global Product 
Management. "The xISBN service is another example of OCLC's 
commitment to finding new ways to make the WorldCat database work 
for our users." ISBNs are related to each other using 
librarian-cataloged bibliographic records in WorldCat together 
with an algorithm that implements the FRBR model for information 
objects that brings together multiple versions of a work.  The 
FRBR model keeps WorldCat users from having to browse numerous 
records that represent many different manifestations of a 
book-such as different printings, hardcover or paperback 
editions, audiobooks or film versions, for example-and brings 
them together under one record.

The WorldCat xISBN service is ideal for Web-enabled search 
applications, such as library catalogs and online booksellers, 
and based on associations made in the WorldCat database, xISBN 
enables an end user to link to information about other versions 
of a source work.  Among the uses of the WorldCat xISBN service: 
to identify a book from an online bookseller to determine if that 
book is available at the user's library; to confirm that no 
alternative versions of a work are available before a library 
sends an interlibrary loan request; to use a single search to 
check holdings of all editions of a work before making a 
selection for acquisition. More information about the WorldCat 
xISBN service is available on the OCLC WorldCat Web site: 
<http://www.worldcat.org/affiliate/webservices/xisbn/app.jsp>. 
Send e-mail to xisbn-support@oclc.org for details about 
subscriptions.

About OCLC

Founded in 1967 and headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online 
Computer Library Center is a nonprofit library service and 
research organization that has provided computer-based 
cataloging, reference, resource sharing, eContent and 
preservation services to 57,000 libraries in 112 countries and 
territories.  OCLC and its member libraries worldwide have 
created and maintain WorldCat, the world's richest online 
resource for finding library materials.  For more information, 
visit www.oclc.org.

OCLC, WorldCat and WorldCat xISBN are trademarks and/or service 
marks of OCLC Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Third-party 
product, service and business names are trademarks and/or service 
marks of their respective owners.

Eric Hellman, Director                            OCLC Openly
Informatics Division
eric@openly.com                                    2 Broad St., Suite 208
tel 1-973-509-7800 fax 1-734-468-6216              Bloomfield, NJ 07003
http://openly.oclc.org/1cate/      1 Click Access To Everything