Between Jan. 1, 2005 and Jan 1, 2007, the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) -- a unique machine-readable identification number which has identified published books in some 160 nations since 1972 -- will convert from a 10-digit number to 13 digits. Meanwhile, libraries and publishers are gearing up for what some call a new "Y2K-style" challenge.
ISBN.org -- which has a toolkit and other conversion resources available online -- says that the transition will create many changes designed to promote global commerce within the book industry. "One of these changes is the adoption of the Digital Object Identifier," says the group. "DOI is a system for identifying and exchanging intellectual property in the digital environment. An ISBN may be present within a DOI and it is primarily utilized to electronically link an individual or machine to specific Metadata."
