Standardization of Bibliographic Description – ISBDs and Revised ISBD

The International Conference on Cataloguing Principles (ICCP) (commonly known as “Paris Principles), which was held in Paris in October 1961 under the auspices of the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA). Its goal was to serve as a basis for international standardization in cataloguing has certainly been achieved: most of the cataloguing codes that were developed worldwide since that time have followed the Principles strictly or at least to a high degree (IFLA-2016). It also emphasizes the need for standardization in bibliographic description.

To solve the problem, the International Meeting on Cataloguing Expert (ICME); sponsored by IFLA; held in Copenhagen in 1969 formed a committee to study the problems of standardization in the bibliographic description. The committee established a basis for internationally uniform descriptive cataloguing practices and set up a working group to develop an International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD). The committee submitted its report at a meeting in Liverpool in 1971, which is known as the International Standard Bibliographic Description (Monograph) {ISBD (M)}. The first edition of ISBD appeared in 1971, and in subsequent years further specialist groups were formed. The ISBD programme has been IFLA’s major contribution to bibliographic standardization and was a central part of the programme for Universal Bibliographic Control. (Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary – Page: 381)

Published ISBDs are:

About ISBD:

The International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) is a set of rules produced by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) to create a bibliographic description in a standard, human-readable form, especially for use in a bibliography or a library catalog (Wikipedia). It intended to serve as a principal standard to promote universal bibliographic control, to make universally and promptly available, in a form that is internationally acceptable, basic bibliographic data for all published resources in all countries. The ISBD’s main goal is and has been since the very beginning, to offer consistency when sharing bibliographic information.

The primary purpose of ISBD is to provide the stipulations for compatible descriptive cataloguing worldwide in order to aid the international exchange of bibliographic records between national bibliographic agencies and throughout the international library and information community. The specific purpose of ISBD is to provide a sufficiently precise transcription of title pages, etc., to enable different works and different editions of the same work to be readily identified (BYRUM, 2005). The ISBD assures accurate recording of data relating to the publication for easy exchange. It recognizes specific areas such as author, title, publisher price, etc, which must be clearly provided on any given publication and be identified easily (Enang, 2008).

Structure of ISBD:

ISBD is a standard from IFLA designed to make bibliographic descriptions more consistent across a wide range of applications. It serves two distinct functions: to define the selection and order of data elements to be recorded and to prescribe punctuation to be used inside a bibliographic description. ISBD is divided into 8 “areas” of description:

1. 1. Title and statement of responsibility area
   2. Edition area
   3. Material or type of resource-specific area
   4. Publication, production, distribution, etc., area
   5. Physical description area
   6. Series area
   7. Note area
   8. Resource identifier and terms of availability area

Objectives of ISBD:

1. To prepare a consolidated, updated ISBD from the specialized ISBDs in order to meet the needs of cataloguers and other users of bibliographic information.
2. To provide consistent stipulations for description of all types of resources, to the extent that uniformity is possible, and specific stipulations for specific types of resources as required to describe those resources.

Principles of ISBD:

1. The primary purpose of the ISBD is to provide the stipulations for compatible descriptive cataloguing worldwide in order to aid the international exchange of bibliographic records between national bibliographic agencies and throughout the international library and information community (e.g. including producers and publishers).
2. Different levels of description will be accommodated, including those needed by national bibliographic agencies, national bibliographies, universities, and other research collections.
3. The descriptive elements needed to identify and select a resource must be specified.
4. The set of elements of information rather than the display or use of those elements in a specific automated system will provide the focus.
5. Cost-effective practices must be considered in developing the stipulations.

History of ISBD:

Reference:

• • Enang, U. U. (2008). The Use of International Standard Bibliographic Description The Use of International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) and the Quality of Books Published in Nigeria (ISBD) and the Quality of Books Published in Nigeria Library Philosophy and Practice 2008 The Use of International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) and the Quality of Books Published in Nigeria. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac
  • Cataloguing Section, I. (2010). International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD). http://www.ifap.ru
  • Harrod, L. M. (2005). Harrod’s Librarians’ Glossary and Reference Book. Ashgate.
  • International Standard Bibliographic Description (ISBD) – Free Online NTA UGC NET Guide Book December 2020. (n.d.). Retrieved September 25, 2020, from http://www.netugc.com/international-standard-bibliographic-description-isbd