An International Standard Music Number: A ProposalAuthor(s): Alan PopeSource: Fontes Artis Musicae, Vol. 36, No. 4 (Oktober-Dezember 1989), pp. 295-297Published by: International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres(IAML)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23507488 .

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295

An International Standard Music Number: A Proposal Alan Pope (Oxford)

'

Describes a proposal to establish an International Standard Music Number, compatible with the

ISBN, as outlined in a consultative document, drawn up in 1986 and presented to IAML in that

year. The reasons for requiring compatibility with the ISBN are stated, with a brief description of how the proposed system will work. The proposal has been accepted as a New Work Project by the

ISO, but further funding is still required.

The incentive for the development of a standard number for printed music arose out of

the IAML (UK) conference in April 1984. During a session on developments in music

libraries, it emerged that several similar large cataloguing projects were being simul

taneously undertaken and this was considered a terrible waste at a time when both

staffing and capital resources were being cut back. Unfortunately the possibility of

reciprocal cataloguing had to be ruled out, since the lack of a standard control number

meant that each library or cooperative venture had to allocate its own local control

number to every item of printed music and such numbers would be incompatible with

those of any other agency.1 IAML (UK)'s Trade St Copyright Committee was therefore

instructed to examine the feasibility of the construction of a number which could be

designated as a standard number for the identification of an item of printed music and

which could eventually become an International Standard.

There had been previous attempts to discuss the possibility of a standard music

number. Meetings of interested people had however always proved abortive up till then

because of a lack of incentive and finance, especially (but not exclusively) on the part of

the music publishers who it had always been considered were the key to any progress. On this occasion however the committee members resolved that there had to be pro

gress, even if the impetus came from the music library side rather than from the music

publishers. The financial situation in libraries was hardly likely to improve and indeed

the British Library itself was soon to announce that it would be reducing the level of its

cataloguing and investigating the question of cooperation in the cataloguing of its

acquisitions. Furthermore, from its evolution in the 1960's, the Standard Book

Number, later to become the International Standard Book Number, had attained inter

national acceptance and it was becoming more difficult to argue that printed music

should not be treated in similar fashion.

Indeed one of our committee's first actions was to meet with David Whitaker, the

devisor of the ISBN and head of the UK ISBN Agency to question whether printed music

could not be included in the ISBN system. He was not willing for this to happen, as

he felt that the capacity of the ISBN system was not sufficient to accommodate the

totality of numbers which would have to be assigned to printed music over and above

those allotted or reserved for literature. He was aware that several companies who

published both literature and printed music had been regularly assigning ISBNs to

printed music, chief among them Oxford University Press, but this was in contraven

tion of the ISBN rules.

* Alan Pope is Music Specialist Manager at Blackwell's (Oxford) and is Chairman of the IAML (UK) ISMN

Project Group.

1 The situation is summarised in: M. Lewis, "International Standard Music Number: an interim report", in:

Brio, Autumn/Winter 1986, v. 23 (2), p. 58.

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296 A.Pope: An International Standard Music Number: A Proposal

From inquiries which we made in various countries, we learned that no-one had in

fact implemented any numbering system, but that an American publisher, Arnold

Broido of Theodore Presser Co., was working on a numbering project. As we did not

wish to waste our time attempting a duplicate task, we arranged a meeting with him

to talk through his ideas. It soon became apparent that although Broido had devised

a system which would doubtless work well for his projected microfiche project in

the US, it would be of no use to those institutions who were locked into bibliographical

computer systems programmed to accept a control number of ten digits maximum

(i. e. the ISBN), especially libraries. Certainly in view of the restrictions on spending on public capital projects, it was inconceivable that many UK libraries (if any) would

find themselves able to proceed with any major program alterations just for printed

music bibliography. For that reason reluctantly we had to take the decision to devise

our own scheme which would fit into existing systems. The proposals which we were able eventually to devise were published in August

1986 in a consultation document2 and circulated at the IAML Congress in Stockholm

that month. The solution which we had reached was to establish a ten character num

ber for printed music (ISMN) which would complement the ISBN. The difference was

that the first character instead of a numerical digit would be the alphabetical character

'M'. This would make it clear that any nine character number prefixed by 'M' was a

music number. This initial character would replace the digit which denoted the lan

guage code which was felt to be redundant for printed music. Other than this, the make

up of the number would remain exactly the same as for the ISBN (i. e. publisher prefix, title number and check digit).

The introduction of a ten character ISMN would solve the problem of how to avoid

major program changes to existing systems, but there proved to be other benefits in our

proposals. Not everyone is computer numerate and there is still a great deal of suspicion if not hostility to large numbering systems. Nevertheless the ISBN is well known and

handled as a matter of fact by publishers, retailers, librarians and even some members of

the general public without problems. In which case we could be confident that a music

numbering system based on the same principles would not frighten people away, and

could quickly be assimilated. A further advantage of this system would be that many of

the publishers who had already allocated ISBNs to printed music would be able to con

vert their ISBNs into ISMNs without any number change, and could if necessary use

both in parallel. Finally we wanted to produce a number which like the ISBN would be

convertible to a bar code number, using the European Article Number system (EAN). To

produce a number without taking into account the current growth in the use of bar

codes and the likely scale of use within the next few years would have been extremely

short-sighted. The chances are that very soon it will become essential for a bar code to

be provided for all printed music items.

The user of printed music will be aware of the many problems of identification caused

by the number of versions and forms of publication which may be available for any one

title. To cope with this, detailed rules have had to be devised and these are published in

the consultative document.

The availability of ISBNs and bar codes for printed music will produce a number of

benefits for the different types of user. For the publisher, they will offer the opportunity to simplify and bring up to date in-house organisation practices. The retailer would have

the opportunity to buy in on-line or CD-ROM bibliographical systems and to use them.

He would then have accurate and up-to-date information about all available publica

tions, which should result in many more orders being generated and far fewer dissatis

2 M. Lewis & A. Pope, "International Standard Music Numbering: a consultative document," IAML (UK) 1986, subsequently reprinted in: ISBN Review, 1988, v. 9, p. 35—53.

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M. Turner: Waving or drowning^ — the growth of the music catalogues 297

fied customers. In addition the availability of ISMNs should enable retailers to make use of tele-ordering, and in their turn librarians who have access to the appropriate

systems would be able to link into and interrogate data files of dealers and even place orders through them. If this latter sounds like Utopia, certainly the ability to down-load

bibliographical information must represent an enormous opportunity to cut out waste

ful cataloguing time and rationalise staffing. However the most basic benefit of a Stan

dard Number is the ability to identify the exact title required and to avoid mistakes. To sum up, a standard numbering system increases efficiency and accuracy.

The term 'standard number' is capable of two interpretations. It implies that the

number is standard to all users, but it also can denote the imprimatur of the Internatio

nal Standards Institute (ISO). With the support of the Secretary of the relevant ISO com

mittee (TC 46), Frau Baxmann-Krafft, ISMN has recently been proposed to and accepted

by ISO as a New Work Item and a committee has just been appointed to examine the

proposals in detail.3

Much help has been given in recent months by the International ISBN Agency in Ber

lin which has welcomed the proposals which we have put forward and has agreed to

help progress them. Meanwhile IAML itself has been consulting on these proposals

through its Bibliography Commission and a decision in the light of the consultation is planned at this year's Congress in Oxford. There is still much work to be done, includ

ing trying to find sources of finance for setting up the administration of the ISMN. The

consultation paper on library cooperative projects issued recently by the European Commission4 appears to offer a way forward and its acceptance by the European Parlia

ment is therefore eagerly awaited by us.

Finally, the author would like to acknowledge with gratitude the help given to him and his colleagues in IAML (UK) in particular by Dr. Joachim Jaenecke (Chairman, IAML Bibliography Commission), Frau Eva-Maria Baxmann-Krafft (Secretary, ISO/TC 46) and Dr. Hartmut Walravens (Director) and his colleagues of the International ISBN

Agency, Berlin, as well as by financial support from Blackwell's.

3 A report of this and other proceedings during the past twelve months is given in: A. Pope, "Progress Report on the Introduction of an International Standard Music Number ((ISMN|," in: ISBN Review, 1989, v. 10, p. 25—26. 4 Plan of action for libraries in the EC, First draft for discussion, revision 2, Luxembourg 1987.

Waving or drowning? — the growth of the music catalogues in the British Library Malcolm Turner (London)'

The first music catalogue in the British Museum was not begun until 1840. The principles on which it was compiled continued to be used, with modifications, until the publication of the

Catalogue of printed music in the British Libiaiyto 1980 [CPM], in 1981. At this point a new auto mated catalogue was begun, no doubt beneficial to users but a mixed blessing from the point of view of the staff concerned. Future developments planned for the new British Library building at

St. Paneras will necessitate the retrospective conversion of CPM. Urgent discussions on this are

being held with a publisher, with a view to providing an on-line version of CPM for internal use

together with a CD-ROM version for public sale in time for the opening of the Music Library at

St. Paneras, planned for early 1992.

* Malcolm Turner is Deputy Music Librarian of the British Library, Opinions expressed in this article are those

of the writer, not necessarily of the British Library.

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