Product Data Certification ProgramRichard Stark, Chair, BISAC Metadata Committee

BISG Annual Meeting of Members | November 6th, 2007

Metadata = Data

• Data (metadata) is to selling your books what a real estate listing is to selling your house:

You can’t sell something

no one knows is for sale!

Bad metadata = Lost sales

Title: You two are my favoritesISBN13: 9780123456786 ISBN10: 0123456789Publisher Comments: The cultural and natural World Heritage thirty years after the adoption by UNESCO of the World Heritage Convention (1972).Production: Director, H.S. Rawail ; music, Madan Mohan, Jaidev.Performance: Rishi Kapoor, Ranjeeta, Ranjeet, Danny Denzongpa.Publisher: HenRhoad ProductionsLocation: Columbus, Ind.

Subject: NeuropsychopharmacologySubject: ResearchSubject: PsychiatrySubject: NeurosciencesSubject: NeuropharmacologySubject: NeurophysiologySubject: Mental DisordersSubject: MunichSubject: NeuropsychiatrySubject: Canadian poetrySubject: Feature films.Subject: Psychiatry -- Research.Subject: Photovoltaic power generation.Subject: Solar cells.

Subject: Munich (Germany) Pictorial works.Subject: Opioid habit.Subject: Buprenorphine -- Therapeutic use -- Congresses.Subject: Prose poems, Canadian.Subject: Opioid-Related Disorders.Subject: Poâesie canadienne-anglaiseSubject: Poáemes en prose canadiens-anglaisSubject: BuprenorphineEdition Number: 3rd ed., rev.Edition Description: Includes bibliographical references and index.Series: NIH publication ;Series Volume: 121Publication Date: c2000Illustrations: YesPages: 432 p.

What product is this?

Accurate, timely product data

increases sales

Certification = Good metadata

• Based on the ONIX for Books metadata standard• Limited to 30 key data elements• Closely follows Canadian Bibliographic Standard• Compatible with BNC (Canada), BIC (U.K.), and A.P.A.

(Australian) product data certification schemes• Detailed style rules on each data element available in

Product Metadata Best Practices• Not dependent on the adoption of ONIX; Excel template is

also provided• Voluntary participation• Formally launches in January 2008

PDCP Overview

• Raises awareness of the importance of accurate, timely data in the supply chain

• Certification programs have raised the quality of product data in the U.K., Canada, and Australia

• Gives publishers & other data suppliers an unbiased view of the consistency of their product data

• Increases the efficiency of data flow• Certified suppliers are more likely to have their product data

loaded quickly• Puts teeth into Best Practices• Phase II of certification will make recipients more

accountable for their use of suppliers’ data

Business case: Suppliers

• Raises awareness of the importance of accurate, timely data in the supply chain

• Certification programs have raised the quality of product data in the U.K., Canada, and Australia

• Gives recipients an unbiased, industry-wide view of the consistency of their suppliers’ product data

• Increases the efficiency of data flow• Recipients can treat files from certified suppliers with

greater confidence• Puts teeth into Best Practices• Makes suppliers more accountable for their data

Business case: Recipients

• Certifies data suppliers:Publishers DistributorsAggregators Service providers

• Certifies the presence of data on a snapshot of one year’s publications– Prepublication: The presence of data in 17 key data points is measured

on books to be published in the forthcoming six months– Post-publication: The presence of data in the 17 prepublication data

points plus an additional 13 key data points is measured on books published in the last six months

• Provides feedback from major data recipients• Digital publications excluded until later phase

PDCP Phase I: Suppliers 1

• Publishers may designate another company to represent them in data certification. Such companies might include:Distributors or vendors of recordWholesalersBibliographic data aggregatorsData & technology service providers

• Publishers who are participating in the pilot of certification:John Wiley & SonsSimon & SchusterUniversity of Alberta PressWaterford PressZondervan

PDCP Phase I: Suppliers 2

• Data supplier gives file to BISG• BISG gives a copy of the file to members of the certification panel• BISG staff use proprietary software to measure the presence of data• 80% of records should have valid data in each mandatory data element for

file to pass• Certification panel members evaluate the file for fidelity to Best Practices,

formatting, style, ease-of-use• BISG staff provides data presence scores to members of the certification

panel• Panel meets by teleconference to decide if a provider should be certified• If certification is denied, suppliers may appeal to a special committee of the

BISG Board of Directors

Certification Process

• Amazon• Baker & Taylor Books• Barnes & Noble Booksellers• BookNet Canada• Borders• R.R. Bowker• Ingram Book Company• Library of Congress• Quality Solutions

Certification Panel

The following companies have been invited to join the certification panel:

PDCP Prepublication Data Elements

1. ISBN-10 / ISBN-13 / EAN.UCC-132. Title3. Contributor(s)4. Publisher / imprint / brand name5. Price data6. Publisher’s proprietary discount code7. Publisher status code8. Product availability code9. Product form (format / binding /

packaging)10. Publication date11. Strict-on-sale date12. BISAC Subject Code(s)13. Language of product content14. Series data15. Edition data 16. Replaces / replaced by17. Case pack / carton quantity

The data records for all books scheduled to be published within the next 180 days should have data in each of these data points (as applicable). The data elements in red should be populated for EVERY product. The data elements in black should be populated for every product where such data applies.

PDCP Post-publication Data Elements

1. ISBN-10 / ISBN-13 / EAN.UCC-132. Title3. Contributor(s)4. Publisher / imprint / brand name5. Price data6. Publisher’s proprietary discount code7. Publisher status code8. Product availability code9. Product form (format / binding /

packaging)10. Publication date11. Strict-on-sale date12. BISAC Subject Code(s)13. Language of product content14. Series data15. Edition data

16. Replaces / replaced by17. Case pack / carton quantity18. Volume number / set data19. ONIX Audience Code20. Age range of target audience21. Territorial rights 22. Bar code indicator23. Weight and dimensions24. Return code25. Page count / running time / extent26. Distributor / vendor of record27. Number of pieces28. Textual description of product29. Illustration details30. Digital image of product

The data elements in red should be populated for EVERY product.

• Will certify data recipients• Establishes Best Practices for the use of product data

by trading partners• Predicated on maintaining the consistency of product

data throughout the supply chain• Provides for data providers being informed when

their data is changed by their trading partners• In development now in BISAC Metadata Committee• Scheduled to be published in Spring 2008

PDCP Phase II: Recipients

Richard StarkChair, BISAC Metadata CommitteeDirector, Product DataBarnes & Noble, Inc.+1 (212) 352-3725bisac_metadata@bisg.orgwww.bisg.org

Questions?