ACQNET: RE - Validating ISBNs (1 reply)

Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:10:07 -0400
From: Anne Ellis <aellis_at_ccpa.net>
Subject:  RE - Validating ISBNs

I'm wondering how your system is set up that it accepts these invalid
ISBNs. I tried your example in our system (also Horizon) and it would
not save it, telling me that it was an invalid ISBN. Are these ISBNs
that you type in manually, or load from some outside source?

We have a program that we contracted from ALPHA-G that validates ISBNs,
but perhaps not in the way you're looking for. When we load records from
Title Source into Horizon, if the record is already in the catalog, it
attaches to it and the existing record is the one that populates the
order record. If there are multiple ISBNs in the record, the first one
is the one that fills in the ISBN field in the order, though this may
not be the version we want. ALPHA-G wrote us a program that compares the
ISBNs in the file we download from Title Source, to the ISBNs in the PO
and fixes them if necessary. It's a godsend - it only takes an extra
minute and saves endless time and the frustration of getting the wrong
book.

Even if this isn't exactly what you're looking for, ALPHA-G may have
something to help. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Anne Ellis
Cumberland County Library System
717-240-5361
aellis_at_ccpa.net

-----Original Message-----

Date: Wed, 02 Apr 2008 11:30:54 -0500
From: Todd Barrett <TBarrett_at_myrcpl.com>
Subject: Validating ISBNs

I am curious how (or if) libraries validate the ISBNs on their
electronic orders.
My library currently uses Horizon for entering orders and then we
EDIFACT orders to our larger vendors from there. Sometimes we will enter
an invalid ISBN (lets say 9780871139781 which is nonexistent) and it
somehow gets translated into another ISBN (in this case it got
translated into 978087113978*8) *at our vendor. The explanation given to
me was that the vendor takes our original ordered ISBN and translates it
into10 digit format and reconverts it into 13 digit...and somewhere
along the line it became a valid ISBN, but not the same title requested.
They said this wouldn't happen if we validate our ISBNs before ordering?
Hence my original question.
They said some libraries use websites or other programs. What do you
use? It doesn't happen too often, but often enough that it is a problem
when it happens.

Any assistance would be appreciated.

Todd Barrett



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