This document discusses the International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI), a global standard for public identification of parties associated with creative works and activities. It provides a brief history of ISNI, describing its development from an idea proposed over 30 years ago to its current implementation as an international standard (ISO 27729) managed by the ISNI International Agency. The document outlines ISNI's role in bridging identities across domains for writers, artists and other creators. It also summarizes how libraries can utilize and contribute to ISNI through their involvement in the VIAF project and becoming a Registration Agency or ISNI member.

1. Anila Angjeli
1
The European Library annual meeting, Amsterdam 17 September 2013
Member of the Board of directors of ISNI-International Agency
Global, persistent identifierGlobal, persistent identifier
bridging identities across domainsbridging identities across domains

2. Public identitiesPublic identities of parties (of parties (individualsindividuals oror organizationsorganizations))
that create, produce, manage, distribute or featurethat create, produce, manage, distribute or feature
in creative contentsin creative contents
including writers, artists, creators, performers, researchers,including writers, artists, creators, performers, researchers,
producers, publishers, aggregators, and more)producers, publishers, aggregators, and more)
ISO 27729 International Standard Name IdentifierISO 27729 International Standard Name Identifier
forfor

3. ISNI and librariesISNI and libraries
A simple, unique number, that everyone in the world could use to identify the same
person or corporate body!
… an alluring idea, proposed over and over
FRANAR IFLAFRANAR IFLA group charged:
To study the feasibility of an International Standard Authority Data Number
over the past 30 yearsover the past 30 years
14 years ago14 years ago
FRANARFRANAR group recommended:
« IFLA should continue to monitor the progress of efforts of the
ISO 27729 ISNI Working Group and the VIAF Project and any potential numbering that
may result from those efforts.
IFLA member institutions should also actively seek to influence the ISNI with a view
to identifying common purposes with other communities. »
5 years ago5 years ago

4. ISO 2779:2012 - International Standard Name Identifier
(approved in 2009, published in 2012)
1 year ago1 year ago
ISNI public database LIVE www.isni.org (with 1 million identities)
2 years ago2 years ago
ISNIISNI International AgencyInternational Agency
3 years ago3 years ago
Bibliothèque nationale de
France
founding
member
Other members: OCLC, ProQuest, CISAC, IFRRO, SCAPR
6,8 million ISNIs assigned
Unique, Persistent, Actionable soon in RDF , and exposed as LOD
NowNow

5. in library workflowsin library workflows
example of the National Library of France (BnF)example of the National Library of France (BnF)
Workflows with publishers
(Legal deposit)
Bibliographic
and authority
products
(BnF patrons)
Register of
out of commerce
works
Research
and discovery
(LOD)
Future Links
with academic
bibliographic
resources and
others
Integrated in
database
soon
(in project)
(will use ISNI)
soon
in public view , in RDF dumps

6. Libraries
Text Rights
Music RightsTrade Sources
Encyclopaedias
Researchers & Professional
cross-domaincross-domain bridging-domainsbridging-domains
Other future
cultural heritage
sources

7. FiguresFigures
+ % confidence
- % confidence
Assigned ISNIs to VIAF July 2013
5,797,075
Provisional: Unassigned
9,563,590
Provisional: Possible
580,738
Assigned
6.87 million
Number of data contributors
From VIAF 39
Others 25
Total
(in permanent growth)
64
Cross links among sources through local IDs
Over 7,6 million

8. Governance & control infrastructureGovernance & control infrastructure
ISNI-IA
ISO Registration Authority
(the governing body)
Quality Team
libraries
ISNI-AA
Assignment Agency
(manages the central database)
MemberMember
Registration
Agency
Registration
Agency
Registration
Agency
Registration
Agency
Registration
Agency
Registration
AgencyRegistration
Agency
Registration
Agency
MemberMember
MemberMember
MemberMember
Enduser
input
enduser
database

9. ISNI Quality TeamISNI Quality Team
• Samples data regularly
– c. 2% VIAF clusters have mixed identities
– c. 5% of clusters duplicate
• Makes corrections at cluster level
– Merges, splits, error notifications
– Access to cataloguing client / macros
• Makes system recommendations
• Gives approval for single source assignment
• Responds to End User input

10. VIAF-ISNI interVIAF-ISNI inter
 Monthly updatesMonthly updates
 ISNIISNIssReprocessing
after notification
 Error notificationsError notifications
Quality Team
Quality
control
matching
Assignment
Error detection
VIAF  seed database for ISNI
VIAF-ISNI Task Force
Policy on pseudonyms
 Study notification work flows
Participate in cluster sampling in VIAF and ISNI
Help define new anomaly detectors, etc
-relationship-relationship
-operability-operability

11. LinkedLinked
11
ISNI - 0000 0001 2144 7715
Identifiant international : ISNI 0000 0001 2144 7715
Mandela, Nelson (1918-....) forme internationale

12. From current Non-VIAF sourcesFrom current Non-VIAF sources
to VIAF clustersto VIAF clusters
•VIAF source links to ISNI => 7.3VIAF source links to ISNI => 7.3
millionmillion
Links generatedLinks generated
by ISNIby ISNI
Non-VIAFNon-VIAF
sourcessources

13. Libraries in VIAF and in ISNILibraries in VIAF and in ISNI
Quality
control
VIAF
Federates authority files
No full coverage of all identities
in library catalogues
ISNI
Includes more sources
Consolidates identities (ID)
No sparse records
No undifferentiated
Public
Identities
How do libraries get ALL the ISNIs they need?
➙ Go through an existing Registration Agency
➙ Become a Registration Agency or an ISNI Member

14. website www.isni.org
(with public access to the database)
Search Now
Contact agency@isni.org