712.3 ISBN and ISSN Numbers
If an International Standard Book Number (“ISBN”) or International Standard Serial Number (“ISSN”) has been assigned to a monograph or serial, the applicant is strongly encouraged to include that information in the online application. For guidance on completing this portion of the application, see Chapter 600, Section 612.6 (C). When completing Form SE or Form TX the applicant may include the ISSN number in the space marked Previous or Alternative Titles.
If the applicant provides an ISBN or ISSN, the number will appear on the certificate of registration and the online public record. Providing this information is useful, because the number may be used to search and retrieve the registration records for a particular monograph or serial. However, providing an ISBN or ISSN is optional and an application will be accepted even if this portion of the application is left blank.
The U.S. Copyright Office does not assign ISBNs or ISSNs. In the United States, ISBNs are administered by R.R. Bowker (www.bowker.com). For information concerning the procedure for obtaining an ISSN, applicants should write to the Serials Record Division of the Library of Congress at the following address:
Library of Congress ISSN Publisher Liaison Section 101 Independence Avenue SE Washington, DC 20540-4284
Additional information, including the ISSN application form, is available on the ISSN Publisher Liaison Section’s webpage.