Library of Congress
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

News & Events

• We are now sending official notification of ISSN assignments via email. For cost savings and environmental considerations, print notifications will no longer be sent unless they are requested. Of course, if you do not have email access, we will notify you via the U.S. Postal mail. Please be sure to supply us with your current email address on the ISSN application. We found email is a very fast and efficient way to notify you of your ISSN number. Response from our users has been very positive. It enables you to receive the number quickly and start displaying the ISSN on issues sooner, especially for online titles. As always, if you have concerns or input you would like to share with us, please contact us at issn@loc.gov. Thank you for your cooperation.
• Your publication is now searchable by the title or the ISSN number as soon as the ISSN has been assigned. Visit WorldCat.org and click on "Advanced search" if you wish to search by the ISSN. This is a free search and it offers a quick way to check on the status of your ISSN application if you have not heard from us, or to verify that you are using the correct ISSN after publication has begun.
• With the October 14, 2008, reorganization of the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate at the Library of Congress, the responsibility for assigning ISSN has changed. Read the official announcement of the changes here.

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Jump to: ISSN Application Forms |ISSN International Network |Publishing Standards, Including SISAC Bar Code Symbol |Links to other services: Copyright, Trademark, U.S. Postal Service |Photos from the ISSN Directors Meeting, Sept. 2000

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The ISSN and Serials Publishing

• ISSN is for Serials- A brochure that explains ISSN in detail
  • Advantages to using the ISSN
  • How to obtain an ISSN
  • Serials defined
• ISSN for electronic serials (general information)
• ISSN Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
  • Calculating the check digit in the ISSN
• What's in a name?- Title presentation, title changes, etc., brochure by ALCTS Serials Section, American Library Association
  • Other serials standards, ISBN and Bar coding
• Bar Codes for Serials

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ISSN Application Form

• ISSN application form - This application form in PDF format is "fillable" online. After entering the required information about your publication, you may save the application and email it to the email address indicated at the top of the form. You may also fax the application to the fax number indicated. Applications for ISSN (except for pre-publication applications for serials which have not yet published any issues) MUST be accompanied by a sample issue or a surrogate of the cover, title page (if any), masthead, and other pages containing information about the publication. Surrogates can be sent by fax or as email attachments (preferably in PDF format), but please do not fax or email the entire issue. Please limit faxes or email attachments to no more than five pages. If you plan to publish other titles, you are welcome to save a blank copy of the form for future applications.

You may also print and send the application by regular mail to the address indicated at the top of the form. Because mail-screening procedures are in place, publishers are advised to continue sending urgent requests for new ISSN by fax, email, or private carrier. But requests for ISSN not needed for several months and sample issues being sent to fulfill ISSN pre-publication registration requirements may be sent by regular mail. Publishers are strongly encouraged to send full issues whenever possible. Full issues can be given more accurate and complete cataloging and only full issues are considered for inclusion in the Library's permanent collections.

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ISSN International Network

• ISSN International Centre including links to other ISSN Centers around the world

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Related Web Resources:

• Publishing Standards
  • ISBN Agency, R.R. Bowker
  • NISO National Information Standards Organization- Committee Z39 of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Copyright, Trademark Information, U.S. Postal Service
  • U.S. Copyright Office
  • Copyright Clearance Center Online
  • U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
  • U.S. Postal Service

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Photographs from the ISSN Directors Meeting, Sept. 2000:

• Reception

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Go to: Library of Congress Home Page

Go to: Library of Congress Help Desk

Library of Congress
(Revised June 3, 2009 )




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