John Myers, Mac Elrod and Kelly McGrath have explained in sufficient detail why the hardback/paperback distinction is not significant or practical in library cataloging. So I don't know why it keeps coming up. Yes, that might explain some of the numbers relating to ISBNs, but this is all-in-all neither an important nor a useful conversation to continue. ISBNs do NOT IDENTIFY LIBRARY INSTANCES. Can we move on to a more useful conversation? kc On 5/20/13 10:59 AM, Ford, Kevin wrote: > I had that question, and I'll add another one or three. :) > > Both Shlomo's and Roy's data show records with 4 ISBNs within the top 4 places. For Shlomo, 4 ISBNs is in 4th; records with 4 ISBNs are in third for OCLC (comfortably ahead of those records with 1 ISBN). How many of those records with 4 ISBNs represent coupled ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 pairs for the hardback and paperback? > > Perhaps that is not permitted in OCLC - I don't know if paperback/hardback distinction merits a new record in OCLC. > > If the high number of 2 ISBNs does not reflect the coupling of ISBN-10 and -13 pairs, might those records with 2 ISBNs represent simple hardback/paperback distinction? > > Yours, > Kevin > > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative Forum >> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Myers, John F. >> Sent: Monday, May 20, 2013 1:26 PM >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Subject: Re: [BIBFRAME] Instance of ISBNs in MARC records >> >> Hmm, 2 ISBNs in 2nd place -- how many are situations of coupled ISBN-10 >> and ISBN-13 pairs and how many are "distinct"? The "instance" plot >> thickens. :-) >> >> John F. Myers, Catalog Librarian >> Schaffer Library, Union College >> Schenectady NY 12308 >> >> [log in to unmask] >> 518-388-6623 >> >> -----Original Message----- >> Roy Tennant wrote: >> >> As requested, numbers from WorldCat, the 1 May 2013 Research snapshot, >> with 296,589,450 records: >> >> NO. of Recs ISBNs Percent >> >> 230402772 0 77.68% >> 58861390 2 19.85% >> 4269211 4 1.44% >> 1659221 1 0.56% >> 515674 6 0.17% >> 466645 3 0.16% >> 151133 8 0.05% >> 84572 5 0.03% >> 51967 10 0.02% >> 33372 12 0.01% >> >> Keep in mind that WorldCat, being the largest library union database in >> the world, includes a great deal of material that pre-dates the >> establishment of the ISBN. -- Karen Coyle [log in to unmask] http://kcoyle.net ph: 1-510-540-7596 m: 1-510-435-8234 skype: kcoylenet