Why in news?
ISBN International Agency has threatened the HRD ministry to revoke the ministry’s appointment as the agency for issuing ISBNs in India.
What is ISBN?
- International Standard Book Number (ISBNs) is a unique 13-digit code, usually found on the back cover of a book above the barcode.
- It is used by buyers to identify books.
- ISBN is not mandatory to publish a book.
- But it has become an indispensable sales tool as bookstores.
- e.g Merely coding the language of publication into the ISBN is known to increase sales. Distributors, bookstore chains and citation databases will not accept a book without an ISBN.
- The method of assigning an ISBN is nation-based and varies from country to country.
- In India, the Raja Rammohun Roy National Agency (RRMRNA), under the HRD Ministry, has been entrusted with this task.
What is the problem?
- Last year, the HRD Ministry digitised the allotment of ISBNs.
- Publishers complain that this move has inexplicably slowed down publishing in India.
- The new online application system has also raised fears of censorship, with the ministry seeking details of each book before issuing ISBNs.
- e.g Publishers have to provide the book jacket, which carries synopsis and blurbs from authors.
What should be done?
- The ISBN is purely taxonomic and the issuer is not supposed to have a regulatory function.
- If there is a problem in the quality of a book, it should be tested in a court of law.
- The government should divest itself of this function and devolve it to a private agency.
Source: The Indian Express
