Cataloging in Publication (CIP)

The record is distributed to libraries before your book exists, so it shapes how the book is described in catalogs around the country, and a misspelled name or title in it is much harder to fix once the book is printed. Traditionally published authors normally read the data block when it arrives, check the spelling of their name and title, and confirm the printed copyright page matches it; a hybrid author normally has to ask first, because some hybrid publishers take part and some don't. If you publish the book yourself, this is not available to you under the program's current rules, and the Preassigned Control Number route is where to look instead. Review the data block early enough to raise a correction before the copyright page is final.

Cataloging in Publication (CIP) is a Library of Congress program that creates a full bibliographic record for a forthcoming book before it is printed. The publisher receives the record as a block of CIP data, prints it on the copyright page, and the Library distributes a machine-readable version to libraries, book dealers, and bibliographic networks so that catalogers can use it the day the book arrives.

The program is limited to publishers the Library has admitted. Its own rules say only U.S. publishers whose titles are likely to be widely acquired by U.S. libraries are eligible, and its published membership criteria require an established publishing history. The Library states that self-published works and on-demand works are out of scope for CIP; those titles may be eligible for the Preassigned Control Number (PCN) program instead.

The prepublication catalog record for the book: the authorized form of the author's name, title, subject headings, classification numbers, and the Library of Congress Control Number (LCCN). Because that record is distributed to libraries before publication, it shapes how the book is described in library catalogs across the country. A CIP record always includes an LCCN, but an LCCN can exist without CIP.

You cannot apply for CIP yourself. Ask the publisher whether the imprint participates in the CIP program and whether this title will be submitted. The Library asks publishers to submit at least six months before printing deadlines because some requests need new name or subject authority work, so raise the question early.

When the CIP data arrives, read it. Check the spelling of your name and the title, and ask about anything that looks wrong before the copyright page is final; corrections after printing are much harder. Then confirm the printed copyright page matches the data block exactly.

If you publish the book yourself, CIP is not available to you under current program rules. The PCN program may still give you an LCCN, and a library that buys the book can catalog it locally. Some hybrid publishers are CIP participants and some are not; ask.

1. Ask the publisher whether a CIP request was submitted for the title and request a copy of the CIP data block.
2. Compare the block with the final copyright page proof, line by line.
3. After publication, search the Library of Congress catalog at catalog.loc.gov (opens in a new tab) by title or LCCN; the CIP record should have been updated with the published details.
4. Search WorldCat for the ISBN and see whether libraries are using a record derived from the CIP data.

CIP is not the same as an LCCN. The PCN program hands out a number; CIP produces a whole catalog record that contains a number. A copyright page that shows only a Library of Congress Control Number line does not have CIP data. CIP has no connection to copyright registration; the Library says so directly, and separate deposits are required for copyright purposes. CIP also does not mean the Library of Congress has bought the book or that any library will.