ISNI

Without a shared number, databases across publishing and libraries have no agreed answer to which person wrote what, which is how one writer's books end up grouped with another's. It matters most if you have more than one book, share a name with another writer, or work with a publisher that already carries these numbers in its metadata; a first-time author with an uncommon name and one title can reasonably do nothing. You may have one already, because many are created from data that libraries and other contributors feed in, so on every route the first move is normally to search the database rather than to request anything, and a traditionally published author can also ask whether the publisher requests them as part of its metadata practice. Record the sixteen-digit number only after checking that the works under it are yours.

The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) is a sixteen-digit number that identifies the public identity of a person or organization involved in creative work: authors, translators, illustrators, publishers, musicians, and more. It is an ISO standard run by the ISNI International Agency, and it exists so that databases across publishing, music, and libraries can agree that two records refer to the same person.

ISNIs are assigned in two ways. Many are created from data that libraries and other contributors feed into the ISNI database, which is why an author with books in library catalogs may already have one without asking. The rest are assigned on request through ISNI Registration Agencies; the agency's own page says that anyone who wants an ISNI must contact one of them.

A stable identifier for you as a creator that other systems can attach to your name. Publishers may include it in ONIX metadata, library authority records may cite it, and VIAF links to it. It does not control how your name is displayed anywhere; it only says which person is meant.

Search the ISNI database first. The ISNI agency advises exactly this, because an identifier may already exist from library or commercial data. If one exists, check that it groups only your works and note the number.

If none exists and you want one, you ask; you do not receive a guarantee. Choose a registration agency that accepts a request from an author in your country. The agency's list includes Bowker for the international book industry, the British Library ISNI Quality Team, Casalini Libri, MVB, and several national libraries that serve their own countries. Agencies serve different countries and sectors, set their own requirements and evidence rules, and set their own fees; some charge, some are free within their scope. Read the current registration agencies list before you choose one, and before you pay anyone else who offers to do this for you. Have ready a list of your published works and the forms of your name so the agency can confirm your public identity.

Traditionally published authors can also ask whether the publisher already requests ISNIs for its authors; some do as part of their metadata practice. Nobody is required to have one.

1. Open the ISNI database search from isni.org (opens in a new tab) and search your name.
2. Open any match and check the works and sources listed; make sure they are yours and that no other person's works are mixed in.
3. Record the sixteen-digit number on your identity sheet.
4. If the record is wrong, contact the registration agency that assigned it or the ISNI Quality Team through the agency's contact page.

An ISNI is not a VIAF identifier and not an LC/NACO authority record. VIAF clusters existing authority records and includes ISNI as one source; it is not a place to request anything. An authority record is created by a cataloger, not by an agency. An ISNI is also not a profile, has no page you maintain, and is not an ORCID, which is the separate identifier used in scholarly publishing.