ISBN

ISBN (International Standard Book Number) is a 13-digit number uniquely identifying books worldwide. Publishers, bookstores, libraries, and distributors use ISBNs for book management, search, and ordering. The barcode on a book's back cover encodes this ISBN in EAN-13 format.

QR codes combined with ISBNs deliver information beyond barcode capabilities. While barcodes hold only the 13-digit number, QR codes can include the ISBN plus author website URLs, sample reading links, review pages, and related book lists in a single code.

Bookstores use shelf QR codes linking to tables of contents, reviews, and author interview videos. Libraries provide loan reservations and e-book links via QR codes. Educational publishers print QR codes in textbooks linking to supplementary materials and video explanations.

The publishing industry is exploring GS1 Digital Link standardization to encode ISBNs as URLs in QR codes, mirroring the GTIN transition toward scan-to-access information.