Library

Book parts, barcodes, and ISBNs

Have you been lying awake at night wondering what the difference is between the barcode on your library book and the ISBN?  And what does ISBN stand for anyway?  International Spy Brigade Number?  What about the parts of a book?  We know there is a front and back cover and pages in-between, but what is the top of a book called?  Here are some brief explanations:

Barcode 

AHS Resource Centre places a unique identification number on every library resource.  It is especially useful when class sets of books are in use and we need to identify which copy has been borrowed by which student.  Using a barcode scanner to scan barcodes speeds up the borrowing and returns process too.

ISBN - international standard book number 

It has 13 digits (old ISBNs have 10 digits) and is mathematically calculated.

The digits identify the country or language area, the publisher, edition, and format (hardback or softback).

It is used to identify a product (books) that are publicly available and is used by publishers, libraries, and book retailers.

Parts of a book

Book cover or book boards:  the outer covering

Joint:  the outside part of a book that bends when opened

Hinge:  the inside part of a book’s joint

Head:  the top part of a book

Tail:  the bottom part of a book

Spine:  the edge of a book where all the pages are joined together

Fore-edge:  the edge opposite the spine

Book block/Text block:  the block of internal pages

Signatures:  two or more sheets of paper, folded and grouped, to be attached to the spine

End paper (or End sheets):  the inside end sheets, between the covers and the printed pages of the text block

References

https://www.isbn-international.org/content/what-isbn

https://authority.pub/parts-of-a-book/#9-physical-parts-of-a-book

https://bookprinting.com/resources/parts-of-a-book   Image - Parts of a Book, accessed 21 February 2022.