The International ISBN Agency

Easily recognisable as the identifier for all kinds of books, the International Standard Book Number is key to an efficient and effective book supply chain.

The International ISBN Agency is the registration authority for the Standard on a global basis. 

Focus on

  • The 2025 ISBN AGM takes place in São Paulo
    The projection showing a welcome message on the main auditorium screen

    CBL welcomed delegates to the 2025 AGM

    The International ISBN Agency (IIA) was very pleased to have held its 2025 Annual General Meeting in São Paulo, Brazil. The meeting was organised by CBL (Câmara Brasileira do Livro  - the Brazilian Book Chamber) and took place at the Unibes Cultural centre on Tuesday 16 and Wednesday 17 September 2025. We welcomed 81 delegates from 48 different ISBN registration agencies and related organisations, a very impressive total. The first morning of the meeting was also streamed to another 31 delegates remotely.

    From the IIA's point-of-view,…

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  • Burkina Faso ISBN registration agency begins operations
    The letters BNB in light blue, on a white book with a bookmark. The background is green.

    The logo of Bibliothèque nationale du Burkina

    The International ISBN Agency is very pleased to announce that, in August 2025, the ISBN registration agency for Burkina Faso will begin operations.

    The agency will be run by the Bibliothèque nationale du Burkina, and will fulfil an important role in encouraging publishing and the use of international standards. Previously, it was only possible for publishers located in Burkina Faso via an agreed proxy arrangement with AFNIL, which runs the ISBN agency for France.

    The Bibliothèque nationale du Burkina was appointed following careful consideration by the Board of…

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