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Bowker and Google Collaborate to Optimize the Identification,

Cataloging and Discovery of Google Editions

 New Providence, NJ -- May 4, 2010 – Bowker, a leading global provider of bibliographic

information solutions and services, has reached an agreement with Google to provision

and facilitate the assignment of ISBN numbers to Google Editions, Google’s digital book offering launching later in 2010. The agreement sets an important publishing industry

 precedent, helping to ensure a standards-driven framework for the identification of digital

and print-on-demand book products made available and sold through Google Books.Bowker operates the U.S. ISBN Agency.

Under the terms of the agreement, Google will assign ISBN numbers to Google Editions

in cases when book publishers have not assigned their own unique ISBNs to works theyintend to make available for sale. Both Google and Bowker will encourage publishers to

retain primary responsibility for assigning their own ISBNs to their respective Google

Editions and including these records as part of the catalog data they distribute to their 

trading partners.

“Google Editions are among a growing number of game-changing distribution andreading models available to publishers and book consumers,” says Andy Weissberg, Vice

President of Identifier Services at Bowker and a member of the Board of Directors of the

International ISBN Agency. “We applaud Google’s decision to leverage the ISBN

Standard for identifying Google Editions, as it will help distinguish these offerings fromtheir print and digital format counterparts in catalogues and systems throughout the

supply chain.”

One of the core principles of the ISBN Standard is that it identifies a unique and

separately available edition of a book. This is as important for e-books as it is for different formats of printed books, especially where trading models involve multiple partners. For more than four decades, ISBN adoption across the supply chain has

facilitated pinpointed discovery and acquisitions, e-commerce, distribution and

aggregation of product information, and sales data reporting practices.

“For Google, this decision was driven by the book industry’s strong reliance on the

ISBN along with our partner-centric business and distribution models,” said Tom Turvey,

Director of Strategic Partnerships at Google. “We look forward to working closely withBowker, our publishing and retail partners and the ISBN Standards Community to ensure

a stabilized and uniform approach to the cataloging, discovery and selling of Google

Editions.”

Recently, the International ISBN Agency issued a position paper reinforcing that

 publishers should assign ISBNs to each separately available e-book format and supplytheir ISBNs to downstream intermediaries and channels. The paper also recognized that

there are instances of compressed supply chains where an e-book in a particular format is

available exclusively through a single channel, such as Kindle and Amazon, and that in

those circumstances there is no requirement for an ISBN.

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“Publishers, digital intermediaries and their trading partners continue to deal with an

increasing array of e-book formats with specific features, attributes or restrictions. It

makes the assignment of separate ISBNs to each format even more important for ensuring that the e-book ordered is the correct one for the user’s device or software

 platform,” said Brian Green, Executive Director of the International ISBN agency.

More information from the U.S. ISBN Agency regarding ISBN assignments to GoogleEditions can be accessed at www.isbn.org/google.

About Bowker Bowker is the world's leading provider of bibliographic information management

solutions designed to help publishers, booksellers, and libraries better serve their 

customers. The company is focused on developing various tools and products that make

 books easier for people to discover, evaluate, order, and experience, as well as providingservices to publishers that help them better understand and meet the interests of readers

worldwide. Bowker is a member of the ProQuest family of companies and is

headquartered in New Providence, N.J., with additional operations in England and

Australia. For more information, please visit www.bowker.com.