ISSN International Center and Springer Nature Collaborate on ISSN Workflow
The ISSN International Centre, with academic publisher Springer Nature, has just completed constructing a new, centralized process for the assignment
of International Standard Serial Numbers (ISSN) to periodicals and books series published by Springer Nature and its brands which include Springer,
Nature Portfolio, BMC, Palgrave Macmillan and Scientific American. It involves the automated ISSN assignment to pre-publications through transfer of
metadata from Springer Nature to the ISSN International Centre.
View the full press release (PDF, 200 KB)
PIE-J Now Available
A recommended practice on the presentation and identification of e-journals from the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) contains detailed guidance for publishers and platform providers about title presentation, accurate use of ISSN, and citation practices. Extensive examples and detailed information about ISSN are included.
Resources
PIE-J document
Reynolds, Regina Romano. Article: "PIE-J, Presentation and Identification of E-Journals: What's the Point?"Insights: The UKSG Journal 26.3 (2013): 311-314.
ROAD Now Available
ROAD Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources, a portal to selected and enhanced ISSN records, is now freely available.
Resources
ROAD Portal: road.issn.org
Exloring the ROAD Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources, a presentation by Regina Romano Reynolds at ALA Annual Conference, 2014
View presentation (PDF, 1.56 MB)
Bibliographic Transformation and the ISSN
Slides from a presentation by Regina Romano Reynolds, director of the U.S. ISSN Center, at the ISSN General Assembly Meeting, Paris, April 26-27, 2012:
View presentation (PDF, 4.62 MB)
Email Notification of ISSN Assignments
We are sending official notification of ISSN assignments via email. For cost savings and environmental considerations, print notifications will no longer be sent unless they are requested.
As always, if you have concerns or input you would like to share with us, please contact us at [email protected]. Thank you for your cooperation.
Searching in 
WorldCat
Your publication is searchable by the title or the ISSN number as soon as the ISSN has been assigned. Visit WorldCat.org and select "Advanced search" in order to search by the ISSN.
This is a free search and it offers a quick way to check on the status of your ISSN application if you have not heard from us, or to verify that you are using the correct ISSN after publication has begun.
Library Reorganization Changes ISSN Assignment Responsibility
With the October 14, 2008, reorganization of the Acquisitions and Bibliographic Access Directorate at the Library of Congress, the responsibility for assigning ISSN changed.
The group that has primary responsibility for assigning ISSN to serials published in the United States is called the ISSN Section, as part of the U.S. and Publisher Liaison Division (USPRL). This section assigns ISSN to publishers (pre-pub and post-pub requests), the U.S. Postal Service, the ISSN International Centre and other ISSN centers around the world, and to CONSER libraries. The ISSN Section also handles all queries related to ISSN and the ISSN application process submitted from sources such as publishers, libraries, subscription agents and the Library of Congress.
The email address and telephone number to reach the ISSN Section remain the same.
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 202-707-4776
There has been a slight change in the mailing address of the group. Please note the change to the zip code suffix. The correct address is:
Library of Congress
U.S. ISSN Center
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20540-4284
Please note that several sections working with U.S. serial publications will be able to assign an ISSN to a U.S. serial as part of cataloging it. If when they catalog a U.S. serial title, they discover an ISSN has not yet been assigned to the title, they will assign one. These four teams are listed below and are part of these two divisions: the US Anglo Division (US Anglo) and the US General Division (US Gen).
- U.S. Government Documents Section (US Anglo)
- U.S. Serials & Microforms Section (US Anglo)
- U.S. Serials -- Arts, Humanities & Sciences Section (US Gen)
- U.S. Serials -- Social Sciences Section (US Gen)
ISSN applications and questions should be submitted to the ISSN Section via ISSN Uplink. The Library looks forward to assisting you with ISSN requests.
Last Updated: April 2, 2024
