The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Advisory Committee on Standards is hosting a symposium on metadata, with the theme Metadata Standards Matter: Building a Sustainable Future for Information. This event is a significant opportunity for professionals, practitioners, researchers, scholars, etc. to contribute to the discourse on metadata standards and their impact on sustainability in the future of the world of information. Juan Ignacio, metadata specialist at the ISSN International Centre, will attend this conference. The program is available here: https://iflacos.eu/.

The UKSG Annual Conference is a major event in the scholarly communications calendar which attracts delegates each year from around the world – librarians, publishers, content providers, consultants and intermediaries. The conference combines high-quality plenary presentations, lightning talks, workshops, posters and breakout sessions with entertaining social events and trade exhibition.

The ISSN International Centre will exhibit at UKSG 2025. Join us at stand 52 for a presentation of our services and a friendly chat!

We are delighted to announce the imminent launch of our new website to celebrate our 50th anniversary!

The site has been designed to reflect our journey, our evolution and, above all, the human aspect at the heart of our network. You will find:

• Inspiring testimonials from our members,
• A photo gallery tracing our highlights,
• Valuable archival material testifying to our history and commitment.

We will soon invite you to discover this new space for sharing and remembering!

Stay tuned!

Thank you for your loyalty and support over the years.

The ISSN International Centre’s Action Plan for 2025-2029 outlines strategic objectives to improve global bibliographic data services for serial publications. Key initiatives include expanding the ISSN network, improving metadata quality and promoting preservation through the Keepers Registry. The plan emphasises service innovation for libraries and publishers, such as new identifiers, improved classification systems and targeted marketing. Sustainability goals focus on reducing environmental impact, while the use of AI and international standards ensures modernised identifier systems. The strategy builds on the achievements of 2020-2024, aiming for a robust, connected and innovative ISSN ecosystem by 2030.

The evaluation of the ISSN International Centre’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan highlights key achievements, challenges and future goals. Achievements include the creation of cluster ISSNs for better resource tracking and the expansion of the Keepers Registry to 20 agencies for the preservation of digital and print serials. The network grew with the addition of six new National Centres, despite delays due to complex procedures. Challenges included limited progress in improving the interoperability of the ISSN portal through the integration of ISNIs and the implementation of persistent URLs. Future plans aim to build on these achievements while addressing outstanding issues.

In 2025, ISSN International Centre will celebrate its jubilee. This will be an opportunity to retrace with you our fifty-year history.

Click on the link to open our e-card.

The Keepers Registry, managed by the ISSN International Centre since 2019, monitors preservation for digital and digitized serials, including scholarly journals. It aggregates data from sixteen partner archiving agencies, covering around 70,000 titles as of November 2022. The ISSN Centre is developing a service for librarians to upload journal metadata and retrieve preservation data, including preserving agencies, covered years, and completeness of archived content. A case study from the University of California, Davis revealed only 40% of its collection is preserved by Keepers.

This article authored by Gaelle Bequet (ISSN International Centre), Michelle Polchow (University of California, Davis) and Shannon Keller (U.S. Department of State), was presented at NASIG 2023 conference whose proceedings are published by the University of Michigan.

Innocent Azilan (Institut méditerranéen des sciences de l’information et de la communication, France), Hanae Hroul (Ecole des Sciences de l’Information, Morocco), Nadia Barnoussi (Ecole des Sciences de l’Information, Morocco) and Pascal Aventurier (IRD, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, France) presented their research on the internationalisation and visibility of African Open Access journals at the Open Science Conference in the South, held in South Africa from 9 to 11 December.

This research has been made possible by the availability of data from the ISSN portal. The programme of the conference is available.

The Sultanate of Oman has joined the ISSN network by signing a Memorandum of Understanding during its participation in the ISSN annual meeting held in Tunis in October 2024.

By joining the ISSN network, the Ministry aims to learn from global experiences in using the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) to support the marketing and dissemination of periodicals published in Oman and to enhance the publishing sector and cultural identity on the international scene.