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Questions (from Librarians only) > Do you really need isbn10 when you have isbn13?

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message 1: by ˚•—S—•˚ (last edited Oct 05, 2025 11:19AM) (new)

˚•—S—•˚ (mille460) | 47 comments I am adding a book, and was looking in the manual and some topics/other questions about isbn trying to figure this out, and couldnt find a good answer.

So the short version is, if you know and provide the isbn13, do you really need to convert it to a isbn10 just to add that as well? Or is isbn13 enough?

Longer version:
The book im adding is published this year (in Norway), and has a isbn13, starting with 978.

In the librarian manual about isbn/asin it says
« It is best if you can list both the 10 and 13-digit numbers, as it will aid in future searches for the book. If only one is listed on the book itself, you can use the ISBN Converter here to retrieve whichever ISBN is missing.»

In the info on the converter it links to it says:
The United States ISBN Agency will soon begin assigning ISBNs starting with the prefix element 979 (in addition to the ISBNs with prefix element 978 currently assigned. […] Once this change takes place, only 13-digit ISBNs starting with 978 or 979 should be used to identify a book.

I get converting a isbn10 to find its isbn13 and how that is useful, the question is not about converting it that way..
However on new books, isn’t isbn10 outdated? If we started using isbn13 in 2007?
What real use does it have? All the booksellers im looking at only show the isbn13, so i dont understand how it can increase searchability either?
Do you convert it every time or do you consider isbn13 enough?


message 2: by Scott (new)

Scott | 9331 comments Links to Amazon use the ISBN-10, so it is better to include it if you can. If you do have it, it should be placed in the ASIN field as well.

But ultimately, it is optional.


message 3: by lethe (last edited 8 hours, 20 min ago) (new)

lethe | 16368 comments Yes, I always add the ISBN-10 in order to prevent the Amazon bots from adding a random ASIN.


message 4: by Scott (new)

Scott | 9331 comments Am I misremembering, or does it sometimes fill one in automatically?


message 5: by lethe (new)

lethe | 16368 comments Scott wrote: "Am I misremembering, or does it sometimes fill one in automatically?"

An ISBN-10, you mean? It doesn't nowadays and I don't think it ever did, but I could be wrong.


message 6: by Javier (new)

Javier (palchetti) | 30703 comments It does for me. I haven't used the converter in a long time, I just add the ISBN-13 without filling in any of the other fields, hit enter then I copy the ISBN-10 to the ASIN field.


message 7: by lethe (new)

lethe | 16368 comments Javier wrote: "It does for me. I haven't used the converter in a long time, I just add the ISBN-13 without filling in any of the other fields, hit enter then I copy the ISBN-10 to the ASIN field."

OK, thanks! I'll try it out next time :)


message 8: by Tawnya (last edited 7 hours, 11 min ago) (new)

Tawnya | 4082 comments It will add the ASIN10. I come across books constantly were people only added the ISBN13. Later, the bots added the ASIN10. The ISBN10 is blank. I have to contact support to add it. We all know the bots like to kick ISBNs into their own editions. I try to correct anything issue I come across. It’s about 50/50 bot shenanigans and human error.

I started filling out all of the boxes after repeatedly being told by the system that the ASIN couldn't be changed after it was set, this despite the fact that I hadn’t tried to change the thing. I figured out the timeline of what was happening:

Create book with ISBN10 & 13
Save.
Open newly created book to add in source.
ASIN is blank since I hadn’t filled it in.
While I am adding in my source, the system adds ASIN, thereby “changing” the ASIN.
Hit “Save”.
System kicks it back.

That got old quickly. I hadn’t been adding the ASIN since that was for Amazon. This was obviously before the announcement about ASINs being added to everything. Those have actually come in handy.

Back to the subject at hand.
I do a lot of older books that do not have ISBN13. I have ALWAYS added it. To do otherwise seemed wrong. This is no different. Just because a book doesn’t show an ISBN10, doesn’t mean that the system doesn’t want it.

It takes no time at all to add the ISBN10 / ASIN10. Once one gets in the habit of including ALL of the information, it becomes second nature. I always have a convertor up when adding books for situations such as this.

This reminds me of a few years ago when there was a discussion about using the larger image from Amazon. You know, clicking on the cover and then saving THAT image. Just one extra step. You’d have thought it was an imposition on par with being asked to solve cold fusion.


message 9: by lethe (last edited 6 hours, 59 min ago) (new)

lethe | 16368 comments Your terminology is a bit confusing :)

There is no such thing as an ASIN10. There is ISBN-10, ISBN-13, and ASIN.

Personally, I refuse to add ASINs to print books, because they are not used in print books. They are strictly an Amazon thing and are (should be) solely used on Amazon for Kindles, Audibles and second-hand copies of print books pre-ISBN era (and on GR for Kindle and Audible editions).


message 10: by Scott (new)

Scott | 9331 comments I remember when they first told us to add the ISBN10 to the ASIN field. It wasn't till later we found out why--because if we don't they will make one up.

From what I understand some ISBN13s do not have accompanying ISBN10s. I guess for those it won't automatically generate one, but for others it will.


message 11: by Tawnya (new)

Tawnya | 4082 comments lethe wrote: "Your terminology is a bit confusing

I use ASIN10 for when it is the actual ISBN10 and not an Amazon one.
My thought processes rarely make it into my typing ones. lol


Scott wrote: "From what I understand some ISBN13s do not have accompanying ISBN10s."

Those are the 979s. It looks so wrong to me not to have the ISBN10. Most of the time, they have an ASIN though.


The bots are adding the system ASINs almost immediately now. I just had to do almost 100 ACEs for an author, and in less than 24 hours all of the books had ASINs showing, some within minutes. If GR would have done a better job explaining the advantages of showing the ASINs (which had ALWAYS been used - we just couldn't see them) perhaps the changeover would have had less acrimony.


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