Provides guidance on the keeping of national statistics to provide standardized information on various aspects of the production and distribution of printed, electronic and micro-publications (essentially books, newspapers and periodicals).

This International Standard gives guidance on the keeping of national statistics to provide standardized information on various aspects of the production and distribution of printed, electronic and micro-publications (essentially books, newspapers and periodicals). In addition, this International Standard provides recommendations on subject classification (see Annex A). This International Standard is not applicable to the following types of publication: publications issued for advertising purposes, where the literary or scientific text is subsidiary and where the publications are distributed free of charge, including trade catalogues, prospectuses and other types of commercial, industrial and tourist advertising, and publications advertising products or services supplied by the publisher, even though they might describe activities or technical progress in some branch of industry or commerce; publications considered to be of a transitory character; typical examples are timetables, price-lists, telephone directories, programmes of entertainments, exhibitions, fairs, company regulations, reports and directives and circulars, calendars, and electronic texts under development; publications in which the text is not the most important part, including printed music documents where the music is more important than the words, and maps and charts (with the exception of atlases), e.g. astronomical charts, hydrographical and geographical maps, wall maps, road maps, geological surveys in map form and topographical plans.