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| Primary Sources of Information: Standards |
Topic: “Standards as Primary Sources of Information”
Short notes for UGC NET, SET, KVS, NVS, PSC, and Librarian exams in the field of Library and Information Science (LIS) with MCQs Quiz
What are Standards?
A standard is an established norm or requirement for technical systems, products, services, or procedures. It is created by a recognized authority or standards organization to ensure uniformity, safety, quality, and interoperability across industries and disciplines.
In the LIS context, standards are primary sources of information because they provide authoritative, original technical specifications and procedures, often developed by expert committees and not published elsewhere.
Characteristics of Standards
Authoritative and Original: Produced by national/international standard bodies.
Technical and Functional: Define processes, measurements, quality benchmarks.
Evolving: Frequently updated with new editions or revisions.
Not freely available: Usually sold or accessed via institutional subscriptions.
Types of Standards (Relevant to LIS and Academia)
1. Bibliographic Standards – e.g., MARC21, Dublin Core, ISO 2709
2. Cataloguing and Classification Standards – e.g., AACR2, RDA
3. Information Retrieval Standards – e.g., Z39.50 (search and retrieval protocol)
4. Library Automation and Data Exchange – e.g., SIP2, ISO 10160
5. Documentation Standards – e.g., ISO 690 (bibliographic references)
6. Digital Information Standards – e.g., OAIS Model (ISO 14721), DOI
7. Information Security and Records Management – e.g., ISO/IEC 27001, ISO 15489
Major Standards and Bodies
1. International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
Established: 1947
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Role: Develops and publishes international standards across disciplines
Relevant LIS Standards:
ISO 690 – Citation and referencing (First issued 1987)
ISO 2709 – Bibliographic records interchange format (1973)
ISO 3297 – ISSN (1975)
ISO 999 – Guidelines for Indexing (1975)
ISO 2788 – Guidelines for monolingual thesauri (1974, withdrawn in 2011)
ISO 5964 – Multilingual thesauri (1979, withdrawn in 2011)
ISO 14721 – OAIS Reference Model (2003)
ISO/IEC 27001 – Information security management (2005)
2. American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
Established: 1918
Country: United States
Coordinates US standards including library and IT standards.
Collaborates with NISO for library-specific standards.
3. National Information Standards Organization (NISO)
Established: 1939 as Z39 committee; became NISO in 1983
Country: USA
Major Contributions:
Z39.2 – Basis for ISO 2709
Z39.50 – Search and retrieval protocol
Z39.84 – DOI metadata schema
Z39.85 – Dublin Core Metadata Element Set
Website: https://www.niso.org
4. Library of Congress (LOC) Standards
Country: USA
Notable Standards:
MARC 21 – Machine Readable Cataloguing (1971)
LCC – Library of Congress Classification
LCSH – Library of Congress Subject Headings
5. British Standards Institution (BSI)
Established: 1901
Country: UK
Publishes British Standards (BS), including some LIS-relevant indexing and citation formats.
6. Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI)
Established: 1995
Standard: Dublin Core Metadata Element Set (Z39.85, later ISO 15836)
Purpose: Metadata standard for web resources, digital libraries, archives
15 basic elements: Title, Creator, Subject, Description, etc.
Website: https://www.dublincore.org
7. DOI (Digital Object Identifier) System
Initiated: 1997
Standardized: As ISO 26324 in 2012
Used for: Unique identification of digital content
Administered by: International DOI Foundation
Important Standards in Library and Information Science and Related Fields
Some of the most significant standards (national and international) used in library science, documentation, citation, indexing, information retrieval, and data exchange:
Bibliographic and Metadata Standards:
ISO 2709 (1971) – Format for Information Exchange: Basis of MARC (Machine-Readable Cataloguing) format.
ANSI/NISO Z39.2 – North American equivalent to ISO 2709.
MARC 21 – Developed from ISO 2709, widely used for bibliographic data exchange.
Citation, Referencing, and Abstracting:
ISO 690 (2010) – Bibliographic References: Guidelines for preparing citations, references, and bibliographies in both print and digital formats.
ISO 214 (1976) – Abstracts for Publications and Documentation.
ISO 999 (1996) – Content Organisation: Provides rules for creating indexes and guides.
Information Retrieval and Interoperability:
Z39.50 (1992) – Information Retrieval Standard: Facilitates searching and retrieval across different library systems.
ISO 23950 – International equivalent of Z39.50, adopted by many Indian libraries using Koha, SOUL, etc.
ISO 15836 – Dublin Core Metadata Element Set: For interoperable metadata across digital libraries.
ISO 16175 – Principles and Functional Requirements for Records in Electronic Office Environments.
Records and Information Management:
ISO 15489 (2001, revised 2016) – Records Management: Fundamental standard for managing records lifecycle.
ISO/TR 26122 – Work Process Analysis for Records: Used for developing records systems.
IS 15489 (Indian equivalent) – Adopted by Indian institutions for public records handling.
Digital Preservation and Archives:
ISO 14721 (OAIS Model) – Open Archival Information System: Framework for digital archives.
ISO 16363 – Audit and Certification of Trustworthy Digital Repositories.
ISO 11799 – Storage Requirements for Archival Documents.
Indian Standards Specific to Library Sector:
IS 796-1965 – Library Furniture and Equipment: Guidelines for shelving, catalog cabinets, etc.
IS 1553-1986 – Glossary of Terms Used in Library Science.
IS 10920-1984 – Library Building Standards: Recommendations for public and academic libraries.
IS 13207-1991 – Guidelines for Library Services in Industrial Undertakings.
IS 18113:2023 – Digital Preservation of e-Records (Recently adopted by BIS).
IS 17428:2020 – Framework for Digitization of Records.
Digital Access Platforms for Standards
BIS Website: www.bis.gov.in – Full access to Indian standards and certification services.
eBIS Portal: Online registration, standards download, and product conformity tracking.
ISO Official Site: www.iso.org – Global ISO standard documents (often paid).
NISO: www.niso.org – US-based National Information Standards Organization, maintains many LIS-related standards
Importance of Standards in LIS
- Ensure interoperability among library systems (e.g., catalogues, metadata).
- Aid preservation and digital curation (e.g., OAIS model).
- Support accurate citation, classification, and access to information.
- Enhance international collaboration by standardizing data formats and processes.
Common Examples in Practice
- ISO 2709 → Basis for MARC 21
- Z39.50 → Used in library automation software for online catalogue search
- Dublin Core → Used in institutional repositories and digital libraries
- DOI → Widely used in academic publishing and citations
Keywords for Revision
Standards, ISO, ANSI, NISO, Z39.50, Dublin Core, MARC 21, DOI, OAIS, ISO 2709, ISO 690, metadata standards, bibliographic formats, cataloguing protocols.
(Brush up)
Timeline of Standards as Primary Information Sources
United Kingdom (UK)
- 1901 – Engineering Standards Committee (ESC) formed, the first national standards body in the world, to reduce variety in steel sections.
- 1918 – Renamed as British Engineering Standards Association (BESA).
- 1931 – Became British Standards Institution (BSI) by Royal Charter.
- 1942 – First British Standard for library cataloguing: BS 1649.
- 1946 – UK became a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
- 2002 onwards – BSI adopted many European Standards (ENs) and ISO standards under UK frameworks.
United States of America (USA)
- 1918 – Formation of American Engineering Standards Committee (AESC) by five major engineering societies and U.S. government departments.
- 1928 – Renamed as American Standards Association (ASA).
- 1966 – Became United States of America Standards Institute (USASI).
- 1969 – Finally renamed as American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
- 1947 – USA joined as founding member of ISO.
- ANSI Z39.2 (1980) – Standard for bibliographic records (basis for MARC formats).
- ANSI/NISO Z39.50 (1992) – Standard for information retrieval in library systems.
India
- 1947 – Indian Standards Institution (ISI) established; inaugurated on January 6, 1947.
- 1950 – ISI Act passed; ISI became the statutory national standards body.
- 1986 – Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) created, replacing ISI. Came into effect on April 1, 1987.
- 1990s – BIS developed standards in multiple sectors including electronics, agriculture, and services.
- 2016 – Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 passed to align with WTO and global conformity.
- BIS CARE app launched for verifying ISI-marked products.
International Development
1926 – International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations (ISA) established.
1946 – ISA dissolved and replaced by ISO (International Organization for Standardization) on 23 Feb 1947.
ISO HQ: Geneva, Switzerland.
Notable Standards:
- ISO 2709 (1971) – Basis for MARC records.
- ISO 690 – Citation and referencing standard.
- ISO 999 – Guidelines for index creation.
- ISO 15489 (2001) – Records management standard.
- Standards Portals and Products (Digital Access)
UK: BSI Online Library, BSOL platform
USA: ANSI Webstore, NISO.org
India: www.bis.gov.in, e-BIS Portal
Global: www.iso.org (ISO standards), www.iec.ch (IEC standards for electronics)
Chronological Development of Standardization (General and Indian Context)
- 1901: The Engineering Standards Committee (ESC) was established in the UK—the first formal national standards body—marking the beginning of modern standardization.
- 1926: Formation of the International Federation of National Standardizing Associations (ISA) to coordinate international standards in electrotechnology and engineering.
- 1946: ISA was dissolved and replaced by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) on 23 February 1947, headquartered in Geneva.
- 1947: India established the Indian Standards Institution (ISI), formally inaugurated on 6 January 1947.
- 1950: The ISI Act 1950 gave statutory recognition to ISI for formulating and implementing standards.
- 1986: The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) was created under the BIS Act 1986, replacing ISI. It became operational on 1 April 1987, emerging as the national standards body of India.
- 2016: The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 was passed to align Indian standards development with the WTO-TBT Agreement, expanding BIS’s scope to services and conformity assessment schemes.
- 2020s: BIS introduced digital platforms such as e-BIS, mobile apps, and standards portals for ease of access and verification of certified products.