Thema: The new, global subject classification scheme

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Thema

Julie Morris, BISG | [email protected] NISO/BISG Changing Standards Landscape at ALA 2014 | June 27

© 2013, the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.

The new, global subject

classification scheme

Copyright 2014, | The Book Industry Study Group

Agenda

2© 2012, the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.

• What is Thema, and why does it matter?

• Thema as a subject categories list

• The global book trade

• Thema vs. BISAC: Structural Analysis

• What next?

Copyright 2014, The Book Industry Study Group



What is Thema,

and why do I care?



What is Thema,

and why do I care? Thema is a new, unified subject classification scheme for print and digital books in the global trade.



Subject Categories for Books in North America

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To facilitate innovation and shared solutions for the benefit of all companies

and practitioners that create, produce, and distribute published content, and the

organizations that support them…

© 2013, the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.


Standards and Best Practices

Research

Education and Events

© 2013, the Book Industry Study Group, Inc.7Copyright 2014, The Book Industry Study Group

BISAC


• subject classification system for books

• developed in 1990’s to standardize the

electronic transfer of subject information

among all trading partners

• used throughout North America

• for both print and digital books


Who uses BISAC?


• Amazon• Baker & Taylor• Barnes & Noble• Bookscan• Bowker• Indiebound• Indigo• Ingram • Most major publishers• Some libraries• Independent authors


Why BISAC?



• Discovery

• Cataloging

• Tracking (and predicting) sales

• Making informed purchasing decisions

Discovery: an example

11Copyright 2014, The Book Industry Study Group

Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars by Lee Billings (Current, 2013)

Cosmos by Carl Sagan (Random House, 1980)

Discovery: an example



* Taken from the title detail page for Five Billion Years of Solitude from booksandbooks.com (Cara Cara, FL)

BISAC: an example



SCI 004000

Main Subject Category (SCIENCE)

Specific subject within category



What is Thema,

and why do I care? Thema is a new, unified classification scheme for print and digital books in the global trade.

The problem



The problem: Globalization!



• Digital trade increases the need for communication among international trading partners

• Many international standards exist to support global book trade• ONIX• ISBN• ISNI• EPUB

• BISAC (and other national subject schemes) do not

Enter Thema



•

Enter Thema



•

Thema Governance



International Steering Committee (governed by EDItEUR)

Technical CommitteeReview Committee

National Group

National Group

National Group

National Group

Thema National Groups



• Canada – Booknet Canada and BTLF • Egypt - El Kotob • France – CLIL • Germany, Austria and Switzerland – MVB• Italy – Informazione Editoriali • Norway – Bokbasen • Spain – DILVE • Sweden – Bokrondellen • United Kingdom – BIC • United States – BISG

And the list is growing…

http://www.booknetcanada.ca/

http://www.booknetcanada.ca/

http://www.btlf.qc.ca/

https://maeyeer.elkotob.com/thema.shtml

https://maeyeer.elkotob.com/thema.shtml

http://www.clil.org/

http://www.mvb-online.de/

http://www.ie-online.it/sx/standard.html



http://www.bokbasen.no/

http://www.dilve.es/

http://www.bokrondellen.se/

http://www.bic.org.uk/

http://www.bisg.org/

How can Thema help?



• International standard for the global book trade• Reduce confusion• Increase discoverability across borders

• Reduce the need to map to among multiple national subject heading schemes• BIC• BISAC• CLIL…


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Thema countries: June 2014

Maps from www.presentationmagazine.com

http://www.presentationmagazine.com/

Participating Organizations

• AIE• Amazon.co.uk• Australian PA• Baker & Taylor• Barnes & Noble• BIC• BISG• Bokrondellen• Booknet Canada• Bowker• BTLF• CB• Danish PA

• Dilve• Editis• Electre• Elkotob.com• Elsevier• Giant Chair• Guild of Book Dealers

(Russia)• Hachette• HarperCollins• Informazioni Editoriali• Ingram• IPA

• Japan Publishers Organisation

• Kobo• Kogan Page• Libri• MVB• NTCPDSAC (China)• Nielsen Book• Norske Bokdatabasen • NTCPDS China• Random House• Springer • Waterstones

Copyright 2014, The Book Industry Study Group 23

Global Thema Adoption Growing



• China, Japan, Poland, Australia joined ISC since fall 2013.• Denmark and Korea currently evaluating Thema.• In the United Kingdom:

– Nielsen receiving Thema codes from at least one publisher

– several major IT vendors building Thema into their systems (Klopotek, Virtusales, Giant Chair)

• German Books in Print system (VLB) now including Thema codes in live data

Thema is live!



• Version 1.0 released November 2013

• Sunrise date December 2013

• 2014 is the year for implementation!

What now?



BISAC

ThemaBICCLIL

What now?



• Will Thema replace BISAC?

What now?



• Will Thema replace BISAC?

Eventually, yes (possibly)

But not yet…

What now?



• BISG BISAC to Thema mapping released January 2014

• BookNet Canada and BISG BISAC to Thema Translator

• BIC to Thema mapping available

• Other mappings being developed

Implementation



Implementation



Five Billion Years…



BISACSCI004000 Astronomy SCI005000 Physics/Astrophysics

ThemaPG Astronomy, Space & Time PHVB Astrophysics Five Billion Years of Solitude:

The Search for Life Among the Stars, by Lee Billings

BISAC vs. Thema: Structural Elements



BISAC Thema• Subject Category (required in ONIX)

PHO021000 PHOTOGRAPHY / Commercial• Regional code (optional)1.1.2.2.0.0.0 LEVEL_4England• Merchandising code (optional)

EV080EVENT / Graduation

• Subject Category (required in ONIX)AJ Photography &

Photographs• Geographic Qualifiers

1HFGU Uganda• Language Qualifiers2ACSC Iceland• Time Period Qualifiers

3MD 16th Century• Educational Purpose Qualifiers4GH For International GCSE• Interest Qualifiers5AG Interest Age: from c 6 years• Artistic Style Qualifiers6BA Baroque

BISAC vs. Thema: Structural Elements



BISAC Thema

• 51 Top-level subject categories• About 3950 total subject codes

+ Regional and Merchandising Themes

• 20 Top-level subject categories• About 2,500 total subject codes

• 6 Types of Qualifiers• Over 4,500 total codes

Thema: Structural Elements cont’d



1. Subject Category codesCode English headingA The ArtsAJ Photography & PhotographsAJC Photographs: CollectionsAJCD Individual photographers

2. QualifiersCode English heading1 Geographic Qualifiers (do not use “1” alone)1D Europe1DD Western Europe1DDB Belgium1DD-BE-B Brussels1DD-BE-F Flanders

War and Peace



BISACFIC004000 Fiction/ Classics FIC032000 Fiction/ War & Military1.6.16.0.0.0.0 LEVEL_3RussiaThemaFBC Classic fiction 1DTA Russia 3MNB Early 19th century c 1800 to c 1850FYT Fiction in translation [If in any language other than Russian]

War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

Thema: The rules



1. First category used should be the primary subject

2. Classify as precisely as applicable, but as broadly as required

3. Assign as many categories as are required

4. Pay attention to scope notes and “see also” references

5. Add qualifiers whenever appropriate

6. Consider context, and audience

7. General codes need not be used in addition to more specific

codes within the same hierarchy

8. Not a rule but a guideline: no more than 5 each codes/qualifiers

should be necessary.

Find out more about Thema!



• Download the official documentation from the EDItEUR site: http://www.editeur.org/151/Thema/

• Browse the Thema subject categories hierarchy: http://editeur.dyndns.org/thema/en

• Lookup Thema codes with the BISAC to Thema translator: http://bisactothema.biblioshare.org/

or purchase the complete mapping: https://www.bisg.org/publications/bisac-subject-headings-2013-edition

• Contact your national group with questions! http://www.editeur.org/153/maintenance-and-support#thema_ng_and_isc

http://www.editeur.org/151/Thema/

http://editeur.dyndns.org/thema/en

http://bisactothema.biblioshare.org/

https://www.bisg.org/publications/bisac-subject-headings-2013-edition

https://www.bisg.org/publications/bisac-subject-headings-2013-edition

http://www.editeur.org/153/maintenance-and-support

http://www.editeur.org/153/maintenance-and-support


Thank you!

Julie MorrisProject Manager, Standards and Best Practices

Book Industry Study [email protected]@JN_Morris


mailto:[email protected]

Date post:	13-Sep-2014
Category:	Education
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