Ray Pelletier <rpelletier@xxxxxxxx> writes: > The IETF Trust is considering applying to the U.S. Library of Congress > to obtain an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for the RFC > Series and would like community input to inform its decision. The > Trust > may take up this matter on June 11th. This idea doesn't seem harmful, at least, but I question the utility of making references to the RFC series "compact and globally unique" or making such references easier to construct. I suppose that someone somewhere has referenced the entire RFC series (as opposed to a small set of RFCs) but I've never actually seen it... > > An ISSN is applied to serials - print or non-print publications issued > in parts. A serial is expected to continue indefinitely. Serials > include magazines, newspapers, annuals, journals, proceedings, > transactions of societies, and monographic series. Other SDOs, such as > the IEEE, have obtained ISSNs for their publications. A single ISSN > uniquely identifies a title regardless of language or country in which > published, without the burden of a complex bibliographic description. > The ISSN itself has no significance other than the unique > identification > of a serial. > > The Trust believes there are advantages to indentifying the RFC Series > with an ISSN. Among them, > 1. Make reference to the series compact and globally unique; > 2. Make the series, and individual RFCs, easier to reference in some > contexts; > 3. Results in accurate citing of serials by scholars, researchers, > abstracters, and librarians; > 4. ISSN registrations are maintained in an international data base and > are made available in the ISSN Register online > > According to the Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/issn/, for serials > available only in online versions, the ISSN should appear on the title > screen or home page and/or in the masthead or other areas where > information about publisher, frequency, subscribing, copyright, etc. is > given. > > There is no cost associated with obtaining ISSNs. > > Ray Pelletier > IAD > Trustee > > _______________________________________________ > IETF mailing list > IETF@xxxxxxxx > https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf _______________________________________________ IETF mailing list IETF@xxxxxxxx https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf