ISO 28560-2:2014

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 28560-2
Second edition
2014-08-15
Information and documentation —
RFID in libraries —
Part 2:
Encoding of RFID data elements based
on rules from ISO/IEC 15962
Information et documentation — RFID dans les bibliothèques —
Partie 2: Encodage des éléments de données RFID fondé sur les règles
de l’ISO/CEI 15962
Reference number
©
ISO 2014
© ISO 2014
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ii © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .v
Introduction .vi
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Applicability and relationship with other systems . 3
5 Requirements . 5
5.1 Data elements . 5
5.2 RFID air interface . 5
5.3 Data protocol . 5
5.4 RFID readers . 5
6 Data elements . 5
6.1 General . 5
6.2 Primary item identifier . 7
6.3 Content parameter . 8
6.4 Owner institution (ISIL) . 8
6.5 Set information . 9
6.6 Type of usage . 9
6.7 Shelf location . 9
6.8 ONIX media format . 9
6.9 MARC media format . 9
6.10 Supplier identifier . 9
6.11 Order number . 9
6.12 ILL borrowing institution . 9
6.13 ILL transaction number .10
6.14 GS1 product identifier .10
6.15 Alternative unique item identifier .10
6.16 Local data .10
6.17 Title .10
6.18 Product identifier (local) .11
6.19 Media format (other) .11
6.20 Supply chain stage.11
6.21 Supplier invoice number .12
6.22 Alternative item identifier .12
6.23 Alternative owner institution .12
6.24 Subsidiary of an owner institution .12
6.25 Alternative ILL borrowing institution.12
6.26 Other reserved data elements.12
7 Data encoding .12
7.1 Data protocol overview .12
7.2 Data constructs .13
7.3 ISO/IEC 15961-1 commands and responses .14
7.4 ISO/IEC 15962 encoding rules .15
8 RFID tag requirements .20
8.1 Air interface protocol .20
8.2 Bit and byte sequence .21
8.3 Air interface conformance.23
8.4 Performance .23
9 Data integrity, security, and privacy issues .23
9.1 Data integrity .23
9.2 Item security .23
10 Implementation and migration .24
Annex A (informative) Information about ISO 28560 RFID in libraries .25
Annex B (normative) Relevant ISO/IEC 15961-1 application commands .26
Annex C (normative) Pre-encoding the ISIL .29
Annex D (informative) Encoding examples.34
Annex E (informative) Implementation and migration .39
Bibliography .42
iv © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity
assessment, as well as information about ISO’s adherence to the WTO principles in the Technical Barriers
to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: Foreword - Supplementary information
The committee responsible for this document is ISO/TC 46, Information and documentation, Subcommittee
SC 4, Technical interoperability.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO 28560-2:2011), which has been technically
revised.
ISO 28560 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information and documentation — RFID
in libraries:
— Part 1: Data elements and general guidelines for implementation
— Part 2: Encoding of RFID data elements based on rules from ISO/IEC 15962
— Part 3: Fixed length encoding
The following parts are under preparation:
— Part 4: Encoding of data elements based on rules from ISO/IEC 15962 in an RFID tag with partitioned
memory [Technical Specification]
Introduction
Libraries are implementing radio frequency identification (RFID) as item identification to replace bar
codes. RFID streamlines applications like user self-service, security, and materials handling. A standard
data model for encoding information on RFID tags could increase the cost-effectiveness of the technology
within libraries, particularly through greater interoperability of RFID tags and equipment, and enhance
support for resource sharing between libraries.
Several countries have undertaken preliminary work on standardization. The Netherlands developed
a data model for public libraries and in Denmark “RFID Data Model for Libraries” has been published.
Finland has adopted the Danish model, but with a few changes. There is a French data model that differs
from the Danish and Dutch models. Other libraries in different parts of the world have installations
based on various proprietary systems offered by technology and library system suppliers. All of these
constitute the installed base of RFID systems, but only account for a small minority of the total of
libraries globally.
There is an opportunity to develop a standard data model, taking into account the lessons learned from
the national schemes and vendor solutions, and provide migration options for those libraries that have
already invested in the technology. Because new items are continually being purchased, a number of
migration options can be adopted based on factors relevant to each library.
This part of ISO 28560 deals with the encoding of data elements in a flexible manner using encoding
rules that are specified in ISO/IEC 15962. ISO 28560-1 defines the set of mandatory and optional data
elements.
ISO 28560-3 and this part of ISO 28560 are mutually exclusive with respect to an RFID tag being applied
to a loan item. In other words, the RFID tag is encoded according to the rules of this part of ISO 28560,
or to the rules of ISO 28560-3, or to some proprietary rules. Depending on the technologies being used,
and other features of tags that are claiming compliance with this part of ISO 28560, the reading system
might achieve a degree of interoperability.
This International Standard provides essential standards-based information about RFID in libraries.
Ongoing advice needs to be provided because of the evolving nature of RFID technology, and the
opportunities to migrate between different types of legacy system and encoding rules of this
International Standard.
vi © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 28560-2:2014(E)
Information and documentation — RFID in libraries —
Part 2:
Encoding of RFID data elements based on rules from ISO/
IEC 15962
1 Scope
This part of ISO 28560 specifies a data model and encoding rules for the use of radio frequency
identification (RFID) tags for items appropriate for the needs of all types of libraries (including national,
academic, public, corporate, special, and school libraries). The rules for encoding a subset of data
elements taken from the total set of data elements defined in ISO 28560-1 are based on ISO/IEC 15962,
which uses an object identifier structure to identify data elements.
This part of ISO 28560 defines the technical characteristics required to encode the data elements defined
in ISO 28560-1 in accordance with ISO/IEC 15962. These subsets of data elements can be different on
different items in the same library. The encoding rules also enable the optional data to be organized on
the RFID tag in any sequence. In addition, the encoding rules provide for flexible encoding of variable
length and variable format data.
This part of ISO 28560 provides essential standards-based information about RFID in libraries. A source
of additional information about implementation issues is provided in Annex A.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated
references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 15961-1, Information technology — Radio frequency identification (RFID) for item management:
Data protocol — Part 1: Application interface
ISO/IEC 15962, Information technology — Radio frequency identification (RFID) for item management —
Data protocol: data encoding rules and logical memory functions
ISO/IEC 18000-3, Information technology — Radio frequency identification for item management — Part 3:
Parameters for air interface communications at 13,56 MHz
ISO/IEC 18046-3, Information technology — Radio frequency identification device performance test
methods — Part 3: Test methods for tag performance
ISO/IEC/TR 18047-3, Information technology — Radio frequency identification device conformance test
methods — Part 3: Test methods for air interface communications at 13,56 MHz
ISO 28560-1, Information and documentation — RFID in libraries — Part 1: Data elements and general
guidelines for implementation
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
access method
component of the DSFID (3.8) that is responsible for declaring the ISO/IEC 15962 compaction and
encoding rules on an RFID tag
3.2
air interface protocol
rules of communication between an RFID interrogator and the RFID tag of a particular type, covering:
frequency, modulation, bit encoding, and command sets
3.3
application command
instruction issued from the application to the ISO/IEC 15962 data protocol processor in order to initiate
an action or operation with the RFID tag(s) via the interrogator
3.4
AFI
application family identifier
mechanism used in the data protocol and the air interface protocol (3.2) to select a class of RFID tags
relevant to an application, or aspect of an application, and to ignore further communications with other
classes of RFID tags with different identifiers
3.5
arc
specific branch of an object identifier tree, with new arcs added as required to define a particular object
Note 1 to entry: The top three arcs of all object identifiers are compliant with ISO/IEC 9834-1, ensuring uniqueness.
3.6
data format
mechanism used in the data protocol to identify how object identifiers (3.11) are encoded on the RFID
tag, and (where possible) identify a particular data dictionary for the set of relevant object identifiers
for that application
Note 1 to entry: The data format declares the Root-OID (3.13) in an efficient manner, so that a complete object
identifier (3.11) can be reconstructed for external communications.
3.7
data protocol process
implementation of the processes defined in ISO/IEC 15962, including data compaction, formatting,
support of the command/response unit, and an interface to the tag driver
3.8
DSFID
data storage format identifier
code that consists of, at least, the access method (3.1) and data format (3.6)
3.9
digital vandalism
unauthorized modification of data on an RFID tag that either renders it unusable or falsely represents
another identifier
3.10
metadata
type of data or information about data
Note 1 to entry: In the context of this part of ISO 28560, metadata (3.10) can be the Relative-OID (3.12) in relation
to the data, the precursor in relation to the compacted and encoded bytes, or the AFI (3.4) and DSFID (3.8) in
relation to the data.
2 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

3.11
object identifier
value (distinguishable from all other such values), which is associated with an object
3.12
Relative-OID
particular object identifier (3.11) that constitutes the remaining arcs (3.5) after the Root-OID (3.13)
3.13
Root-OID
particular object identifier (3.11) that constitutes the first, second, and subsequent common arcs (3.5) of
a set of object identifiers (hence the common root)
3.14
tag driver
implementation of the process to transfer data between the data protocol processor and the RFID tag
4 Applicability and relationship with other systems
4.1 Figure 1 gives an overview of the relationship of this part of ISO 28560 with other systems. This
part of ISO 28560 defines a set of technical features while addressing a number of operational issues. This
part of ISO 28560 interfaces with four other activities, but with a clearly defined overlap. These other
activities are
— the circulation of library materials,
— the data requirements of publishers, printers, and other suppliers,
— the interlibrary loan processes, and
— the details of borrowers, including membership cards.
4.2 Figure 1 also shows that there is a direct relationship with supply chain activities, and internally
within the library with RFID circulation devices and the library management system including interfaces
such as SIP2 and NCIP.
As the use of RFID in libraries moves towards a more standardized approach as defined in this part of
ISO 28560, the characteristics and architecture systems change compared to those already established.
To achieve interoperability with equipment and software, the required features include
— the air interface protocol, which defines the way readers and tags communicate with one another,
— the data protocol, which defines the encoding rules that convert application-based data to the
encoded bytes on the RFID tag; the data protocol also defines metadata features in the RFID tag to
protect the integrity of RFID for library systems in relation to other RFID applications,
— the set of data elements that form the dictionary from which individual libraries can choose those
that are most appropriate for their operation.
4.3 By adopting this part of ISO 28560, libraries will have increased flexibility with a number of features
as follows.
— Beyond the minimum of mandatory data elements defined in this part of ISO 28560, libraries is able
to choose from the optional data elements those that are more appropriate to its application, even
varying these for different types of item.
— Libraries should be able to rank the optional data elements into an appropriate order for encoding
on the RFID tag to support fast transactions across the air interface.
— Libraries have a greater choice of interoperable RFID equipment, and should be able to select RFID
tags with an appropriate size of memory.
— Some degree of choice in the types of security system becomes a library responsibility.
— Libraries with an installed base of RFID data capture is offered options on how to migrate to the
more open standard solution.
— The library community, as a whole and through developments of this part of ISO 28560, is provided
with future options to cope with changes within the RFID equipment as the technology develops.
This includes ensuring that new open systems applications do not corrupt the established base of
RFID systems in libraries.
Figure 1 — Relationship of this part of ISO 28560 with other systems
4 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

5 Requirements
5.1 Data elements
The data elements shall be compliant with ISO 28560-1.
NOTE There is a degree of flexibility in using locally defined codes that enable enhancements and variations
to be implemented while still complying with the basic set of data elements.
5.2 RFID air interface
5.2.1 General
The air interface for compliant tags is specified in ISO/IEC 18000-3, specifically the specification for
Mode 1.
For migration purposes, additional non-compliant air interfaces used in legacy systems can be supported
during a transition period, which is permitted to remain in place for years as necessary.
5.2.2 Air interface conformance
The air interface conformance shall be tested in accordance with the procedures of ISO/IEC TR 18047-3.
5.2.3 Tag performance
Where there are requirements for testing tag performance, these shall be done in accordance with
ISO/IEC 18046-3.
5.3 Data protocol
ISO/IEC 15961-1 specifies the application commands that are used to define the communication
requirements between the application and the RFID tag. The relevant commands are described in
Annex B.
The process rules of ISO/IEC 15962 shall be used to encode and decode data from the RFID tag. In
particular, the following constraints shall apply.
— The only encoding rules shall be based on the No-directory access method. No alternative access
method shall be supported until this part of ISO 28560 is revised.
— Both the hard-coded and software-encoded DSFID shall be supported, depending on the capabilities
of the RFID tag.
5.4 RFID readers
In order to achieve interoperability, RFID readers shall be based on open architecture RFID standards
defined by ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee JTC 1/SC 31. Particular standards are specified in this
part of ISO 28560. This means that any one manufacturer’s reading/writing equipment shall be able to
read or write to any other manufacturer’s RFID tags, and that any manufacturer’s RFID tags shall be
able to be read and/or programmed by any other manufacturer’s reader/writer.
6 Data elements
6.1 General
The set of data elements that comprises the data dictionary for this part of ISO 28560 is fully described
in ISO 28560-1 and repeated in outline in Table 1. Only one data element is mandatory, the primary item
identifier. All others are optional, but can be selected to meet the requirements of individual libraries,
and/or for particular items.
Table 1 shows the Relative-OID value, the format for input data, and advice about locking the data
element as an encoded data set on the RFID tag. A maximum length of 255 characters should apply to all
data elements that have a variable length display format.
Table 1 — List of data elements
Name of the data ele-
a
N Status Display format Lock
ment
1 Primary item identifier Mandatory Variable length alphanumeric Should be
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 International Refer- locked
ence Version (IRV)
2 Content parameter Optional Bit mapped code (see 6.3) Optional
b
3 Owner institution (ISIL) Optional Variable length field (maximum of 16 characters) Optional
based on ISO 15511
4 Set information Optional {Total in set/part number} structure Optional
(maximum ≤ 255)
5 Type of usage Optional Single octet (coded list) Optional
6 Shelf location Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
7 ONIX media format Optional Two uppercase alphabetic characters Optional
8 MARC media format Optional Two lowercase alphabetic characters Optional
9 Supplier identifier Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
10 Order number Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
b
11 ILL borrowing institu- Optional Variable length field (maximum of 16 characters) Not locked
tion (ISIL) based on ISO 15511
12 ILL borrowing transac- Optional Variable length alphanumeric Not locked
tion number Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
13 GS1 product identifier Optional Fixed length 13 numeric digit field Optional
14 Alternative unique item Reserved — —
identifier for future
use
15 Local data A Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV, ISO/IEC 8859-1,
or UTF-8
16 Local data B Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV, ISO/IEC 8859-1,
or UTF-8
6 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

Table 1 — (continued)
Name of the data ele-
a
N Status Display format Lock
ment
17 Title Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV, ISO/IEC 8859-1,
or UTF-8
18 Product identifier local Optional Variable length Alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
19 Media format (other) Optional Single octet (coded list) Optional
20 Supply chain stage Optional Single octet (coded list) Optional
21 Supplier invoice number Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
22 Alternative item identi- Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
fier Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
23 Alternative owner insti- Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
tution Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
24 Subsidiary of an owner Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
institution Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
25 Alternative ILL borrow- Optional Variable length alphanumeric Not locked
ing institution Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV
26 Local data C Optional Variable length alphanumeric Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV, ISO/IEC 8859-1,
or UTF-8
27 Not defined Reserved — —
for future
use
28 Not defined Reserved — —
for future
use
29 Not defined Reserved — —
for future
use
30 Not defined Reserved — —
for future
use
31 Not defined Reserved — —
for future
use
a
This column specifies the data element number (N) or the Relative-OID value, i.e. the number identifying the data
element, as defined in ISO 28560-1.
b
The ISIL, as used for Relative-OID values 3 and 11, is presented and displayed according to the characters defined in
ISO 15511. A special encoding scheme, as defined in 6.4, is used to compact efficiently the complex ISIL character string.
6.2 Primary item identifier
The primary item identifier is a mandatory data element defined in ISO 28560-1.
This is the only mandatory data element that is required to be encoded to be compliant with this part of
ISO 28560. The format is variable length, and the alphanumeric characters can be any from ISO/IEC 646
International Reference Version (also known as US-ASCII). Although the encoding rules support any
length of primary item identifier, shorter codes and all-numeric codes encode more efficiently, requiring
less memory and enabling faster transactions across the air interface. Although locking the primary
item identifier is optional, under normal circumstances, this data element should be locked to prevent
various forms of digital vandalism. The primary item identifier shall be encoded as the first data element
on the RFID tag to allow for faster transactions across the air interface by invoking a Read-First-Object(s)
argument in the read command (see B.5).
6.3 Content parameter
The content parameter is an optional data element used to declare the Relative-OID values that are
encoded on the RFID tag, and for the purposes of this part of ISO 28560 is used as an OID index. It
should be used if additional data elements are encoded on the RFID tag. If used, it can be an aid to faster
reading, because it indicates the presence or absence of a particular data element. If the desired data
element is encoded on the tag, then additional reading is required, whereas if the OID index indicates
that it is not on the tag, the wasted transaction time can be eliminated.
The index, itself, consists of a bit sequence, where each bit position is associated with a particular
Relative-OID. If the bit position is set “1”, then the Relative-OID and associated data object is encoded on
the RFID tag. As Relative-OID 1 is mandatory and Relative-OID 2 is this particular data element, the bit
map begins at Relative-OID 3. An example is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 — Example of OID index bit map
In the example in Figure 2, the OID index indicates that Relative-OID values 3, 8, and 11 are encoded.
Irrespective of whether the data dictionary includes other Relative-OID values, the bit map can be
truncated at this last Relative-OID that is encoded. It is also necessary to round up the bit map to 8-bit
boundaries for encoding on the RFID tag.
If this data element is encoded on the RFID tag, it should be in the second position so that the data capture
system can be set up to read the primary item identifier and the OID index in a single read process. The
OID index should only be locked if the information on the RFID tag is certain to remain unchanged. This
data element provides no information about the sequence of the encoded data elements, nor their size.
In the example in Figure 2, the encoding sequence could be Relative-OID value 8 followed by 11, followed
by 3.
6.4 Owner institution (ISIL)
The owner institution data element represents the ISIL code as specified in ISO 15511. For this part of
ISO 28560, the ISIL code is introduced into the RFID encoding process in a structure defined in accordance
with the rules of ISO 15511. This means that the hyphen (present in every ISIL code following the two-
character country code) is presented in the application commands.
To achieve efficient encoding, the ISIL is pre-encoded to rules defined in Annex C. This Annex also applies
to the ILL borrowing institution (6.12). In addition to providing details of the encoding scheme, Annex C
also provides advice about interfacing with ISO/IEC 15962 encoders and decoders.
The use of these codes assumes (for example) an external interlibrary loans (ILL) system capable of
tracking the item based on the unique combination of its primary item identifier and owner institution.
This element is optional where items are not included in an ILL scheme but required when items are
required to be issued on ILL using RFID. While it might be deemed necessary to lock this data element,
this is left optional as some libraries can choose to leave the data element unlocked so that it could be
changed if necessary as a result of library mergers or transfer of collections, etc. Other applications can
also make use of the ISIL.
8 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

6.5 Set information
The set information is presented in two components, which are
— the total number of parts, followed by
— the ordinal part number, with a maximum of 255 parts.
ISO 28560-1 defines various examples of encoding, particularly where not all the parts of the set carry
an RFID tag.
If the total number of parts is 9 or less, then the user data can be presented as a two-digit code to reduce
the encoding requirement. If the total number of parts is between 10 and 99, then the user data are
presented as a four-digit code, with the lowest ordinal values shown as 00 to 09. If the total number of
parts is between 100 and 255, then the user data are presented as a six-digit code. If the ordinal value is
less than 100, it is prefixed by leading zeros to create a three-digit number.
6.6 Type of usage
The type of usage data element is defined in ISO 28560-1, together with the supporting coded list of
values for this data element. The code in ISO 28560-1 is presented as an alphanumeric code, but is
actually a single-byte hexadecimal code and is encoded in this manner.
6.7 Shelf location
The shelf location is a variable length field that is used to identify the location code of a shelving system
of the owning institution.
6.8 ONIX media format
The ONIX media format data element represents an ONIX media descriptor of two uppercase alphabetic
characters. A reference source for the code list is provided in ISO 28560-1.
6.9 MARC media format
The MARC media format data element represents a MARC category of material descriptor of two
lowercase alphabetic characters. A reference source for the code list is provided in ISO 28560-1.
6.10 Supplier identifier
The supplier identifier is a variable length field that can be used for a locally designated identification
number relating to the supplier of the library material. It can be left permanently written to the tag or it
can be used only temporarily during an acquisitions process.
6.11 Order number
The order number is a variable length field that can be used for a locally designated order number
meaningful to the library and to the supplier of the library material. It can be left permanently written
to the tag or it can be used only temporarily during an acquisitions process.
6.12 ILL borrowing institution
The ILL borrowing institution is represented by the ISIL code in accordance with ISO 15511. The data
are presented according to the rules defined in 6.4 (for the owner institution). This data element shall
not be locked.
6.13 ILL transaction number
The ILL transaction number is assigned by the lending institute to identify an interlibrary loan
transaction. The structure of the number is locally defined. The data element shall not be locked.
6.14 GS1 product identifier
The GS1 product identifier data element is used to store the GTIN-13 code, commonly seen on retail
products in a bar code format on books and other media products. A more detailed definition is provided
in ISO 28560-1. The GTIN-13 code is always presented as a 13-digit code (i.e. with leading zeros, if
necessary) for input into the ISO/IEC 15962 encoding process.
NOTE 1 Since January 2007, the ISBN has formally changed from being a 10-digit code (sometimes with an X
check character) into a 13-digit code, as represented in the GTIN-13 code.
NOTE 2 The GTIN-13 code is more popularly understood in the United States as the UPC code, and in other
parts of the world as the EAN-13 code.
6.15 Alternative unique item identifier
This data element is reserved for possibly encoding in different tag architectures.
6.16 Local data
The local data elements (A, B, and C) are each variable length fields that can be used for any locally
defined purpose and as such there is no external application of this data object. Table 2 identifies the
parameters for the local data elements.
Table 2 — Local data element parameters
Rela-
Data element Category Format Lock
tive-OID
Variable length alphanumeric
field
Local data A 15 Optional Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV,
ISO/IEC 8859-1, or UTF-8
Variable length alphanumeric
field
Local data B 16 Optional Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV,
ISO/IEC 8859-1, or UTF-8
Variable length alphanumeric
field
Local data C 26 Optional Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV,
ISO/IEC 8859-1, or UTF-8
The rules defined in 6.17 for encoding characters from different character sets shall apply to these data
elements.
6.17 Title
The title data element is a variable length field used to identify the title or name of the item. The format
can be UTF-8 to allow for titles to be encoded in a language other than those based on the extended Latin
alphabet. The following advice is intended to assist with encoding efficiency.
— If possible, a title should be defined using the ISO/IEC 646 IRV (US ASCII) character set. It is also
recommended that all uppercase characters be used as this encodes more efficiently.
— If it is not possible to use the ISO/IEC 646 IRV (US ASCII) character set, then consideration should
be given to using ISO/IEC 8859-1, which is the default encoding set for ISO/IEC 15962. The default
10 © ISO 2014 – All rights reserved

character set of ISO/IEC 15962 is defined in ISO/IEC 8859-1 (as specified in 7.4.4). As this clause on
compaction clearly defines, if any graphical character of the data element is outside the range of
ISO/IEC 8859-1, then UTF-8 needs to be declared as the compaction scheme.
— UTF-8 should only be declared for titles that cannot be defined using the ISO/IEC 8859-1 character
set.
— For all defined titles, in situations where tag memory is small, a locally defined and administered
limit can be placed on the length of this field. The length should be the shortest that is practical to
satisfactorily identify the item from a small set of items (e.g. one item from six as a library borrower
exits the security gates and triggers an alarm due to a processing error).
Different program languages, and therefore software, support the storage of these characters is one of
two ways.
— As 16-bit code points compliant with ISO/IEC 10646 (also known as Unicode). If the LMS/ILS or the
ISO 28560-2 encoding supports these characters, then the encoder needs to be responsible for the
transformation to UTF-8.
— If the LMS/ILS holds the characters already transformed as UTF-8 code points, then it is essential to
check that ISO 28560-2 encoding process is completely compatible.
NOTE The ISO/IEC 646 IRV character set is a perfect subset of both ISO/IEC 8859-1 and of UTF-8.
The parameters for the item title data element are defined in Table 3.
Table 3 — Title data element parameters
Data ele-
Relative-OID Category Format Lock
ment
Variable length alphanumeric
field
Title 17 Optional Optional
Character set = ISO/IEC 646 IRV,
ISO/IEC 8859-1, or UTF-8
6.18 Product identifier (local)
For items that do not have a GTIN-13 code, or where one cannot be constructed independently as is
possible with the ISBN, t
...