The document discusses metadata standards and audience coding for ONIX metadata. It explains that ONIX 3.0 and 2.1 allow specifying target audiences for different types of metadata elements. Some metadata like product descriptions are often displayed to consumers while other elements like supply details are only for internal retailer use. It also provides details on how to code for different audience types like trade, education, and age ranges. The document recommends subject coding and keywords to describe what a book is about and notes different subject schemes like BISAC and Thema for trade books.

1. Get up to speed with Thema
Tom Richardson
June 6, 2018

2. Standards and Certification
Target audience for metadata
Product Supply (Supply Detail) is almost entirely
used by retailers internally. The only value likely
to be used for consumer display is Price.

3. Standards and Certification
Target audience for metadata
Marketing collateral (Other Text) is typically
intended to be read by consumers.
ONIX 3.0 allows you to specify other target audiences
and 2.1 supports specialized other text codes for them

4. Standards and Certification
Target audience for metadata
3.0's Product description, aka Block 1
Product Form, Collection (Series/Set)
...
down to Subject, Audience & Complexity
Much is displayed to consumers but all of it is
needed for business

5. Standards and Certification
All ONIX data is processed

6. Standards and Certification
Not every end user processes
every part of an ONIX file.
Not every sender sends
every part of an ONIX file.

7. Standards and Certification
Audience coding
(Trade specific and/or special audience specific)
Audience Range
(mandatory for JUV and YA)
Complexity
Subject classification
Keywords

8. Standards and Certification
Audience type ONIX Code List 28 “Trade”
01 General Trade
02 Juvenile
03 Young Adult
Mandatory in all trade book records
Use only one "trade" audience code
(above) per record

9. Standards and Certification
Audience type ONIX Code List 28 “Education”
04 Primary and secondary/elementary and high school
05 College/higher education
06 Professional and scholarly
07 ELT/ESL
08 Adult education
09 Second language teaching (other than ESL)
It’s atypical but where appropriate Audience can
repeat to use one of these codes in addition to a
trade code.

10. Standards and Certification
Audience Range
• Mandatory for all Juvenile and YA books
• Focused ranges of no more than 3, maybe 4 years.
• If you must, use like "From 14" without an end age
Complexity
Recommendations for Citing Educational Standards
& Objectives in Metadata:
Guidelines for the North American Book Industry
BISG Whitepaper June 30, 2015

11. Standards and Certification
Subject coding explains what the book is about.

12. Standards and Certification
Keywords can supplement subject coding with a
useful term or a level of detail not covered.
• Backlist Keywords (TF2018: Joshua Tallent)
• Demystifying the Inner Workings of Amazon Keywords
(TF2017: Erica Leeman)
• Revised Best Practices for Keywords in Metadata
(BISG Whitepaper: Feb 2018)
• Read BookNet Canada's blog

13. Standards and Certification
Processing includes indexing.
Different end users process differently.
Some data is handled differently.
You should test and looking at your metadata
results on-line.

14. Standards and Certification
Subjects are processed too.

15. Standards and Certification
Subjects apply to the book or they don't.

16. Standards and Certification
Main subject
A SINGLE SUBJECT classification
to designate the primary area to expect sales /
type of book / buyer

17. Standards and Certification
Main subject
A SINGLE SUBJECT classification
to designate the primary area to expect sales /
type of book / buyer

18. Standards and Certification
Trade Subject Schemes
BISAC and Thema

19. Standards and Certification
BISAC vs Thema

20. Standards and Certification
BISAC
• It dominates North America and is fully supported by
all retailers working here. It's well supported outside
of North America, at least in English language
publishing.
• Extremely well run and developed system for
classifying what sells in the North American market
• If your goal is to describe consumer sales by book
subject using the fewest codes, BISAC is by the far the
best system available (for North America).

21. Standards and Certification
Thema
• Used in UK to replace BIC.
Used by Amazon in Europe.
• Used extensively internationally.
• No use reported by any North American
English language print retailers, though Kobo
and e-tailers working internationally are users
(in other markets?).

22. Standards and Certification
Thema
Recommended by BookNet Canada as the best
system for use by Canadian publishers

23. Standards and Certification
Thema strength lies in describing
the book's subject.
Thema supports a lot more granular detail that
will benefit both international sales and a
country that’s large and diverse.
Thema has kickass merchandising potential
in List 5. And a Style list. A Style list!

24. Standards and Certification
BISAC - lots of rules
Never mix Adult / JUV / YA codes
-- one type per record.
Never mix Fiction / Nonfiction codes.
No formal limit on number of entries but five or
fewer are the normal expectation.
Thema -- fewer restrictions
You can mix codes types if appropriate –
a subject is a subject so a novel heavily themed for
technology, or aviation, or espionage
might use codes that express that.

25. Standards and Certification
Main Subject in Thema
provides a primary identification of type.
It must match what the book is:
Fiction or Nonfiction

26. Standards and Certification
Expect to use more codes in Thema.
10 is not unreasonable.
Use the most specific code possible.
The fewest possible codes are clearest.

27. Standards and Certification
Links to tools and information:
https://booknetcanada.atlassian.net/wiki/space
s/UserDocs/pages/5767332/Thema+Subject+Co
des

28. Standards and Certification
Thema information and support:
Join the International Implementation Group!
via the EDItEUR site
And contact
biblio@booknetcanada.ca
to
Join the Canadian Implementation Group!
Consult with your peers, get notifications and more
Join the Thema CEL Working Group!

29. Thank you
trichardson@booknetcanada.ca
biblio@booknetcanada.ca
http://www.booknetcanada.ca
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