isni

ISNI, or International Standard Name Identifier, is a 16-character alphanumeric identifier intended to uniquely identify public identities such as authors, artists, researchers, and organizations. It helps disambiguate name variants across languages and scripts and supports linking of works and metadata across systems. ISNI is defined by ISO 27729 and administered by the ISNI International Agency in coordination with national libraries and partner organizations.

An ISNI comprises 16 characters; the first 15 are digits and the 16th is a check digit computed by ISO 7064 mod 11-2, which can be 0–9 or X. Common representations include the URI form http://isni.org/isni/000000012146538X and the URN form urn:isni:000000012146538X.

A registry entry contains a preferred name, variants or alternative spellings, dates and biographical or organizational data, and links to related identifiers such as VIAF, ORCID, or Wikidata. ISNIs are linked to works, rights, and other metadata to support discovery, attribution, and rights management.

Registration is handled by ISNI Registration Agencies, typically national libraries and consortiums. Agencies create and maintain records; individuals or publishers may request or supply information for attribution. ISNIs are widely used by libraries, publishers, music and film rights organizations, and in metadata exchanges to improve interoperability and data integration.

Related systems include ISO 27729, VIAF, ORCID, Wikidata, and other authority files.