ISO 2146:2010 PDF

Overview

ISO 2146:2010 - Information and documentation - Registry services for libraries and related organizations - defines a framework for building and operating registry services that describe collections, parties, activities and services in a networked environment. The standard provides an object-oriented data element directory that can be converted into machine‑readable formats (for example XML) and used to collect, publish, exchange and archive registry data. It is explicitly intended for national, regional and international registries (including bi- and multilingual contexts) and supports automated workflows across library and information systems.

Key technical topics and requirements

• Object model: Registry object as the primary class with sub‑classes Collection, Party, Activity, Service and relationships among them.
• Data element directory: A structured set of elements and attributes to describe registry objects; designed for extensibility (typing, free‑text elements, extension schemas).
• Service metadata: Elements for service descriptions, service levels, obligations and access policy to enable interoperable delivery and access control.
• Protocol information: Metadata to publish how services are accessed in a network environment (bindings and exchange protocols).
• Record and global elements: Elements for record details, identification, language, dates and other global metadata.
• Profiles and bindings: The standard encourages building profiles that select required elements, enumerations and protocols for specific registry types.
• Normative references: Integration with code sets and formats such as ISO 639‑2 (languages), ISO 3166 (country codes), ISO 4217 (currency) and ISO 8601 (date/time).

Practical applications

ISO 2146:2010 is applicable to systems and services such as:

• Collection management systems and digital repositories - to describe and share collection-level metadata.
• Discovery services and federated metadata repositories - to expose registry data for indexing and metasearch.
• Delivery and access services - including persistent identifier management, access management and interlibrary loan workflows.
• Reference services and virtual reference systems - to advertise services, parties and activities.
• Registry service implementations - designing registry infrastructures and APIs for library ecosystems.

Who should use this standard

• Library and archive managers, repository administrators and metadata specialists
• Systems architects and developers building library registries, discovery layers or service registries
• National/regional standards bodies and organisations publishing bilingual or international registries
• Vendors of integrated library systems (ILS), digital preservation and discovery platforms

Related standards and resources

The standard references and complements other metadata and identifier standards (see Annexes and bibliography), and includes informative annexes such as case studies and a Dublin Core Collections Application Profile to assist implementation and interoperability.

Keywords: ISO 2146, registry services, libraries, data element directory, collection management, digital repositories, discovery services, persistent identifiers, metadata registry.