The publishers awarenessregarding the f ISBN application has increased.
In accordance with the statistics of registration of International Standard Book Number (ISBN) requests provided by the Macao ISBN Agency, 722 books and 26 periodicals were slated for publication in 2015. The record shows an increase of 82 books and 8 periodical titles in comparison with 2014. In 2015, 541 publications were submitted to the Macao Central Library collection under the Legal Deposit Regime (including 477 titles applying for ISBN). In 2015, a total of 93 publishers submitted new applications to join the ISBN system (including 1 school, 5 commercial organisations, 36 civic organisations, 47 individuals and 4 other special groups), with a cumulative total of 811 publishers (categories of publishers: 57 government departments, 30 schools, 153 commercial organisations, 349 civic organisations, 207 individuals and 15 other special groups). This shows an 13-fold increase in comparison with the 62 publishers registered in 2000 when the ISBN Agency was founded. The data reflects the stable development of publishing in the Macao SAR and a growth in the awareness of ISBN application for publishers. The international standardisation of book publication has greatly strengthened the ability to bring Macao books to the international market. To apply for an ISBN,, applicants must submit the completed application form together with one copy of the finalised cover page, title page and copyright page to the Macao ISBN Agency (address: Sir Robert Ho Tung Library, No. 3, Santo Agostinho Square, 2nd Floor,). First-time applicants are required to submit a copy of supporting documents of commercial registration or non-profit social organisation registration, whereas individual publishers are required to present their Macao I.D. Card. The ISBN Agency will reply to applicants within three working days starting from the day after all necessary documents are received. In addition, in order to facilitate publishers’ fulfilment of the Legal Deposit obligation, publishers can submit their publications in person to the ISBN Agency located in the Sir Robert Ho Tung Library or to the Central Library located in Tap Siac Square, or by post The postage can be waived if the publication weight is under two kilograms. For more information regarding the services of the ISBN Agency, please visit http://isbn.library.gov.mo or call (853) 8598 6600 during office hours.