Ringgold releases over 400,000 ISNI numbers for institutions in the Identify Database

Ringgold is delighted to announce that over 400,000 ISNI numbers for organizations are now available in the Identify Database, representing 99% coverage.

Ringgold became the first ISNI Registration Agency for institutions in May 2012 and has participated in the standardization of institutional identifiers since 2005. We have been working with ISNI over the last three years to improve and standardize the assignment of ISNI numbers for organizations, which have different characteristics than individuals. Ringgold is now pleased to be able to release ISNI numbers to all Identify customers and to the general public.

The International Standard Name Identifier (ISNI) is an ISO standard (ISO 27729) that identifies public identities of individuals and organizations. The ISNI number is not intended to provide direct access to comprehensive information about a “Public Identity” – instead, it is designed to act as a ‘bridge identifier’ to link systems where comprehensive information is held, such as Ringgold’s Identify Database.

The ISNI number is an open identifier in that it may be freely shared with any other person or party without restriction. In this way, ISNI numbers provide a “bridge” between any public or proprietary dataset where the ISNI has been incorporated. An ISNI consists of 16 numerical digits. Example: ISNI 1234 1234 1234 1234.

ISNI numbers have been included in Ringgold’s Identify Database at no additional charge to customers. ISNI numbers will be included in the weekly database exports for customers. As new records are added to Identify, we will obtain new ISNI numbers from the ISNI Assignment Agency automatically. For the full press release please click here. For further information about how to obtain an ISNI number please click here.

Identify Database New Classifications Progress

The Ringgold New Classifications are designed to provide additional Ringgold Data Elements for Academic institutions in the Identify Database, allowing our clients to better understand and analyze institutions with a greater degree of specificity. This data expands upon, but does not replace, the existing Ringgold Types and Ringgold Tiers.

We are pleased to confirm that we have now completed the Alpha testing of the New Classifications and we sent Beta Test files to all of our clients on 24th June. Regular Identify Database file delivery will continue each Friday until Friday 21st August. From Friday 28th August, the regular database exports will include the New Classifications for all clients.

Identify Database User Group Meetings

We were delighted to host more than 20 Identify Database clients and partner representatives at our first Identify User Group meeting of 2015. Presentations by Heather Boutwell of Wolters Kluwer Health and Jennifer Goodrich of the Copyright Clearance Center provided inspiring starting points for discussion and a lively exchange of ideas on how to utilize Identify data to solve common business issues. We also gleaned a wealth of good ideas from attendees on features which may prove valuable as Identify Database development continues.

Identify User Group Meeting 9th September 2015

There is still time to register to attend the 2015 Ringgold Identify User Group meeting, being held in conjunction with the ALPSP Conference. Whether you are a seasoned Identify Database user, or you have just received your first set of Identify Audit Service files, we would be delighted if you were able to join us. This is an opportunity to learn about new ways to leverage and implement Identify data, share expertise with fellow publishers who understand the benefits of standardized data, and help shape the future of Identify.
Contact us now to register. This session is free for our valued Clients, and space is limited.

Ringgold at #alpsp15, September 9-11 2015

Ringgold will be attending the ALPSP Conference at London Heathrow from 9-11th September. Please get in touch if you are attending and would like to set up a meeting.
Also, Laura Cox, Ringgold President, Chief Financial and Operating Officer, will be chairing the session ‘Have I Got Standards for You?‘ on Thursday 10th September.

Conference Presentations

Forthcoming: The Ringgold Team will be speaking at Frankfurt Book Fair this year. Catch us on Wednesday 14 Oct at 1.15pm on the Hot Spots Scientific & Professional Stage, in Hall 4.2.

Christine Orr spoke on ‘Adding Value to Your Process: Supporting Researchers and Data Requirements’ at CESSE in Norfolk VA on July 14-16 2015. View slides.

Jean Brodahl presented at the Previews Session: New and Noteworthy Product Presentations at SSP on Thursday 28 May. She showed how ProtoView helps publishers increase the profile of their content within the scholarly supply chain. View slides.

The SSP pre-conference seminar Implementing Next Generation ID Standards for the New Machine Age: ‘The Ties That Find’ featured Ringgold’s Christine Orr alongside representatives from CrossRef, Aries Systems, ProQuest, ORCID, and more. View slides.

Ringgold’s Chief Marketing Officer, Jay Henry, spoke at the Council of Science Editors Annual Conference in Philadelphia on Sunday 17 May to discuss Emerging Standards: Data and Data Exchange in Scholarly Publishing. View slides.

Diane Cogan, Ringgold Sales Director for UK and Europe, joined the panel at a discussion entitled ‘You Made the Move to Open Access, What’s Next for Your Business?‘ hosted by Copyright Clearance Center at the London Book Fair on Tuesday 14th April 2015. View video & download podcast.

Editorial Update

We continue to reflect the changes and closures across the US for-profit higher education sector which have occurred over the past two years. Major updates include: the sale of Everest and WyoTech campuses by Corinthian Colleges to Zenith Education Group, the dissolution of Anthem Education Group, and the closure of several campuses by DeVry University, Sanford-Brown, Strayer University, University of Phoenix, and others. We are continuing to monitor changes in this sector. There has also been a major change in the US academic bookstore market. Follett has acquired Nebraska Book Company’s retail store division and we have reviewed all related records in Identify.

There have been major restructuring and name changes in the health sector, too. Some of the US health systems that have been recently updated are two health systems of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas: Ringgold ID 2502 Mercy Health and Ringgold ID 7478 Mercy, and Ringgold ID 2911 Catholic Health Initiatives.

In France, restructuring in the education sector has been ongoing during 2014 and 2015. A number of French universities and tertiary colleges have regrouped themselves into COMUE: Communautés d’universités et d’établissements. These are a replacement of the research and higher education clusters PRES: Pôles de recherche et d’enseignement supérieur. All associated records have been updated, and the members have been checked by our experts.

Finally, our coverage in the database of chemistry departments and medical practices has increased over the last month.

Consortium Directory Online Update

The consortia market is forever changing, so in order to arm you with the most up-to-date information at the click of a mouse, our specialist team are constantly busy updating existing, and adding new records to the Consortium Directory Online, our powerful sales tool. Backed with CDO, our clients are able to improve strategic sales planning, and craft individual offers with greater confidence. There are now almost 470 worldwide consortia records in CDO and recent additions include:

• Canada: Bibliopresto.ca (Ringgold ID 227393)
• Democratic Republic of Congo: Le Consortium des Bibliothèques Académiques du Congo (COBAC – Ringgold ID 431055)
• Croatia: Centar za Online Baze Podataka (Ringgold ID 428305)
• Italy: Gruppo di Coordinamento per l’Accesso alle Risorse Elettroniche (CARE – Ringgold ID 418001)
• Macau: Macau Academic Library Alliance (MALA – Ringgold ID 421093)
• USA: Innovation Experts (InEX – Ringgold ID 433400)
• USA: Reaching Across Illinois Library System (RAILS – Ringgold ID 140896)

If you have a suggestion for a CDO profile, contact us at cdo.support@ringgold.com or use our feedback form on the CDO site – our editor Moritz Schick will research it thoroughly, and add details to the database.

Customer Support

For quick answers concerning Ringgold products, our customer support website is available 24/7. Find help for all of our products and easy access to user guides, editorial policies and news. Access to online support can be found from within CDO, Identify and Validate. We are keen to ensure that your staff are getting the most from our products and services. Let us know if there is any information or training your team may need – get armed to drive your sales in 2015.