How to Search for Books by ISBN

The International Standard Book Number, also referred to as ISBN, is a multidigit number and letter code labeled on books. This number is assigned to books when they are published. The ISBN is usually printed on the second page of the book, along with the name of the author and publisher. The number can be later used to identify books. A way that you can locate a book using its ISBN is through the resources of the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress is a research library and is the largest library in the world. The library holds millions of documents, photographs, maps, recordings and books.

Instructions

1. Locating Books Using Its ISBN

   • 1

     Go to the Library of Congress website at: www.loc.gov. Click on the "Library Catalogs" icon at the top of the page.

   • 2

     Click on the "Basic Search" link.

   • 3

     Highlight the "Number Search (LCCN-ISBN-ISSN)" by clicking the words under the "Search Type" category. Then enter the ISBN in the "Search Text" field. Click "Begin Search."

   • 4

     Review the book information that is displayed on the page. The information includes the title of the book, author's name, how many pages the book is, among other details.