ISO 5426-2-1996 PDF

Full title and description

Information and documentation — Extension of the Latin alphabet coded character set for bibliographic information interchange — Part 2: Latin characters used in minor European languages and obsolete typography (ISO 5426-2:1996). This part defines an extended set of graphic characters intended to supplement the ISO 5426 bibliographic character repertoire so that less common Latin-script letters and obsolete typographic forms can be interchanged reliably between systems.

Abstract

ISO 5426-2:1996 specifies a supplementary coded character set of 70 graphic characters with a code table and a legend giving each graphic, its name and notes on use. The set is intended primarily for interchange of bibliographic information among data-processing and message-transmission systems and covers Latin characters used in minor European languages and in obsolete typography that are not covered by the base ISO 5426 repertoire.

General information

• Status: Published (International Standard, confirmed)
• Publication date: December 1996 (Edition 1, 1996-12)
• Publisher: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
• ICS / categories: 35.040.10 — Coding of character sets
• Edition / version: Edition 1 (1996)
• Number of pages: 7 (official ISO edition)

Scope

This part of ISO 5426 specifies 70 additional graphic characters to supplement the extended Latin alphabet coded character set used for bibliographic information interchange. It is intended to cover certain less common and historically used Latin letters and typographic forms found in minor European languages (for example older forms of Latvian, Anglo‑Saxon, Greenlandic, Sami/Lappish, Maltese and editorial/medieval typography) and to facilitate accurate exchange of bibliographic records, cataloguing data and digitized texts.

Key topics and requirements

• Definition of a code table listing 70 supplementary graphic characters and their coded values for bibliographic interchange.
• Legend with character names, typical usage notes and examples for bibliographic and typographic contexts.
• Intended use as a supplement to ISO 5426 (Part 1) and in combination with characters from ISO/IEC 646 and other base repertoires.
• Support for historical and minor-language glyphs and obsolete typographic marks that may be required in library and archival catalogues.
• Interoperability requirement: enable reliable interchange between data processing and message transmission systems handling bibliographic materials.
• Guidance useful for mapping and conversion to other coded repertoires (e.g., implementations that map to Unicode/ISO/IEC 10646 where possible).

Typical use and users

Primary users include libraries, archives, bibliographic agencies, national and university cataloguing services, digitization projects, scholarly editors and digital humanities teams. Software developers and standards implementers working on bibliographic databases, cataloguing systems, OCR post-processing, legacy data migration and character-encoding conversion tools also rely on this standard to represent uncommon and historical Latin characters in interchange formats.

Related standards

ISO 5426-2 is a supplement to ISO 5426 (Part 1 / earlier editions). It is used alongside ISO/IEC 646, ISO/IEC 10646 / Unicode (for mapping and long‑term encoding), and other character‑set and bibliographic interchange standards. Relevant committees: ISO/TC 46 and ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 2 (coded character sets).

Keywords

ISO 5426-2, extended Latin alphabet, bibliographic interchange, obsolete typography, minor European languages, character set, coded graphic characters, encoding, cataloguing, digitization, OCR mapping

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO 5426-2:1996 is the second part of ISO 5426. It defines a supplementary coded set of 70 Latin‑script graphic characters used for bibliographic information interchange, covering uncommon and historically used letters and typographic forms.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers the names, glyphs and coded representations of 70 additional characters that supplement the ISO 5426 repertoire, together with a legend and notes describing their use in minor European languages and obsolete typographic conventions.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Libraries, archives, bibliographic services, cataloguers, digitization and OCR projects, scholarly editors, and software developers implementing bibliographic exchange or character‑encoding conversion tools.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO 5426-2 was published in December 1996 (Edition 1). It remains the published part 2 of ISO 5426 for the defined repertoire; implementers commonly map these characters to Unicode/ISO/IEC 10646 where equivalents exist. Users should verify the latest status with the relevant national body or ISO catalog if they need confirmation of any review or revision activity.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes. ISO 5426 consists of multiple parts under the general title “Extension of the Latin alphabet coded character set for bibliographic information interchange.” Part 1 (the original ISO 5426) and Part 2 (this document) are complementary; other character‑set standards and Unicode mappings are commonly used alongside them.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Extended Latin alphabet, bibliographic interchange, obsolete typography, minor European languages, coded character set, character mapping, cataloguing, digitization.