ISBN Metadata Exporter

Part of the Library Koha Suite — enter or upload ISBNs and export their bibliographic metadata (Title, Author, Publisher, and more) as a ready-to-use CSV file.

Secure, login-only access Manual or CSV entry One-click CSV export

On this page

Overview

The ISBN Metadata Exporter lets library staff quickly generate a CSV of bibliographic details for any list of ISBNs — useful for acquisitions checklists, cataloguing prep, or verifying a batch of titles before ordering.

ISBNs can be typed in one at a time or uploaded in bulk via a CSV file. Once submitted, the tool looks up each ISBN and produces a downloadable CSV containing the resulting metadata fields.

Key Features

Manual ISBN Entry

Type ISBNs one by one into a growing list of input fields — add or remove rows as needed.

Bulk CSV Upload

Upload a CSV of ISBNs instead of typing them — the tool auto-detects an "isbn" column or falls back to the first column.

Automatic ISBN Validation

Only valid 10- or 13-digit ISBNs are accepted from an uploaded file; invalid rows are silently skipped.

Live Preview List

See exactly which ISBNs were detected from your CSV, with a running count, before you export.

One-Click CSV Export

Generates and downloads a metadata CSV (Title, Author, Publisher, and other fields) for all entered ISBNs.

Helpful Error Messages

Clear on-screen feedback if a file is empty, has no valid ISBNs, or hasn't been uploaded yet.

Login-Protected Access

Only authenticated Koha Suite users can access the tool; the current user and login time are always shown.

Responsive Design

Tabs, inputs, and buttons adapt cleanly to tablets and phones.

Manual Entry

Manual Entry
Upload CSV

By default the Manual Entry tab is active with a single ISBN input field. Use it to quickly export metadata for a handful of titles:

Manual entry accepts ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 — hyphens and spaces are fine when typing.

CSV Upload

Manual Entry
Upload CSV

Switch to the Upload CSV tab to bring in a large batch of ISBNs at once.

File format

ScenarioWhat the tool does
File has a column named isbn or ISBNThat column is used, and the header row is skipped
File has no such columnThe first column of every row is treated as the ISBN

Only values matching a 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN pattern (hyphens/spaces removed automatically) are kept — everything else is ignored.

  1. Click the upload area (or drag a file onto it) and choose your CSV.
  2. The tool reads the file in your browser and extracts valid ISBNs.
  3. A preview list appears showing every ISBN found, with a total count badge.
  4. If no valid ISBNs are found, an error message explains why.
The file must be uploaded and contain at least one valid ISBN before you can submit — the Export button is blocked otherwise.

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Open the ISBN Metadata Exporter tool from the Koha Suite home page.
  2. Choose Manual Entry to type ISBNs directly, or Upload CSV to import a batch.
  3. For manual entry, add as many ISBN fields as you need; for CSV upload, select your file and confirm the preview list looks correct.
  4. Click Generate & Download CSV.
  5. Wait for the button to show "Processing…" — your browser will then download the generated metadata CSV automatically.

Export Output

The exported CSV contains the bibliographic metadata retrieved for each ISBN you provided — typically Title, Author, Publisher, and related MARC-derived fields. Use it to:

Troubleshooting & FAQ

The Export button won't submit

On the Upload CSV tab, make sure a file has been selected and that it contained at least one valid ISBN — check the status message under the upload area.

My CSV column isn't being detected

Name the ISBN column exactly isbn or ISBN in the header row, or simply place ISBNs in the first column with no header.

Some ISBNs from my file are missing in the preview

Only strings matching a 10-digit or 13-digit ISBN pattern are accepted — double-check for typos, extra characters, or non-numeric values.

Can I mix manual entry and CSV upload?

No — only the active tab's ISBNs are submitted. Finish one method, export, then repeat with the other if needed.

Large CSV files with many ISBNs may take longer to process since each one is looked up individually.

Access & Security