Accession Number

An Accession Number is a identifier that indicates the chronological order in which materials were added to a bibliographic database.

• AKA: Library_Accession_Number.
• Context:
  • It can typically help researchers locate materials within a bibliographic database.
  • It can often be used to track the addition of new items through library catalogs.
  • It can range from being a simple_numerical_identifier to being a complex_metadata_structure, depending on its scope.
  • It can be integrated with periodical indexes for enhanced material retrieval.
• Examples:
  • Library Systems, such as:
    • Florida State_University_Library for cataloging_new_acquisitions.
  • Academic Libraries, which use accession numbers to manage research materials.
  • National Libraries, which maintain extensive databases of accessioned items for public access.
• Counter-Examples:
  • ISBN, which serves as a unique identifier for books but does not indicate the order of addition.
  • DOI, which is a persistent identifier used for digital objects but unrelated to database accessioning.
• See: Bibliographic Database, Identifier, Periodical Index.

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