librarian manual

• how to edit book or author information
• why not make everyone a librarian?
• what can librarians do?
• how to become a librarian
• using the book edit page
• using the book edit page: part 2
• using the book edit page: work-specific data
• sacred texts
• separating authors with the same name
• rules for combining book editions
• how to merge two author profiles
• combining editions with more than one author
• how to merge two identical editions
• page count
• initials in author names
• books with multiple authors
• adding an alternate-cover edition
• suffixes and prefixes for authors names

how to edit book or author information

To edit book or author information, navigate to the book or author's page, then click on the 'edit data' link which is found in the lower right side of the box containing the book or author's information. Please remember to be accurate in your edits, as your changes will be reflected on anyone's shelf who has that book.

why not make everyone a librarian?

Initially, we allowed everyone to be a librarian. Anyone could edit book and author data, add cover images, or combine books. However, we found that while 99% of the people did a good job, occasionally we had someone who messed things up. So we created a new status that we bestow on those interested in helping keep things nice and tidy, which has worked out well.

what can librarians do?

Goodreads members with Librarian Status can edit book and author data, add book covers, and combine different editions of books. Each book and author has one unique entry in the Goodreads database. Librarians help correct book issues, like if the data isn't correct, or is missing things like the book description or URL.

how to become a librarian

In order to become a librarian on Goodreads you must have at least 50 books in your profile, then just apply.

using the book edit page

librarian change log

Clicking on this link will allow you to see a page listing all previous edits to the book and its associated editions


add a librarian note

The "add a librarian note" link is located above the Title field on the book edit page. Clicking it will bring up a text box that will allow you to attach a note regarding important information about the book. An important note may be about an ISBN conflict, that the edition is an alternate cover edition, that the book should not be combined with certain books, or anything else pertinent to cataloguing the book in the Goodreads database.

Librarian notes of this type are edition specific and will show up in a yellow box near the top of the book edit page and also in a yellow box below the specific edition on the author's combine page.

If a book has a Librarian Note attached when you go to edit it, please read it carefully and keep it in mind when doing any editing or combining. If a note has you confused, you can always post to the Goodreads Librarians Group and ask for help.

      Here is an example of a book with a Librarian Note: LINK



title

Enter in the official title of the book as it is shown on the cover or binding. Use proper capitalization and punctuation (i.e. do not use all-caps or no-caps unless the author specifically formatted the title that way). Make sure to check your spelling since improperly spelled titles may make the book harder to find in the Goodreads database.

If the book is part of a series, that information should be included within parenthesis following the title. The standard accepted format on Goodreads is as follows:

      (Series Name, #_)

Regarding the formatting of series information in book titles: many different formats have been used to label a series in the past on Goodreads and it created problems with librarians changing formats back and forth. After a discussion in the Goodreads Librarians Group, it was decided that the best way to format a series label was according to the example above. However, if you see a series labeled in a slightly different format, it is not necessary to re-format the label. The most important thing is that the book at least have a correct series name and volume number. But when adding a new series label, please use the accepted format stated above.

When deciding on what series name to use, it is best to use what the author uses. This can often be found by checking the author's official website. If there doesn't appear to be an official series name, it can be helpful to check the GR database to see how the other books in the series are labeled. If no series name is found, think of a label that best names the series in a descriptive, concise way and use that label for all books in the series. It's important that books in a series be labeled with the same series name so other users will know what books go together.

When numbering books in a series, be sure to number them in the correct, accepted order. The best place to find the correct order is often on the author's official website, or in some cases the cover of the book itself will include a volume number. If it cannot be found there, or the author does not have a site, you may be able to find the information via Wikipedia, FantasticFiction, Fictiondb, Google, or Google Books search. Or you can post in the Goodreads Librarians Group to see if anyone else knows or wants to help. It is often helpful to check multiple places to verify series information before beginning series labeling.

      Examples of correct titles with series information:
      The Unsung Hero (Troubleshooters, #1)
      Bad Penny (Cat Dupree, #3)

Some books belong to more than one series. When that happens use two different sets of parentheses to note the series information.

      Example of a book with multiple series:
      His Only Obsession (The Protectors, #28) (Silhouette Intimate Moments, #1455)

When a book has a subtitle, the subtitle should separated from the main title by a colon (:) and a single space.

      Example:
      Ghosts of Gettysburg: Spirits, Apparitions and Haunted Places of the Battlefield

When the subtitle is the series name, omit and use the format above.

      Example:
      Among the Living (PsyCop, #1)

      Not:
      Among the Living: A PsyCop Novel (PsyCop, #1)



sort by title

This field is for the title that would be used when sorting by title so that articles like "A," "An," and "The" can be excluded.

      Examples of sort by titles:

      title: The Lawman
      sort by title: lawman, the

      title: The Unsung Hero (Troubleshooters, #1)
      sort by title: unsung hero, the (troubleshooters, #1)

When initially manually adding a new edition to Goodreads, the system will automatically create the sort by title - but only for articles "a," "an," and "the." For titles that start with punctuation or for a translated title that starts with an article such as "la," the sort-by title will need to be manually set. If there is series information present in parenthesis following the title, Goodreads will change the sort by title to:

      unsung hero (troubleshooters, #1), the

as opposed to:

      unsung here, the (troubleshooters, #1)

Either way is acceptable when manually editing the sort by title.



author

The first author field is for entering the primary author of the book. Be sure to properly spell and capitalize the name or the book will not link to the correct author profile and become harder to find in the GR database. Also, author names should be entered first name last name so they will link to the appropriate author profile on Goodreads. And only one author should be listed per author field.

      Correct examples:
      Suzanne Brockmann
      Catherine Anderson

      Incorrect examples:
      Brockmann, Suzanne
      Anderson Catherine
      Suzanne Brockmann and Catherine Anderson

If an author uses initials in their name, the initials should contain NO spacing between them and be marked with a period.

      Correct example:
      J.D. Robb

      Incorrect examples:
      JD Robb
      J D Robb
      J. D. Robb

If an author uses his or her middle name or middle initial for their publications, then this should also be included in the author name. Initials should be followed by a period.

      Example:
      Jayne Ann Krentz
      Kathleen E. Woodiwiss

Authors with titles or degrees (such as Dr., Sir, Ph.D., Captain, Reverend, etc) should NOT be included in the author name (unless necessary to avoid confusion).

      Correct example:
      Phillip C. McGraw

      Incorrect Example:
      Dr. Phillip C. McGraw

Authors with a relational suffix (Jr., Sr., III, etc) SHOULD be included in the author name separated ONLY by a space after the last name.

      Correct example:
      L.E. Modesitt Jr.

      Incorrect example:
      L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

If the book does not have a primary author, and instead has an editor, list the editor's name in the author field and click on the "add role" link next to the text box and input the word Editor (or other appropriate title).

Author roles should always be added using the "add role" feature next to the author name, and not by adding it in ( ) following the author name.

For audiobooks or translated editions, this field should list the author of the original work.

Regarding author pseudonyms or pen names - some authors write or have written under multiple names. When editing or adding information for a book written by an author with multiple names, enter the author's name as on the front cover as the primary author. The author's other names may be added in the other author fields. Original name or other pen names can added and linked via a Librarian Note: in the description field, or using the Librarian Note feature located above the Title field. In some cases, a book may be originally published under a pen name, but then later reissued under the author's original name. When this happens, the author listed for any and all editions should be the author name the book was originally published under - so the reissued edition would need its author name changed to the originally published pen name. Doing this will allow the various editions to be combined.


add new author (add role)

If there are multiple authors of a book, or persons with other roles, click on the "add new author" link below the first author field and a new text box will appear. Enter in a second author's name - or editor's, illustrator's, etc name - being sure to use correct spelling an formatting.

For audiobooks or translated editions this field can be used to list narrators or translators.

To label the role of the person listed, click the "add role" link to the right and input the role of the person.

If there is a third author/editor/etc, click the "add new author" link again and input the necessary information. Follow this procedure until all pertinent people are listed.

When a book has multiple authors they should be listed according to the order they show on the cover, if possible. The order also needs to be the same for any/all editions of the same book. This will allow for editions to be combined. If two editions of the same multi-author book do not have the same author listed first, the books can not be combined. So it is important to list multiple authors correctly.

Cover artists should NOT be listed in the author fields. Cover artists may be noted in the description field.



isbn - isbn13

An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number (Wikipedia definition) and is a 10 or 13-digit number that identifies a book. The ISBN can usually be found in several places on a book: on the back cover by the barcode, inside the front cover, and on the copyright page.

When editing book data, it is almost never necessary to alter the ISBN. This should only be done if you are absolutely, positively sure there is an error in the listed ISBN. If you are unsure, you can post to the Goodreads Librarians Group for assistance.

This field will mostly be used when manually adding a new edition to the Goodreads database. When doing this, enter the exact ISBN into the appropriate 10 or 13 digit field on the book edit page. It is best if you can list both the 10 and 13-digit numbers, as it will aid in future searches for the book. If only one is listed on the book itself, you can use the ISBN Converter here to retrieve whichever ISBN is missing.

If, when you save your changes to the book, a message appears telling you that the ISBN you entered is already in the Goodreads database, the problem could be one of several. First, in the red outlined box at the top of the page, there will be a link to the existing book with the ISBN you entered. Go to that link and see if it is the book you were trying to manually enter. If it is, you can simply close the page with the edition you were trying to add then add the existing book to your Goodreads Bookshelves.

However, if the books do not match, it's usually one of two issues. First, if it is the same book but with a different cover, then it is likely the ISBN was reused for a later/earlier reprinting. If that is the case, you can manually add a new edition to the database that would be an 'alternate cover edition.' This is done because as of now, it is not possible to upload multiple covers of a book, and because changing the cover of an existing edition is not ideal. Some people may have added the existing edition with that specific cover because it is the one they own. If you want to have an edition shelved with your specific cover, then it is accepted procedure to create a new edition with your cover art. However, since an ISBN can only be used once in the database, leave the ISBN fields on your new edition blank then in the Description field, add a Librarian's Note: stating that it is an alternate cover edition and state the ISBN. You can also use the Librarian Note feature found near the top of the book edit page to attach a note to the book (this helps prevent the book from accidentally being deleted by a librarian who thinks it is an invalid entry).

      Here is an example of an alternate cover edition of a book: LINK


In the other case of duplicate ISBNs, it may be that an ISBN was reused on a complete different book. This shouldn't happen because ISBNs are supposed to be unique, but exceptions have been found. If that is the case, manually add a new edition to the database, leaving the ISBN field blank then in the Description field, add a note stating the issue with the ISBN and listing the actual ISBN. You can also use the Librarian Note feature found near the top of the book edit page to attach a note to the book (this helps prevent the book from accidentally being deleted by a librarian who thinks it is an invalid entry).

      Here is an example of a book where an ISBN was reused on a completely different book: LINK


It is important never to alter an ISBN simply to get a book to save (if getting an ISBN error when trying to save). ISBNs are specific numbers associated with specific books. Changing those numbers can make identifying the book difficult and cause problems for the Goodreads database. So always enter the correct ISBN. If there is a problem with the ISBN already being used, see the above sections for other methods of adding a book when there is an ISBN conflict, or post a message in the Goodreads Librarians Group asking for help.

PLEASE NOTE: Whenever manually adding a new edition to the Goodreads database, it is important to fill in as much information as possible. This will help not only other users who may want to add that specific edition to their bookshelves, but it will also help ensure that another librarian does not delete it thinking it is an invalid entry.

ALSO NOTE: ISBNs were not used until 1966 and did not become widely used until the early-to-mid 70's, so books published before or around that time do not have an ISBN - though it is possible for a pre-ISBN book to become associated with an ISBN due to an ISBN being added when/if another printing of the edition occurred after the initiation of ISBNs. Pre-ISBN books can be added to Goodreads by manually adding a new edition, leaving the ISBN field blank and adding note to the description stating it is a pre-ISBN book. The book may have another identifying number such as an ASIN or LCCN and those can be added to the note as well. A note can also be added using the Librarian Note feature linked near the top of the book edit page. An ASIN, LCCN or other identifying number should never be entered into the ISBN fields.

using the book edit page: part 2

publisher

In this field, list the publisher of the book, such as Bantam, Jove, Berkley, etc. The name of the publisher can often be found on the spine of the book, the back cover, and/or the copyright or title pages.

Be sure to properly spell, punctuate, and capitalize the publisher name - it is not necessary to use ALL CAPS for the publisher name even if that is the way it is written on the spine. Capitalizing the first letter is best.


published - month - day

This field is for noting the date the edition associated with the listed ISBN was published. Date published can most usually be found on the copyright page of a book. That page will tell you when the work was copyrighted - and if the book is a first edition, the copyright date will be the same as the date published. If it is a later edition, the date will be different. Some books, not all, will list dates for subsequent publications somewhere on the copyright page. The last date listed is what should be used to fill in the date published. If you know the book is a reprinting/reissue published later than the copyright date, but no other dates are given you can A) if the book already has a date published supplied by Amazon, leave it as is; B) research the publication date for the edition you have using Google, Google Books, Worldcat, Library of Congress, the author's website or numerous other resources; or C) use the copyright date as the date published.

      Example:
      year: 2008
      month: September
      day: 22


Adding the month and day are optional. They should be included if known. Year is also technically optional, but it is strongly encouraged that a year always be included.


number of pages

This is for entering the number of pages of a book. The number of pages should include the relevant text of the book -- glossaries, appendices, author's notes, etc should be included in the page count if they are labeled with regular numbers, but not if they are labeled by Roman Numerals. Ads, book previews, author biographies, and other such unrelated text should NOT be included in the page count.

Books already in the database that were imported from Amazon often already have pages numbers, and these are often incorrect. Amazon appears to have default page numbers according to the publisher and type of book. These can be corrected, but only if you have the exact book with a matching ISBN.


format

In this field the format/binding type of the book can be added - i.e. Hardcover, Paperback, Mass Market Paperback, Audio CD, ebook, etc.

The format field has a drop-down box with the most common formats. Select the one that matches the book you have. If there is not an appropriate format, click on the "other" link next to the format field. The field will then turn into a text box where you can type in the format of the book. Please use the existing formats if possible (i.e. use Hardcover instead of manually listing Hardback, etc) and if manually adding a format, use correct spelling, capitalization and punctuation.


edition

This field is for such things as "2nd edition", "Film Tie-In Edition", "Large Print", "Special Illustrated Edition" and other edition-specific data that belongs neither in the title nor the format fields.


official URL

This field is for entering a URL officially associated with that book, such as an author or publisher's website for the book, or a page on an author's site for the book. Fan sites, reviews, book sellers, Wiki pages or other such pages should NOT be listed.

Be sure to include the entire link, including the http:// part.

      Example of an acceptable link:
      http://www.suzannebrockmann.com/breaking_point.htm

      Examples of unacceptable links:
      http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Point-Troubleshooters-Book-9/dp/0345480139
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Brockmann#Troubleshooter.2C_Inc._Series
      http://www.facebook.com/pages/Suzanne-Brockmann/47043285969


description

The description field is for entering a summary of the work. The best description to enter is one found on the back cover or on the dust jacket of the book. If the book does not have a summary listed anywhere on the cover or pages, you can copy a description from a different edition or you can write your own. The description can be a couple of sentences or a couple of paragraphs describing the content of the book. It should be a generic summary and should NOT include reviews or personal feelings (i.e. "This is a book about sisters. It was good. You should read it"). The summary should also NOT contain any important spoilers such as mentions of characters deaths, how the book ends, major twists or other information that would spoil the story for those who have not read it.

Descriptions copied from an outside source, such as Wikipedia, should contain a short citation stating where the summary originated from.


primary language

This field is for selecting the language of the specific edition of the book you are editing was written. For example, if the book you are editing is a German translation of a book originally written in English, the language should be listed as German.


dimensions

The dimensions area is for adding size/weight information regarding a specific edition of a book, which will later become helpful when Goodreads improves on their bookswap feature.

Measurements should be made in inches for length, width and height (thickness), and in ounces for weight.

Length = the length of the book is the measurement from the bottom of the front cover to the top of the front cover.
Width = the width of the book is the measurement from the spine of the book to the page edge.
Height (Thickness) = the height (thickness) of the book is the measurement from the front cover, across the page edges, to the back cover

Dimensions are edition specific and should only be added if you have the exact information for the specific ISBN of the book you are editing.

NOTE: some books may have dimensions imported by Amazon. These may or may not be entirely accurate. If you have the specific ISBN book and notice an inaccuracy, it is acceptable to correct it.


source

Source is an un-editable field generated by Goodreads. It tells you where the book originated from - whether it was imported from Amazon, or created by a user.


created

This is another un-editable field. It tells when the edition was added to the Goodreads database and also tells when it was last edited.

using the book edit page: work-specific data

original publication year

This field is for entering the date at which the work was originally first published. For example, if you are editing a 3rd edition of book XYZ, published in 2009, but the 1st edition was published in 1985, the original publication date would be 1985. Determining the original publication date can often be done by checking the copyright page of the book and seeing when it was copyrighted.

Original publication date will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working on.


characters

The characters area can be used for listing the important characters of a book. To edit this area, click on the "edit characters" link. This will take you to a new page where you can enter new characters or edit existing ones. Characters should be entered one at a time using full names, if possible. Some characters are used through multiple books, so please be sure to enter character names the same way for each book. Always use correct spelling, punctuation and capitalization. If a character has a nickname, you can include the name in "" between the first and last name.

      Correct examples:
      John Smith
      Jane Doe
      John "Mac" Smith


      Incorrect examples:
      John Smith & Jane Doe
      John Smith and Jane Doe
      John Smith / Jane Doe


Keep in mind that the characters you enter should be critical characters to the story. It is not necessary to list every name you come across, only the ones of most importance.

Characters will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working on.

NOTE: be sure to save any existing edits to the book before clicking to the "edit characters" link.


literary awards

In this field you can list any literary awards the book has won. If the book has won more than one award, list the various awards separated by commas.

Literary awards will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working on.


setting

The setting field is for noting what location(s) the book takes place in.

Setting will populate through every edition combined with the edition you are working on.


change comment

The change comment text box is for adding a reason about WHY you made a specific change to a book. This is to help other librarians understand changes made to a book that may not make sense.

If you are simply ADDING information to a book that was previously lacking it, you can say "adding additional information" or "adding a description" or anything of the like.

However, if you are CHANGING existing information, especially information already edited by another librarian then it is important to state WHY you are making the changes. For example, if you are renumbering a series or changing the series name, it is extremely important to say why so that other librarians will understand. So if you use a series list on an author's website to renumber a series, then state that and give a link to the website in the change comment box. This type of information will hopefully prevent the often encountered problems of multiple librarians changing information back and forth on books.

Remember, that if you are ever in doubt of a change you are considering making on a book, you can always post a question to the Goodreads Librarians Group and ask for help.


librarian comment - add a comment

This section is a discussion area for the specific edition you are editing. It can be used for librarians to discuss any issues regarding the information available for a book and functions similar to discussion topics in Groups.

If you have a question of a concern about available information for a specific edition, you can click on the "add a comment" link and type in a comment regarding you concern or question. The comment will then be attached to the bottom of the book page and be visible to and available for discussion by other librarians who go into that book's edit page.

PLEASE BE AWARE: that your comment will only get a response if another librarian sees the comment and chooses to respond to it. So if no other librarian goes to the book's edit page for a long time, you comment will not get a quick response. If you have an urgent problem regarding a book, it is best to post to the Goodreads Librarians Group.


upload photo

This section is for uploading the front cover image of the book. The only image that should be uploaded is the specific cover associated with the ISBN of the book you are editing. If there is an existing cover that does not match your book, please see the section on ISBNs regarding multiple covers for one ISBN. Existing covers should rarely be deleted and only done if you absolutely know that cover is in no way associated with that ISBN. When in doubt, you can always post a question to the Goodreads Librarians Group and ask for help.

Cover images uploaded should only be an image of the actual front cover (which will typically have title and author on it), and should not be an image of the art used to later create the book cover.


upload ebook with format

Here you can select to upload an ebook of specific format. Ebooks should only be uploaded if it is legal to do so.


Refresh book data from Amazon (or Barnes&Noble)

Clicking this link will refresh the book data to the default information available from Amazon (or Barnes&Noble). This function should be used carefully because it will overwrite much of the existing data for a book (such as series information, dates, publisher, page number, description, etc).


Refresh book rating stats

Clicking this link will recalculate the statistics for a book (number of reviews, average rating). This is helpful to do if you notice the statistics do not seem right.



Some general suggestions for entering/editing book data:

* Always think twice before changing existing data.
* Follow the guidelines above as closely as possible.
* If you are unsure why something is listed the way it is, you can check the "librarian change log" for the book (linked on the right side of the page below the book cover area). The log will tell you what edits were previously done on the book. If no prior edits are listed, it is likely fine to make the changes you feel necessary. If there are other edits, you may want to read through the edits to see what was changed, and if any of the changes contradict a change you planned to make, you may want to either send a personal message to the librarian who made the change to discuss the reasons for it, or post to the Goodreads Librarians Group to ask for help in finding a solution.

sacred texts

Sacred texts with unknown or ambiguous authors are to be listed with the author "Anonymous". Please list any editor(s) or translator(s) in secondary slots. Publishers should not be listed as authors.

separating authors with the same name

Occasionally you may come across an author profile that encompasses two or more authors of the same name. In order to separate these authors and their respective books you will need to identify which books belong to which author. Once you have, leave one author alone and for the second, go into the edit page of each of their books and add an additional space between their first and last name.

This will create a new author profile for the second author.

If by chance there is a third author of the same name (which has happened), simply add a third space between the author's first and last name.

Example:
Catherine^Anderson
Catherine^^Anderson
Catherine^^^Anderson
NOTE: The ^ = 1 space and is just used to demonstrate the number of spaces. Also please note that any new books by the authors of that name will be entered into the main profile by default. They will have to be edited once they are added to Goodreads to shift them to the right profile.

rules for combining book editions

The rules for combining book editions are listed below, and are also posted on the right side of the combine page for each author. These rules have been decided as a collaborative effort between the Goodreads staff and the members in the Goodreads Librarians group.

how to merge two author profiles

Each author name is unique and has its own profile. Sometimes various data sources use slightly different spellings of an author name (eg JK Rowling vs J.K. Rowling vs Joanne Kathleen Rowling). To merge two author profiles, edit the data for the profile that should be discarded, and change the name to be the exact same spelling (copy/pasting helps here) of the profile that it should be merged into. All books will be associated with the new author. We plan to support author pseudonyms soon to help prevent this issue. If there is doubt as to the correct spelling, we recommend checking The Library of Congress.

combining editions with more than one author

In order to combine editions that have multiple authors listed, the editions must have the same author listed in the first author field. Once that is done, you can then combine from the first listed author's combine page, and ONLY the first author's combine page.

how to merge two identical editions

If a particular edition is listed twice, it is appropriate to merge the two entries into one. Please do not delete an edition of a book just because it does not have an ISBN. Some older books that members manually add will not have ISBNs. Please check carefully and err on the side of not deleting a book edition.

Note that merging two editions deletes the less popular edition and merges all reviews into the more popular edition. This is different from combining editions, which is where you can mark one version of a book as the same as another.

When you find a duplicate and you know which edition it was meant to be, this is how to merge that duplicate with the actual edition:

1. Separate the duplicate and its actual edition from any other editions of that book.
2. Combine them just with each other.
3. click 'delete this book' at the bottom of the edit book page. Note that this only works for books with less than 15 member reviews. It will merge with its actual edition because this is the most popular (only) other edition available in that combination.
4. Re-combine the actual edition with the other editions of the book.

page count

The number of pages in a book is meant to include all content except for advertisements and preview chapters for other books. Included end material may include acknowledgments, afterwords, appendices, author biographies, glossaries, indexes, notes, and suggested discussion questions.

Introductory material paged using roman numerals is not included in the total page count.

Most e-book formats do not have a fixed number of pages since the pagination adjusts for screen size. For PDF specific editions, or any other fixed page e-books, the normal paging rules may be used.

For audio books, number of hours can be used in lieu of number of pages, when that information is known.

initials in author names

* There should be a period after the initial.
* There should be no spaces between consecutive initials.
* There should be one space (excepting disambiguation) between an initial and a non-initial.

Examples:

* J.K. Rowling
* J.R.R. Tolkien
* Philip K. Dick
* F. Scott Fitzgerald
* George R.R. Martin

books with multiple authors

Goodreads currently allows up to 30 authors per book. Authors should be listed in the order they appear on the book cover. If there is no cover or covers of various editions differ, use alphabetical order. For compilations that include both editors and authors, please list the editors first and then other contributors.

adding an alternate-cover edition

If you find that a book with a specific ISBN has already been listed with a different cover, then it is likely the ISBN was reused for a later/earlier reprinting. If that is the case, you can manually add a new edition to the database that would be an 'alternate cover edition.' This is done because as of now, it is not possible to upload multiple covers of a book, and because changing the cover of an existing edition is not ideal. Some people may have added the existing edition with that specific cover because it is the one they own. If you want to have an edition shelved with your specific cover, then it is accepted procedure to create a new edition with your cover art. However, since an ISBN can only be used once in the database, leave the ISBN fields on your new edition blank then in the Description field, add a Librarian's Note: stating that it is an alternate cover edition and state the ISBN. You can also use the Librarian Note feature found near the top of the book edit page to attach a note to the book (this helps prevent the book from accidentally being deleted by a librarian who thinks it is an invalid entry).

      Here is an example of an alternate cover edition of a book: LINK


In the other case of duplicate ISBNs, it may be that an ISBN was reused on a complete different book. This shouldn't happen because ISBNs are supposed to be unique, but exceptions have been found. If that is the case, manually add a new edition to the database, leaving the ISBN field blank then in the Description field, add a note stating the issue with the ISBN and listing the actual ISBN. You can also use the Librarian Note feature found near the top of the book edit page to attach a note to the book (this helps prevent the book from accidentally being deleted by a librarian who thinks it is an invalid entry).

      Here is an example of a book where an ISBN was reused on a completely different book: LINK


It is important never to alter an ISBN simply to get a book to save (if getting an ISBN error when trying to save). ISBNs are specific numbers associated with specific books.

suffixes and prefixes for authors names

Only social suffixes are used. This includes Jr., Sr., and Roman numerals. There is no punctuation between the name and the suffix.

Examples:
Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Andre Dubus III
Other suffixes and prefixes are not included with authors names:
*Academic degrees (BS, MS, PhD, MD, DDS, Prof, Dr. etc.) should not be used
*Honorary degrees (KBE, LLD, Sir etc.) should not be used
*Professional (Esq, CPA, CFA etc.) should not be used
Examples:
Diana Derval (not Prof. Diana Derval)
Robert C. Atkins (not Dr. Robert C. Atkins)
The only exceptions are those where the author is known primarily by a name that includes the honorific:
Example:
Mahatma Ghandi (not Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)