Goodreads Librarians Group discussion
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Upcoming ISBN/ISBN13/ASIN Validations
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Casey wrote: "Hi Librarians,Goodreads is going to be doing some automated cleanup of ISBN and ASIN data soon. You may start seeing edits from a dummy user named Batch Editor in the logs.
We are taking special..."
Great! But how GR will handle fake ISBNs coming from barnes & nobles?
Thank you Casey, can you tell us what exactly will be the edits? Is it about incorrectly entered ISBN/ASIN numbers?
I found a lot of users that use ISBN or ASIN field to insert here every kind of code, ISBN13 in the ISBN10 field, ASIN in ISBN10 field, ISBN10 field filled with letters and numbers, ISBN13 filled with barcode. An of course wrong or fake ISBNs.
Frenchie wrote: "Can I ask how can you spot fake ISBNs? I thought they all had to be registered somewhere?"I usually use this tool to convert ISBN10 to ISBN13 and viceversa, but trying it with some codes coming from B&N and listed here as ISBN it shows me a message that these codes ar invalid.
http://pcn.loc.gov/isbncnvt.html
You can find another discussion here
Casey wrote: "Hi Librarians,Goodreads is going to be doing some automated cleanup of ISBN and ASIN data soon. You may start seeing edits from a dummy user named Batch Editor in the logs.
We are taking special..."
It's only a BOT? Why not introduce some controls on the ISBN-ASIN fields? This will prevent a lot of mistakes, in my opinion.
Nickname wrote: "Great! But how GR will handle fake ISBNs coming from barnes & nobles? ..."Fake ISBNs from Barnes and Noble or elsewhere will likely fail the isbn checksum tests.
Are you finding fake isbn's on Barnes and Noble or are you seeing the BNIDs on pubit format nook editions that have a 13-digit number starting with "294" instead of 978? Or a kobo id starting with "123" on kobo bookstore, an itunes id ...
Those vendor specific book ids goodreads is aware of (because all numeric and 13 digits, goodreads policy is to place in isbn13 field). So I'm assuming the batch editor takes into consideration.
If finding a fake isbn on Barnes and Noble or other sites that gets added to goodreads, I'd post in book issues threads correcting for the book entry on goodreads. Barnes and Noble actually is not supposed to be a data source for goodreads book data so not sure how likely the fake isbns you say you are finding would transfer over; but, at least, they won't automatically get imported.
Debbie wrote: "Fake ISBNs from Barnes and Noble or elsewhere will likely fail the isbn checksum tests."I don't think that they do, actually.
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Cait wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Fake ISBNs from Barnes and Noble or elsewhere will likely fail the isbn checksum tests."I don't think that they do, actually."
The BNID work fine with a checksum calculator (at least the ones I tested).
The Kobo IDs didn't work with the calculator.
I would guess they wrote the script to ignore numbers in the ISBN 13 slot that start with 294 or 123.
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Yes, for now. We may do something else with them later on.
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We're planning to do that as well. This is to deal with the already-entered incorrect ISBNs.
Debbie wrote: "Are you finding fake isbn's on Barnes and Noble or are you seeing the BNIDs on pubit format nook editions that have a 13-digit number starting with "294" instead of 978? Or a kobo id starting with "123" on kobo bookstore, an itunes id "Exactly, I mean the BNIDs code and other kind of codes ISBN13 like. Many users put them in the ISBN13 field because they think these codes are a sort of ISBN. And I find a few Italian users that insert in the ISBN10 field the ISSN code (with 8 digit). Perhaps it's useful but I think it's not the right way to add it (I usually write it in a librarian note).
rivka wrote: "We're planning to do that as well. This is to deal with the already-entered incorrect ISBNs.
Good!
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Please start a new thread for specific book issues.
I just entered a new Kindle edition with an ASIN in the ASIN field and the ISBN fields blank and got this message:Please double-check the provided ISBN10 value because it may be invalid. Please double-check the provided ISBN13 value because it may be invalid.
This would seem to be an error in your error messaging.
I'm not sure if I'm misreading Casey's post, but the BNID is actually valid according to the ISBN calculation. IIRC only the KOBO ID (the 123 number) and ASIN are not.
Nickname wrote: "...Exactly, I mean the BNIDs code and other kind of codes ISBN13 like. Many users put them in the ISBN13 field because they think these codes are a sort of ISBN..."I thought users (and librarians) were supposed to put BNID in the isbn13 field?
Debbie wrote: "I thought users (and librarians) were supposed to put BNID in the isbn13 field? "Yes, users and a few librarians put BNID codes in the ISBN13 field but I think it's wrong. BNIDs aren't ISBNs.
Nickname wrote: "... I think it's wrong. BNIDs ar..."Right or wrong (not debating and not at all claiming is an isbn number, just asking for future book additions that any member can make), is it the current librarian policy or against policy to put bnid in isbn13 field?
It used to be the policy when I was a librarian so when adding ebooks I've still been doing so.
Debbie wrote: "is it the current librarian policy or against policy to put bnid in isbn13 field?"Good question. What's is the policy? Where I can found many information about this? I take a look to the librarian manual but I didn't find anything.
I think if we put in the ISBN13 field the BNIDs we can do the same for Kobo codes. I think the best solutions will be add another field for special ebook codes.
Check policy threads in this group; like http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1... ; whole lot of discussions you can read thru but definitely up until this year the bnid and other 13-digit numbers only ean codes went in the isbn13 field. (I say "this year" just because I stopped checking policy threads when I stopped being a librarian; manual or group policy rulings may very well have changed since I checked).If policy changed, that still leaves an awful lot of books already with EAN/bnid/kobo... in isbn13 fields that will need editing. I am positive it was the policy.
And until Rivka or other staff return, probably no use discussing what the policy is (generally not a lot of staff response on weekends).
Good! So the correct way to handle kobo codes is to put it in the ISBN13 field and not in a librarian note. Thank you!
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rivka wrote: "For right now. As Casey mentioned above, we are looking at other ways to handle Kobo and B&N IDs."OK, thank you again!
Another suggestion. I found a book in which a librarian has changed the ISBN13 without touching the ISBN10 field, after that, a super-librarian create the same book record with the original ISBN13 without the ISBN10. Now, I tried to add the ISBN10 in this edition but the ISBN13 code was caught by the first one. However, after a few edits now it's all ok. My suggestion is to compare ISBN10 & the ISBN13 field and verify if the codes match together.
Nickname wrote: "Another suggestion. I found a book in which a librarian has changed the ISBN13 without touching the ISBN10 field, after that, a super-librarian create the same book record with the original ISBN13 ..."Message 17 does say that's part of what the isbn batch editor would be doing: "…* We were going to flag for potential future librarian review those books whose ISBN10s and ISBN13s did not convert between each other correctly…"
If bnid and other 13-digit numerical EAN id's are staying in isbn13 field, possibly the batch editor could delete the isbn10 field .(when present, causes purchase links to fail).The other fix I can think of (would not be a batch-edit/librarian issue) would be to change the purchase links to search first by isbn13 if present (currently apparently searches by isbn10 field if present).
I've only just applied to be a librarian, but the two digital editions that I have entered didn't have ISBN's or I couldn't find them. Suggestions?
James, sometimes digital editions just don't have them. I have lots of ebooks without ISBNs.
@James, can also depend on where you got the ebook -- if only sold on author or publisher website versus booksellers then not likely to even have an isbn. Sometimes isbn is buried in filename, url when purchasing/viewing, or on the copyright page (when pulling from the cooyright page, double check that it wasn't the isbn for paperback, hardcover or other editions of the ebook -- sometimes when converting to ebook format authors/publishers forget to edit isbn on that page).
Great Idea, for when people bring out new editions and delete the old. :-)
Ruth wrote: "Great Idea, for when people bring out new editions and delete the old. :-)"We don't delete the old.
Help! I haven't been on Good reads for a while. I have an author dashboard etc, but I can't figure out how to add my new novel RED CHRYSANTHEMUM - A novel of Occupied Japan. At the moment it is just on Amazon Kindle, but the hardcover will be out next month. Still, why am I unable to add the Kindle version? I just can't find a way to add it to my other books, even through my author dashboard. Thanks
Henry wrote: "Help! I haven't been on Good reads for a while. I have an author dashboard etc, but I can't figure out how to add my new novel RED CHRYSANTHEMUM - A novel of Occupied Japan.At the moment it is just on Amazon Kindle, but the hardcover will be out next month. Still, why am I unable to add the Kindle version? I just can't find a way to add it to my other books, even through my author dashboard. Thanks "
You can fill in these boxes to add a new book
Henry wrote: "Thanks, but how do I upload the cover?"Henry, do you have file copy of cover on your PC? If so, then when in the "Add a New Book" page (link provided by Banjomike in #40 above), look at top right-hand corner.
Assuming that you're using Windows:
(1) Click the grey "Browse" button.
(2) When "File Upload" window appears, locate and select file.
(3) Click "Open" and file will be "uploaded" once you click on "Create book" when you're finished adding all the book info.
Good luck!
In the top right hand corner. The option let's you browse your PC for the cover.
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Goodreads is going to be doing some automated cleanup of ISBN and ASIN data soon. You may start seeing edits from a dummy user named Batch Editor in the logs.
We are taking special..."
A suggestion, call it "Batch ISBN Editor". It will make it easier the next time a different batch edit takes place, or in a few years time when we are reading through the logs. Otherwise, sounds great. Let us know when it starts.