Descriptions for multiple editions

[Steve]

Is there any policy or best practice guidance governing the descriptions for multiple editions of the same book? I've noticed for many books that the descriptions for different editions very widely in length and quality, which I personally find confusing and inconsistent.

[Monique]

We try, in general, to use the description from the back of the book or on Amazon (if it's a Kindle edition) for the edition. Sometimes, there is a default description for a work that spans several or even all the editions.

Where a description is not available, the default can be used or sometimes it ends up being whatever the person who created the book record entered.

Librarians do clean up descriptions if there are things in them other than actual description (sales announcements, reviews, excerpts, series information).

If you see something in a description or have a better description for an edition, we are happy to fix it.

[Steve]

Thanks for the information. I am actually a librarian myself, but a fairly new one, and wanted to understand whatever policies might be in place before going in guns blazing and making changes on my own. The book / edition I used as the topic for my post has a rather terse and IMHO unhelpful description as compared to the descriptions for other editions of the book, and I was wondering if it would be appropriate to change it.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Steve wrote: "wanted to understand whatever policies might be in place before going in guns blazing and making changes on my own."

Great. :)


Steve wrote: "I was wondering if it would be appropriate to change it"

Sounds fine.

[Debbie's Spurts (D.A.)]

Frequently the publisher website will show exactly what is on back of book so can also be useful.

[Steve]

Thanks, will do!