Updating the disambiguation section

[mlady_rebecca]

The existing text is fine, but I suggest adding the following to the end:

After disambiguating the authors, please go to this thread and request your changes be added to the Master List of Author Disambiguation by Spaces.

In addition, add the following message to the bottom of each author description:

<i>Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_g... this thread for more information.</a></i>

<<<<

FYI: to type in the HTML code so it doesn't render use &lt; for < (less than) and use &gt; for > (greater than).

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Sounds like a good notion. And thanks for the HTML reminder -- I always have to look that one up.

Anyone have any changes/edits?

[Cait]

I'd like to suggest putting in a librarian note on the author profile as well, so that the disambig is visible on the combine page:

This is Jane^^Doe, history

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Sounds like a thought, but how about a discussion on that, since it's never been policy before? I like the idea, though.

[Melody]

We probably should say something about how to move authors who are listed as something other than the 1st author. (the author listing has to be deleted from each edition then added back with the diambig spelling). And as much as I dislike the idea of more steps for disambiguation - I think Cait's idea makes sense. I know this is not the appropriate place to make this plea - but I sure wish this issue would move up on the to do list.

[Cait]

rivka wrote: "Sounds like a thought, but how about a discussion on that, since it's never been policy before? I like the idea, though."

I think I've brought it up before, but not formally. Now I have!

[Melody]

Not sure if this is the best place to put this comment - but I've noticed (I'm sure the Michael that I'm not looking for will agree) an awful lot of authors who have been disambiguated but have not been reported and added to the master list. Most of them include a Goodread's. What I'm betting is happening is a Goodreads author knows just enough about how to separate themselves from the others authors with the same name - but not enough to know to post it on the thread "please add to the disambig. list. Maybe this should be added to the Goodread's author manual if such a thing exists.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Actually, it's usually not the author doing the separating; it's Goodreads staff. When that's me, I add them to the list. But most often it's not me, and I only sometimes know about it afterward.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Do we have an updated version of the text to be added?

[Cait]

Draft of new suggestions:

***

separating authors with the same name

Occasionally you may come across an author profile that encompasses two or more authors of the exact 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, there are two ways of separating the authors:

1. Leave one author alone. For the second, go into the edit page of each of their books and add an additional space between their first and last (or middle and last) names. If the author is not the primary author, you will need to remove them entirely and then add a new secondary author with an additional space between their first and last names. This will create a new author profile for the second author.

2. Open the author profile for editing and select "disambiguate" from the links on the righthand side. This will open the disambiguating page. In the top fields, enter the author's name with an additional space between their first and last names and then select underneath this author all of the books which should be associated with them. When you click "submit", the message at the top of the page will contain a link to the newly created author profile. Note: This currently only functions for authors in the primary author slot; if you wish to separate out books for which this author is a secondary author you will need to use method #1.

If by chance there is a third author of the same name (which has happened), simply repeat the steps above adding a third space between the author's first and last (or middle and last) names.

Because the disambiguation is done by adding additional spaces between names, authors who write under names which contain no spaces at all, such as "Sapphire", cannot be disambiguated.

For very common names, you may reach a point at which you cannot further distinguish individual authors. These authors can be left together in a final author profile.

Example:
Peter^Abrahams - American Thrillers
Peter^^Abrahams - South African Novels
Peter^^^Abrahams - Miscellaneous/Multiple Authors

Note: It is conventional to use ^ to indicate one space, ^^ to indicate two spaces, and so on when discussing author disambiguation. Do not use the ^ character in author names.

Once the new author profiles are created, edit each profile. Add any known biographical data for this author as usual and also add the following message (available from the librarians' templates) to the author description:

<i>Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_g... this thread for more information.</a></i>

Also add a librarian's note to the profile with an indicate of the spacing used and a very brief description of the author:

This is Catherine^Anderson, Romances
or
This is Catherine^^Anderson, Miscellaneous/multiple authors

After disambiguating the authors, please go to this thread and request your changes be added to the Master List of Author Disambiguation by Spaces. For each author profile, including the original one, please provide a link to the profile, the number of spaces used, and a brief phrase describing this author.

Remember that any new books by any of the authors with that name will likely be entered into the single-spaced profile. They will have to be edited once they are added to Goodreads to shift them to the correct profile. Therefore, it is a good idea to make the most prolific author the one with a single space.

***

Wow, that's suddenly a lot longer. Is it clearer?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Looks good to me. Anyone else have comments/suggestions?

[Cait]

I actually just added another note to the draft above to mention that single-name authors can't be disambig'd.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Good thinking.

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For]

Looks pretty good to me.

[Carolyn]

Looks wonderful!
Except one little nit-picky thing...
In the penultimate sentence, I would change the term 'right' to 'correct'.
They will have to be edited once they are added to Goodreads to shift them to the correct profile.

I honestly found myself thinking "what profile on the right?" and maybe it's just that I'm tired right now, but if I did it, others will too. I think the word 'correct' is just a bit clearer.
= )

[mlady_rebecca]

Cait wrote: "add an additional space between their first and last (or middle) names"

I thought it was always between first and last name. If there are middle names, I've always included them as part of the first name. Is that correct, or is this saying you can put the extra spacing in either location?

The only other thing I'd change is that I'd add an "OR" between item 1 and item 2. If I see a numbered list, I'm going to assume step 1 and step 2, not alternate 1 and alternate 2, despite the Once you have, there are two ways of separating the authors: lead in.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

mlady_rebecca wrote: "is this saying you can put the extra spacing in either location?"

I'm pretty sure people have done it both ways.

[Melody]

So what was decided about middle names or initial (James C. Jones) Are the spaces before or after the middle initial? I have some fixing to do if it is after. Or do we care?

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For]

I tried to declare a standardization for it when we first started keeping track, but different people have definitely done it both ways...I don't recall myself, which I chose! It's in the top of the Master List page among the instructions (which I should probably update now that we have a firmer librarian instructions).

I wouldn't go out of your way to "fix" ones that were done incorrectly. Just not worth the effort. As long as all variants of that name are done the same we're ok. What we really don't want is:

John^Q.^Smith
John^Q.^^Smith
John^^Q.^Smith

[Melody]

I see it there - between middle and last name. I had missed it before.

[Cait]

Bump -- it looks like the manual hasn't been updated with this....