Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

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message 1: by vicki_girl (new)

vicki_girl | 2764 comments I just got my librarian status, and I had a couple questions.

1) When you click on edit book, there is a box labeled "url". What is this for?

2) At the bottom of the page there is a note for the source. For example, "amazon.com". If I update the info, from a different source (like say, a copy of the book) how do I change this? Should I change it?

Thanks.


message 2: by Cait (last edited Aug 12, 2008 02:16PM) (new)

Cait (tigercait) | 4988 comments Welcome, vicki!

1) The URL field is for linking to an official website for that book -- usually this is useful for eBooks or downloadable extras, but you could also link to an author's official website's page for that book, I suppose. It's not for booksellers, fan sites, or reviews, though.

2) The source is the original source, so it should stay the same even if the record is edited. There's a link on the side in the edit view called "librarian change log", which is where your changes to the book record will show up! (You can even watch the recent librarian edits page to see your changes, but they go pretty quickly -- there's a lot of work going on here!)


message 3: by Novin (last edited Aug 14, 2008 12:04AM) (new)

Novin | 37 comments Can I put a cover image for a book?If the answer is yes , how?
Thanks.


message 4: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Novin,

Yes, you can.

When you're at the page of the book with a missing cover, click on edit book.

On the upper right portion of the page click upload file. The file can come from your computer or a web site. Then click on upload photo, and the photo will appear as the book's cover. That's the easy way. Sometimes you have to choose size or do some editing to make the cover look its best.


message 5: by Lanica (last edited Aug 14, 2008 11:08AM) (new)

Lanica | 13 comments I'm working on sorting all the Michael Lewis's out there and have collected quite a few middle initials. I'm creating new profiles and filling information as I find it. But there are a couple that have the same middle initial.

So I'd like to verify:
When breaking out author profiles, where does the extra space go?

Michael J._Lewis (1 space)
Michael J._ _Lewis (2 spaces)

The extra space belongs after the inital, right?


This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For | 949 comments Yes, please put them after the initial. You can see this thread for a little info about this.


message 7: by Lanica (last edited Aug 14, 2008 12:52PM) (new)

Lanica | 13 comments Here's a completely different question:

There's an author called different things in diffrent places:
Jel D. Lewis (Jones)
Jel Lewis Jones
Jel D. Lewis-Jones
Jel D. (Jones) Lewis

All are the same author of 1980 celebrety bios.

Library of Congress lists "Jel D. Lewis (Jones)" but having a name in parentheses seems wrong to me.

I just ran across it while working on my Lewis entries. I don't want to get side tracked, so perhaps someone else would be willing to change these all to one unified naming convention.

Here's the question:
What should that naming convention be?


message 8: by Novin (new)

Novin | 37 comments Thanks, Lisa. :-)
I'll try it.


message 9: by Novin (new)

Novin | 37 comments Well,there's another question!
There's the book "The Man with Hat,the Man without Hat", by Shel Silvestein , that I've heard it doesn't exist in english & is the other name of one the translations of "A Light in the Attic", I've got the picture & the book(in persian) & other information about it(the translation) if it really doesn't exist in English , can i add the picture & other info?
Thanks :-)


message 10: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments Hi, I'm also a new librarian and am trying to focus on taking care of the audiobooks as much as possible. I don't think there is a link to Recorded Books. If not, I would like to create one because so many good audiobooks come from that source and are not available through Amazon. This came up because I couldn't find a book cover for the audiobook of Mister Pip. Am I right that there is no link to Recorded Books? If so, do I just create it by clicking on "change links"?


message 11: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Novin, Sure, add the picture and other info.

Barbara, There is no link to recorded books. For audio books of all types we are combining them with the print book versions.

If having an audiobook link is something you like, you need to ask in the Goodreads Feedback group:

http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...

From the pull down menu choose the suggestions and questions folder.

Goodreads has a very large database and we've trying to keep things consistent so it will be the powers at Goodreads that decide about his, with I'm sure lots of feedback from members.


message 12: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments Thanks, Lisa. I just posted a note. I understand keeping all hardback, paperback, etc. editions together. However, audiobooks are such a completely different form that I think they need their own listing.


message 13: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Barbara, Each edition of each type can be found within the whole. The thought behind combining all is to the the compare our books with other members' books easier. If one of us reads To Kill a Mockingbird and someone else listens to it, we can see that we both "read" it.


message 14: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments I think I am starting to understand this. I didn't understand that each edition of each type can be found within the whole. So, I haven't been making a mistake to use the idbn number for the audiobook in my bookshelves. I'm usually a good editor, but the technological aspects of being a librarian are a bit of a stretch for me.


message 15: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Yes, Barbara, If you go to a book and then click on view all editions, all those combined books will show. They will include hardcover, paperback, audio CD, audio cassette, ebooks, library binding, etc. editions.


message 16: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments Aha, I get it. Does that happen automatically when I enter a new edition? I see that part of the librarian's job is to combine editions. How do I do that, if I find other editions of that book listed separately?


message 17: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Barbara, If you manually enter any edition of a book, make sure the first author listed is identical to the others for that book. Then, go to the page of the book that you added, click on combine editions and combine your edition with all the others. The books for that author will all be listed in alphabetical order and you can use check marks to combine your editions with other editions of that same book, and you can also to the same for any book editions that have not yet been combined. Combining does not happen automatically; librarians have to do the combining.


message 18: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments Thank you! I'm copying and pasting all of these notes about things I didn't understand in a librarians file for future reference.


message 19: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Barbara,

You might also find the posted librarians manual useful:

http://www.goodreads.com/help/librarian

Have fun!


message 20: by Barbara (new)

Barbara | 10 comments I had already saved the manual as well, Lisa, but thanks for the link.


message 21: by Ella (new)

Ella | 1 comments Hi, I've got questions about setting and primary language on the edit form of the book. Does "setting" mean where the story takes place or is it something else?
Primary language: the language this edition of the book is primarily written in. I'm a little confused with this one. Does it refer to the language this one edition is written in (e.g. it's a Polish translation of some English book so the answer would be "Polish") or to the language of the original? I would say the latter but I'm not really sure.

Thanks.


message 22: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Setting is indeed where the book takes place. And in your example, it would be Polish, not English -- but the edition in English would be listed that way.


message 23: by Mathilda (new)

Mathilda Craft (mathildacraft) | 21 comments I wondered about this setting, too, Ella, for the longest time. Thanks for clearing that one up, rivka!


message 24: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Yes. And yes, it has been discussed here.


message 25: by Ingy (new)

Ingy (ngnoah) | 10 comments I have 2 questions about combining editions.
If I have a book for some author containing a novel, then I found another book containing this same novel but in addition to other works of this author, should I combine them or are they considered different books?

Also can I combine books translated to different languages, or should each translation be considered a different book?

One more thing, I didn't exactly understand the answer to a previous question here about :"Primary language: the language this edition of the book is primarily written in. I'm a little confused with this one. Does it refer to the language this one edition is written in (e.g. it's a Polish translation of some English book so the answer would be "Polish") or to the language of the original?"
The answer was : "Setting is indeed where the book takes place. And in your example, it would be Polish, not English -- but the edition in English would be listed that way."
Could you kindly further explain it to me.

Thank you for your time and patience.


message 26: by Cait (new)

Cait (tigercait) | 4988 comments Ng--

1) No, editions should only be combined when *all* of the works are the same. (For example, an omnibus with three novels and a boxed set of those same three novels would be combined, but a boxed set of only two of those novels would not be.)

2) Yes, translations of the same book (or, as above, of the same collection of works) should be combined.

3) For primary language, if you have a Polish translation of a book and the original edition of that book in English, the primary language of the Polish edition should be Polish (even though its original language is English) and the primary language of the English edition should be English. (And the books should be combined, of course.)

Does that help?


message 27: by Ingy (last edited Jan 23, 2009 02:20PM) (new)

Ingy (ngnoah) | 10 comments It is very very helpful Cait, thank you so much.
:)


message 28: by Clif (new)

Clif Hostetler (clif_) | 15 comments Is it OK to list as books the audio and video lecture series published by The Teaching Company and Modern Scholar (Recorded Books)? They have ISBN numbers. I noticed that a limited number are already listed but thought I'd check before listing more.


message 29: by rivka, Former Moderator (last edited Jan 27, 2009 08:16PM) (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
If they also exist as books (like this one), I'd say yes. If they are audio/video only, I vote for no.

Having an ISBN doesn't mean much.

OTOH: Maybe I want to change that vote. They mostly seem to be based on books. And they're very popular, with real reviews and such.

Other opinions?


message 30: by Vitali (new)

Vitali (vitalinew) | 87 comments Transcript books are attractive, soft-bound books of 170-250 pages. They contain the course guidebooks you receive with every course and lightly edited transcripts of all course lectures. - The Teaching Company
The lectures are accompanied by transcript books, so we have the excuse (although Robert Solomon doesn't allow any :))





message 31: by rivka, Former Moderator (last edited Jan 27, 2009 10:48PM) (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Excellent point! Ok, they stay.

Unless someone has a really good argument against them doing so.


message 32: by ♥ Marlene♥ (last edited Jan 28, 2009 02:54AM) (new)

♥ Marlene♥  | 15 comments Hi there. I have a problem.
Right now I am reading A Perversion of Justice by Kathryn Medico and Mollye Barrows.

I have the hardback but there is also a paperback. When i want to combine those 2 I do not see the other book to combine. Normally you get suggestions but not now. How can I combine them. Hope you understand what I mean.

Okay sorry but I did discover what was wrong reading a bit more on here. The authors were not added the same plus also the 2 titles were different. I am proud to say I managed to combine them :)


message 33: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
I am proud to say I managed to combine them :)

Good job! :)


Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (susannag) | 68 comments I would like to edit a Listopia List (Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels are definitely not about Tudor England - and neither is Mutiny on the Bounty, for that matter).

I can't figure out how to do this.

Does it need a Super Librarian?


message 35: by Clif (new)

Clif Hostetler (clif_) | 15 comments I don't know the answer to your question. But I share your frustration with inappropriate placement of books on lists with a narrow theme. The fact that they usually have only one vote speaks for itself. I would hope that the person that placed that vote would be able to erase it. Otherwise it's my guess that it takes a super librarian to make a change.


message 36: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Susanna wrote: "Does it need a Super Librarian?"

I didn't think so.

Under the list's title, do you see:
Your favorite books about Tudor England, 1485-1603. fiction and non-fiction. (edit)
?

If so, click on the edit. The next screen gives you "remove particular books" as an option.


message 37: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Do none of the Patrick O'Brian books belong?


message 38: by Mel (new)

Mel (lefty4) | 7 comments Hi everyone-

I am new here too. I have a question for other members because I don't want to abuse my privlege and I would rather just ask you if I have no idea so here goes-

What do you do if the number of pages doesn't match up and it is the correct ISBN?


message 39: by Clif (last edited Jul 02, 2009 06:58AM) (new)

Clif Hostetler (clif_) | 15 comments rivka wrote: "Do none of the Patrick O'Brian books belong?"
All of the "Aubrey/Maturin Novels" take place during the Napoleonic wars, which would be from about 1800 to 1815.



message 40: by Lisa (last edited Jul 02, 2009 07:01AM) (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Mel,

Post a new message in the group using the page numbering requests folder

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_... .

If you have the book in hand and it's the exact same edition, post the correct number of pages and a librarian will change them for you.

Mel,

I see that you're a librarian.

You can make the changes.

At the book's page, click on edit, scroll down, change the number of pages to the correct number, and click save.


message 41: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Clif wrote: "rivka wrote: "Do none of the Patrick O'Brian books belong?"
All of the "Aubrey/Maturin Novels" take place during the Napoleonic wars, which would be from about 1800 to 1815."


Ok. :) And are all the O'Brian books currently on that list part of that series? I'm not familiar with the author at all, and I'd hate to delete anything that shouldn't be removed.


message 42: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Mel wrote: "What do you do if the number of pages doesn't match up and it is the correct ISBN?"

Check the librarian log. If the page number on that edition has never been edited, then the page number came from Amazon (and those are wrong 90% of the time). Go ahead and edit it as Lisa described. If it HAS been edited, might want to either bring it up here or contact the other librarian directly to confirm that both of you are looking at the same edition.


message 43: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan (lisavegan) | 2400 comments Thanks Rivka, I thought of this caveat after I'd posted!


message 44: by Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (last edited Jul 02, 2009 11:42AM) (new)

Susanna - Censored by GoodReads (susannag) | 68 comments I found the button, and thanks for the help!


message 45: by rivka, Former Moderator (new)

rivka | 45177 comments Mod
Great. Then I can go back to being oblivious to Patrick O'Brian, safe in the knowledge that you have it under control. :)


message 46: by Mel (new)

Mel (lefty4) | 7 comments Thanks everyone. I will read what I have first and then bring it up to date.


message 47: by Kelly (Maybedog) (new)

Kelly (Maybedog) (maybedog) | 62 comments I'm sure this has been discussed but the search tool keeps crashing when I try to use it to figure it out. So I apologize in advance for any duplication.

I know how to combine, when and why. What I don't know is whether we actually *want* separate editions. I found the book I have in my hand in Goodreads.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39...
It's not a particularly popular book, only two reviews so far including mine, but my edition is different than the one here. Mine claims to be the first time in print (it's Del Rey/Ballantine so I rather trust it) and I've never heard of the publisher of the one that is in the database already. (I suspect it's possibly from another country than the US.)

My questions:

1. Should I add my edition separately and then combine the two?

2. If not, should I change the ISBN, cover image and other data to reflect my edition since it's a more well-known publisher?

Thanks!

Kelly


message 48: by Debbie (new)

Debbie Moorhouse Add the edition that's not in the database and then combine them.


message 49: by Kelly (Maybedog) (new)

Kelly (Maybedog) (maybedog) | 62 comments Thanks Sqrl, you always have the right answer to everything!


message 50: by Debbie (new)

Debbie Moorhouse At least that's what my husband believes ;).


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