Goodreads Librarians Group discussion
Questions (not edit requests)
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Listopia "correction"?
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If it were me, I would leave the current lists alone and actually make a proper list with the 100 Big Read books on it.
I say correct it because if people are reading books thinking they are using a valid list, that's bound to be more upsetting. Also, if you start a new list, there's bound to be someone who will just keep randomly adding books that are in their personal top 100.
Shay wrote: "I say correct it because if people are reading books thinking they are using a valid list, that's bound to be more upsetting. Also, if you start a new list, there's bound to be someone who will jus..."Shay, they can add their personal top 100 to the existing lists too. :)
But it's easier to just edit out the couple of books that are wrong and add the correct ones than to start a whole new list for people to screw up. Weird that people who can't read a short description are so eager to tackle a list of 100 books. Unless there's some way that if you're the "author" of a list to set it up and then lock it so that people can't add or remove books. Then, definitely you should start your own list.
OK - well, I checked and the list Ninja Neko links to is frozen - only librarians and the list owner can change the books on the list - so that at least tells us that we could create the proper list and have it populated for people to vote on without having the books be changed. :)Good to know for the future.
Thanks, Monique. So, I guess the answer Ninja Neko is that if you want an accurate list, you should set your own list up with the proper books and lock it from editing.
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On the edit page, I can see a (checked) checkbox that says "static list". Not sure if all librarians can see that.
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rivka wrote: "Monique wrote: "OK - well, I checked and the list Ninja Neko links to is frozen - only librarians and the list owner can change the books on the list - so that at least tells us that we could creat..."I don't see a checked box, but I do see that it is a static list.
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Ah yes, I figured the "static" feature was something I couldn't do myself, so if I were to create a new list myself it might get messed up again. (I used to try and work on the BBC's Big Read on Listsofbests.com, but the list got messed up there all the time too to the frustration of all users. No option to lock there either.)I am able to remove/add books to the existing static list, so that seemed like the solution to me, unless it could cause problems as people might have already used the "get results" feature at the bottom.
But I do think it was intended to be the correct BBC Big Read list when it was created, and it looks like other users assume it is too (other people also commented that there were some mistakes).
If I was using the "get results" feature, and the list was inaccurate, I think that would be the source of more frustration than someone making the list accurate by adding and removing books.
What would be the correct action if a list contained books that didn't fit the genre for which the list was created? For example, 'best erotic romances' included 'How to kill a Mockingbird'. It actually had votes!!! Would a librarian remove a book even if the list is not static because the genre is incorrect?
Sandra, I'm a librarian that frequently removes books from all kinds of lists if they don't fit the criteria, most often when it is requested in the comments of a list, and there is some consensus.In genres I'm at home in I often delete the very obvious mistakes.
However, it's a very tedious system to delete books, so the huge lists often despair me so I don't even start on them.
I'll take a look at the erotic romances list and see what I can do.
I think the lists we're not supposed to touch are the "Best Book You've Ever Read" type of list. The ones that don't have limitations like year of publication, genre, etc. The kind of list that's purely a matter of taste (or lack thereof). I think those kinds of lists are the ones that no books should be removed except for duplicates.
I would agree with you, Shay, when it's in regards to a list that is based on tastes, but to put 'How to kill a Mockingbird' with Erotic romance is taking taste a bit far, no? LOL I wanted to get a feel for what other librarians do when we come across this kind of thing. Thanks for the answers. :)I'm still learning, as you can probably tell. :)
And how is a book deleted from a list, in case it doesn't fit the criteria?
At the end of the list description, at the top, there's a small link that says "edit". Click on it. It will take you to another page. At the bottom of that there's a link that says "remove particular books".
As to TKAM being erotica, maybe someone's really got a thing for Atticus.
I must say the current system of lists is a bit crippled. Yes, it makes sense for community lists (things like "My favourite books ever") but it completely fails with lists like this one.I've come across that BBC Big Read list too, and not all of the books in there were selected by the BBC.
And there's virtually nothing we can do about it. Even if we spend time removing the books that shouldn't be there, how much time will it take before someone will add them again? It's simply futile.
I love book lists and I was thinking about creating one based on Guardian Essential Library (link) just to save other people's time when they want to add books based on that list, but again: what would be the point? We can't protect lists in any way. How long would it take before the list got "polluted" with books that people add simply because they like them?
The only solution I see is to create a list, e.g. the BBC one, add the books that should be there, put down "DO NOT ADD NEW BOOKS" in the description, and then check it every now and then and remove books added by people. Such a waste of time... any other ideas?
There are currently experiments going on with frozen lists. For now these are only generated by GR itself, but in the future this might (I hope) become a feature available to users as well.
Alrighty, since it looks like most people would like to have the actual BBC Big Read list (and frozen) I tried to edit the existing one.Turns out that removing books works fine (I zapped the Harry Potter boxset) but when I add a book it won't stick - as soon as I refresh the list my "vote" (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) is gone. It says at the top that librarians can add books... but looks like this is not possible after all (or a bug).
But now the list only has 99 books :/ and I don't see a way of fixing it. Do superlibrarians have more luck adding books? If you feel like restoring the old version add the Harry Potter boxset, otherwise please add the Goblet of Fire (#5 on the Big Read)
I added Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire - it is showing as 100 on the list when I look.Ninja, do you want to have a look and see if you see it
So can the staff turn a regular list into a static list? If that's the case, you could fix the regular list and try to find a staff member to lock it right away.
Obviously that's easier during the week, unless you catch Rivka around.
I still see a few mistakes on the list (I think): not on the list- DaVinci Code and the Bible. I also don't think Time Traveller's Wife was on the list. Nor was Five People You Meet in Heaven.
Paula wrote: "I added Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire - it is showing as 100 on the list when I look.Ninja, do you want to have a look and see if you see it"
Yes, it's a 100 for me too now, thank you!
I've done a comparison of the list I wanted to edit with the BBC's source: there are 37 mismatches... Superlibrarians, if I make a correct BBC Big Read list, are you able to freeze it? Would that include the nifty "get results" button at the bottom?
I believe regular Librarians can "clean" Listopia lists; we just can't make it a static list.
Petra, I think I got most of them. Can you check and see if any were missed - you can comment on the list directly.
I put a comment on Historical Fiction: The Wars of the Roses listing the books that are obviously not set in the 15th century. Can a librarian please review and remove them?
Done. (I think someone else was in there with me, too.)
Lobstergirl wrote: "Done. (I think someone else was in there with me, too.)"Yep. Got to love teamwork :)
Lobstergirl wrote: "Done. (I think someone else was in there with me, too.)"Did it tickle? ::grin::
It felt more like a ghost brushing past in a dark, dank room.
Lobstergirl wrote: "It felt more like a ghost brushing past in a dark, dank room."OoooooOOOOOOOOoooooohhhh!
Thank you! I wonder what the person adding thought the list was.
I've removed AoT from the list.
I'd rather correct this list than start a new one, as I think many other users besides me asume this is the original Big Read list anyway. But I'm not sure if it would be a faux-pas to start changing a list people already took as a challenge. Could I get your opinions please?