Unexplainable Image Deletions (Book Cover) and Reversals of Librarian Changes (Titles, etc)

[Kathrynn]

I've been noticing that some of the changes, i.e., synopsis, new editions I add, etc. are being removed. I'm assuming it's by GRs because there isn't a trail of the change in the Librarian Edit Log.

This is very...deflating...to say the least. Is it because GRs is bumping up against Amazon in the nightly updates and any information that doesn't match Amazon is being overridden? Or something else...

Case in point: Pamela Clare's re-releases of her historical series. I added the new covers and input the synopsis info days ago and now they are GONE.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

These were alternate editions, I assume? If someone deleted them, they wouldn't necessarily show up in the log; deletions often don't. (I don't know why someone would delete them. Bit if they did.)

[Lisa]

Another possibility is that they're there but not being found during a search. That certainly happens.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

True, but assuming Kathrynn spelled the author's name correctly, pulling up the author's list of works should show them.

[Kathrynn]

Yes, when I add a book I put in EVERYTHING available, then combine, if applicable. When I added these books: I included the new covers with new synopsis, ISBN, pub date, page #, publisher, etc and combined them. Now they are gone.

I re-added this one today to show you:
(I did not add in all the info, but as an example only)

Old version:


New version:

[Kathrynn]

After I added the new covers then added those new editions to my "to read" stack, several of my GR friends then began adding them as well.

After the deletion of the new versions, my shelf indicated I added the old versions when I did not. (How's that for clarity?)

For example, no longer a "switch to this edition" feature.

Thoughts?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

The new editions lack ISBNs (or use old ones, so the entries lack ISBNs), correct?

And you ended up with the old editions on your shelves, right?

Sure sounds like someone deleted them, possibly because they lacked ISBNs. :( Without knowing who it was, I'm not sure what to suggest.

[Kathrynn]

Also, there have been a few instances, in the past, when I could have sworn I updated a synopsis or series order for a book and when I happened by it again, the changes were no longer there. Yet, when I begin to retype that information--and I'm on the same computer--the information is still stored on my computer, so just copy and paste. Yet, there is nothing in the librarian change log to indicate the addition or the removal of information.

I can only assume it is a GRs update "thing."

Anyone else notice this?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Sometimes updates don't "take" -- I usually check immediately after, assuming I have time.

[Kathrynn]

No, no. I had the ISBNs in there the first time I loaded them. Used the X because they were already on GRs. And the new and old versions kept the same ISBNs.

[Kathrynn]

I've noticed the updates not taking immediately anymore, too. If I'm working on an author with a lot of different series order, etc or adding book covers, the changes are not apparent on the author's home page (right away). I have to click on the individual books to see the changes, then I assume after the nightly update they are visible on the author's home page.

Anyone else noticed this? It's only been very recently.

[Kathrynn]

Strange, I went to add the ISBNs with the X and get the "unexpected error" message.

[Kathrynn]

I just re-added the cover and re-combined for another one: "Ride the Fire."

System will not let me input the ISBNs even with the X. Getting the "unexpected error" message. Usually those tend to resolve themselves overnight...

Here is another one I want to show as an example:

Old version:


New Version:

[Kathrynn]

The Librarian Change Log shows that 16 days ago I combined the books, but no longer shows the new books. However, would not have been able to combine only one book, so they were there.

(Whew!) Say that fast three times...

[Debbie]

IIRC, the recommendation if adding a new edition only to display a different cover was to omit the ISBN. Adding an X makes the ISBN one digit too long, which may be why the system is rejecting it.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

What Squirrel said. In fact, I have a suspicion that's what happened to the books -- possibly one of the recent upgrades may have started rejecting books with ISBNs that are too long.

Besides, an X at the end of an ISBN has a specific meaning, and that's not it.



If I'm working on an author with a lot of different series order, etc or adding book covers, the changes are not apparent on the author's home page (right away). I have to click on the individual books to see the changes, then I assume after the nightly update they are visible on the author's home page.

Anyone else noticed this? It's only been very recently.

Actually, that's been true for pretty much always. It's a caching issue; clicking on the "x distinct works" link sometimes works to force a reset. Otherwise it takes a day or two.

[Kathrynn]

Here is another book I uploaded the cover image and typed in the synopsis several days ago and now it is gone.

I just re-uploaded the image.

There is nothing in the librarian change log. Nothing to indicate that I uploaded the image and synopsis nor a deletion which leads me to believe it is a Goodreads deletion. I don't believe it's an intentional deletion, but something that is happening automatically during nightly processing of info.

I can't be the only one to be noticing this. Anyone else?

Maybe this is something that I need to take to the Feedback Group.

[Cait]

Kathrynn, I used to have a problem with edits reversing themselves after I made them, but they showed up in the change log and would reverse themselves almost immediately after the edit (I'd refresh the page and see the old data), so it sounds like you're having a different problem.

On this most recent book, I see that the primary author has a lot of uncombined books -- did you combine them and have that reverse as well, or did you not combine them when you did your other edits?

(I think that cover art uploads don't actually show in the change log -- they used to not show, and I haven't uploaded any in a while so I can't check....)

[Debbie]

Maybe this should go to Feedback, yes.

[Kathrynn]

Otis comes over here from time-to-time. I'll see if he notices this topic in the next 24-hours (or so) before I ask the question in the Feedback Group.

Be nice to see if it is something I'm doing. Perhaps uploading an image from a non-Amazon Site? I don't know. Could guess myself into a tail spin, so I'll wait and see what the PTB think.

Thank you--everyone--for the suggestions and input.

I've fixed the Prentice Hall books...they look pretty good! ;-)

Edit: If anyone looks at the Prentice Hall books and sees any that need combining, be careful because there are "guided workbooks" that go with some of the textbooks. I felt they were too different to be combined and when running through the titles it is easy "miscombine" them.

Does anyone think the guided workbooks should be combined with the textbooks? If the consensus is to combine, I'll surely do it.

I felt they were not the same and unless I hear otherwise...

[Lisa]

Kathrynn, In my opinion you did the right thing to not combine guided workbooks with textbooks; they're different books, even if they are companion books.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Agreed. Unless an ISBN corresponds to the book bundled with the workbook (in which case I might combine it with editions of the text alone), I agree that work books and study guides should not get grouped with the textbook. Sometimes it's hard to tell that's what they are, as you note.

[Kathrynn]

Great. How do "ya'll" feel about the teacher's editions to the (a) text?

I'm leaning toward combining them with the textbooks...

What's the consensus?

[rivka, Former Moderator]

As someone who used to use teacher's texts and these days orders them, I agree. They tend to be 90% or more the same as the regular book.

[Kathrynn]

Thank you, Rivka!

[Kathrynn]

Okay, I posted in the Feedback Group to ask for a staff member's help and directed them here. I know they enjoy their weekends, so I don't expect any responses for several days.

I noticed a few more reversals and again nothing in the LCL (Librarian Change Log), so I'm leaning--heavily--on the system bumping up against another database (probably Amazon) and overriding things that don't match. But, not all the time...go figure.

There is book title I've changed several times to correct it and I stumbled across it yesterday to see it was back to the wrong title again and nothing in the log indicated the change was ever reversed, though it shows I changed the title.

The ghost of GRs.... ;-)

[Otis]

I made two changes for tonights release based on this thread.

1. We had recently changed our ISBN's to never store more than 10 digits, but in the case where an 11 digit number was entered and the first 10 digits matched an existing isbn, the page gave the unexpected error, as Kathryn experienced. It will now start giving the correct error message. Rivka is right, we only want values in the ISBN field if they are real ISBNs.

2. We will now insert an entry into the librarian log when a book is deleted and merged into another edition. When a book is just deleted and not merged (ie there were no other editions), there is no librarian log for that entry anymore so there is no point saving a record. This should help in the future to see if anyone is deleting your editions.

If there are other changes people feel are warranted, please let us know!

[Kathrynn]

Way to go, Otis and staff! Thank you.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

Thank you! :)

[Cait]

We only want values in the ISBN field if they are real ISBNs.

Or ASINs, I think? We seem to have been importing those from Amazon in the ISBN field....

[rivka, Former Moderator]

No, they go in a separate ASIN field.

Here's an example.

[Otis]

Yes ASINS have a separate field, although it doesn't show up unless it exists and the isbn is null. Mostly right now that means Kindle ebooks.

[rivka, Former Moderator]

The problem is that the field is not editable. That means Kindle editions that have been added by GR members cannot have the ASIN added in after the fact. I've come across that several times.

[Cait]

Hmm. I could swear I've seen it in the ISBN field, but perhaps I was just expecting the ISBN field to be there and imagining the whole thing.... ;)