Where do you place your own barcodes in LibraryThing?
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1nate48281
I noticed that LibraryThing sells numbered barcodes, and I'm wondering what the best practice is on what field should be used to hold this number? I'm guessing the ISBN field because if a book you own doesn't have a ISBN # then the barcode you'd be making for it is presumably is a substitute for the isbn (within your own library).
Or do people use barcodes for something completely else and enter them somewhere else?
Or do people use barcodes for something completely else and enter them somewhere else?
2divinenanny
There is a specific barcode field for this. If you edit one of your books you can see it in the section Identifiers. If you go to settings (Homepage - Settings on the right) and to the Barcode section you can also set how the field should be (auto-)filled. If you set it to manual you can use the field however you please.
ETA: And on how to use them, I personally have a master database of my books (LT is a reflection of this), and I fill the barcode field with the ID the book has in my own DB. I will order the barcode stickers if I ever move again so I can make easy lists on which books are in which box. Right now I don't have any barcodes on my books as entering a title in search is about as fast as just scanning the barcode.
ETA: And on how to use them, I personally have a master database of my books (LT is a reflection of this), and I fill the barcode field with the ID the book has in my own DB. I will order the barcode stickers if I ever move again so I can make easy lists on which books are in which box. Right now I don't have any barcodes on my books as entering a title in search is about as fast as just scanning the barcode.
3AnnieMod
The ISBN field is used during automatic combinations so putting random numbers there can lead to some interesting side effects.
As >2 divinenanny: said - we have a special field for these. :)
As >2 divinenanny: said - we have a special field for these. :)
4nate48281
I saw that field, but wasn't sure what the common practice on how it was used, so thanks for the clarification.
As for moving books in boxes, I'm going to share my personal recommendation: plastic stackable bins. There are moving companies that rent these now for intra-city moves, but as I tend to move quite a bit I've acquired quite a few of my own. You can stack them 5 or 6 high, they're far more sturdy than boxes so you don't have to worry about them getting crushed, and if water is encountered along the way (like my parents garage that got a few big puddles while I was temporarily storing my books there), they're completely saved.
You can get cheaper clear bins that help identify what is in what bin (since you can see thru it), but those bins tend to not be as sturdy and are prone to bending/cracking/breaking as loading them with books is a heavy job, so I prefer this model of sterilite industrial bin that can be had at Target or wherever sterilite products are sold: http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-60-qt-industrial-utility-storage-tote-black-wi...
They also make a bigger heavy duty bin for a few bucks more and you get more bang for your buck with those, but the problem is then the bin itself is really heavy and requires two people to lift (even the 60 qt one can be a bit daunting alone). The other downside is the initial cost and then where do you store them, but for me with around 1,500 books and 12 moves in 10 years, they're completely worth it and have been more cost effective than boxes. Plus, the biggest bonus, my books are much safer.
You can adhere regular labels to the outside of the bins, tape post-its, or as I have come to do, buy plastic sleeves that hold a sheet a paper and insert the list of isbns/barcode/titles that way.
Thanks again for letting me know about the barcode field.
Nate
As for moving books in boxes, I'm going to share my personal recommendation: plastic stackable bins. There are moving companies that rent these now for intra-city moves, but as I tend to move quite a bit I've acquired quite a few of my own. You can stack them 5 or 6 high, they're far more sturdy than boxes so you don't have to worry about them getting crushed, and if water is encountered along the way (like my parents garage that got a few big puddles while I was temporarily storing my books there), they're completely saved.
You can get cheaper clear bins that help identify what is in what bin (since you can see thru it), but those bins tend to not be as sturdy and are prone to bending/cracking/breaking as loading them with books is a heavy job, so I prefer this model of sterilite industrial bin that can be had at Target or wherever sterilite products are sold: http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-60-qt-industrial-utility-storage-tote-black-wi...
They also make a bigger heavy duty bin for a few bucks more and you get more bang for your buck with those, but the problem is then the bin itself is really heavy and requires two people to lift (even the 60 qt one can be a bit daunting alone). The other downside is the initial cost and then where do you store them, but for me with around 1,500 books and 12 moves in 10 years, they're completely worth it and have been more cost effective than boxes. Plus, the biggest bonus, my books are much safer.
You can adhere regular labels to the outside of the bins, tape post-its, or as I have come to do, buy plastic sleeves that hold a sheet a paper and insert the list of isbns/barcode/titles that way.
Thanks again for letting me know about the barcode field.
Nate
5divinenanny
>4 nate48281: Thanks for the tips. My last move was 4500 books. Luckily my husband works with archives and he has gotten some really nice archival boxes from his work for free. I don't plan to move in another 15 years or so, and luckily I had full control of the move (i.e. we moved all the boxes ourselves, my husband and I) and they are stored in my own attic. I have written on the side the authors inside (they were packed nearly alphabetically. They have been boxed up for nearly a year now, but tomorrow my husband is starting work on my bookcases... phew!