So many problems with duplicates

Hi, helpful community!

As I am trying to get used to LibraryThing, one thing keeps getting in my way: duplicates.

Here are some scenarios:

1) I am using the Android app to scan barcodes on my bookshelves. Some of them were previously added to LT -- I have no idea which, up front. There is no indication when I scan an item that it was already in LT. In the end, many of the books will now be in LT twice, and I will have to manually resolve this.

2) In the past, I used the Goodreads scanner to quickly process things. For instance, when I would take a stack of books to donate to a local nonprofit used bookstore, I would scan them with the Goodreads app and add each one to the "in-donation-box" tag. Then I could easily bulk-process them later. This workflow is impossible with LT because it would just add duplicates for every book I'm giving away.

3) Similar to #2, sometimes I would like to add a tag about where I'm physically storing a book or something.

I've experimented with different ways to do this:

- The Android app will silently add duplicates with no warning or any other indication.

- Typing in a single ISBN to the "Add books" screen will add a duplicate, but then warn after it's been added -- but not all the time. It is easy enough to delete to duplicate at that point, but what's missing is a link to the original item so I can add it to a collection/tag/whatever I'm doing right there.

- I thought of preparing a CSV file to import and let it merge duplicates, but that seems to only be an option for the Goodreads import. This is also a problem when using the built-in text box (as I might do with a barcode scanner scanning a stack of books).

- The API that I could use to write a program to do this has been shut down.

These seem like they're common needs, so I figure I must be missing something important, but I can't figure it out.

Some searching has given me a few pointers but nothing definitive:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/338795#7725110 has similar problems with the Android app but no solutions.

There's an RSI (Recommended Site Improvements) for mobile app to warn about duplicate before adding, but LT is a small team of developers and they've been busy with LT 2.0, an update to both the look and underlying code across the entire site. Once that is finished (I believe only catalogue remains to be updated), we'll hopefully see some RSIs implemented.

The API has been removed for the same reason and should be available again when LT 2.0 is done and dusted.

There's also a thread where developers asked for most desired features in mobile apps. I'll see if I can find it and you could chime in there.

Edit: https://www.librarything.com/topic/341601

Thank you! And I totally understand about being a small team of developers. I'm very much familiar with that situation and hope I didn't sound like I was complaining. Heck, Goodreads is owned by one of the largest corporations on earth and has managed to *regress* over the last few years, so I am impressed that LT is able to add features faster than them. And, notably, LT's barcode scanner manages to actually SCAN BARCODES...

Anyhow, I'll add to that thread, and thanks. I am glad LT exists and glad to be here.

>3 jgoerzen: No, you didn't sound whiny, haha. Knowing you're new, I just wanted to give some background what's going on and what can and cannot be expected. (We also whine loudly occasionally over features considered essential and requested a long time ago, lol, such as closing the export/import loop, but mostly we're content things are moving forward and most notably that community is asked for feedback when new features are implemented and then fine-tuned)

I believe the scanner not adding automatically is certain to come to the agenda when mobile apps come into focus. It's requested very often since people also use the app just to check when in bookstore whether they already have it.

>3 jgoerzen:

I agree with >4 SandraArdnas:; you don't sound whiny at all. It takes a while to get used to how a new (to you) site functions.

We have a joke around here that recommended site improvements will happen in "two weeks" (Spoiler alert: they don't).

In any case, welcome to LT - hope you like it here, and do not hesitate to ask questions.

>5 lilithcat:

Thank you!

I think I may have found a workaround based on https://www.librarything.com/topic/107573#2453094 :

If I use the LT sample CSV file, and fill in the ISBN column using a barcode scanner, I can effectively merge tags. Very nice!

That is a workaround -- a bit annoying, since it can take a long time to process a CSV file -- but still, it works!

My main problem right now is not being able to edit LC Classifications properly; for instance, I documented an example at https://www.librarything.com/topic/362332#n8587939 . Well, I can edit the LCC, but it has no effect.

So I am gathering from this conversation that if I try to import my Goodreads to include any books I have recently read but didn't get into LT, then it is going to create a duplicate for those I imported the first time? Dang...

>7 kwagnerroberts: I assume there's a way to export only a part of your list from Goodreads and thus import only those not already imported

>7 kwagnerroberts:

No, the Goodreads import has an option to "sync" (merge) duplicates. It works reasonably well, especially if the ISBNs merge.

So that particular workflow is safe.

It's the OTHER ways of adding books that I was talking about here.

Thanks to you both! I appreciate this thread!

Also, you can go to Home > Charts & Graphs > Odds & Ends (or https://www.librarything.com/stats/MEMBERNAME/workdups) to find any duplicates that exist in your library!

>11 GraceCollection: LT has some linking magic when you use MEMBERNAME in URLs like work dupes or charts...any place a username would be in an LT link:

https://www.librarything.com/stats/MEMBERNAME/workdups

https://www.librarything.com/profile/MEMBERNAME

Anyone logged in that clicks that will go to their specific link.

>12 lesmel: Thank you for the tip! Good thing to know.