New to Librarything

Hi there, new to this website and still getting to grips with adding books. Rome wasn't built.... I have the easiest bunch in and it will be slow from there on. Anyway, read fantasy and to a lesser extent scifi since the 80's, got into history and archaeology when I went digging in my 40's. Also love books about books and bookshops, travel, art crime and forgeries.

Nice to virtually meet ye all.

>1 Michael680: Welcome to LT. You have a very interesting, varied library. Hope you enjoy the site.

>1 Michael680: Hi and welcome. Have fun cataloguing and finding interesting groups to hang around in Talk. Ask away if you need any help finding your way around LT.

Hi and welcome to LT. May the joy of cataloging be with you.

>4 Bookmarque: I used to use worldcat.org but can't seem to find it here. Part of the lack of speed is unrecognised isbn's. Still, labour of love.

>2 Taphophile13: Thank you, and I am indeed enjoying the site.

If you expand the sources under the Search Where? part of the Add books page, you might find libraries that hold the books you are adding.



Just don't choose Amazon unless you really have to. Sometimes the data is wonky and any cover image associated with that isbn can change when Amazon changes it.

For new and newish books, published in USA, Amazon.com is just fine and often better than library sources for very new books (just replace the cover with a member uploaded one as Amazon derived records pull covers based on their isbn in real time and when the next edition/printing keeps the isbn but changes the cover, your cover will change as well ). Older books and non-US books, Amazon.com can be indeed wonky (and books they carry only from second hand sellers are a disaster).

So experiment a little with sources based on what is in your library - and keep in mind you do not need to stick to a single source - I use different ones depending on what exactly I am cataloging and that’s a common pattern around here.

>7 Bookmarque: Thanks for this, I have added Oxford and Trinity as they are legal libraries, though they have holes. I took a tour of the Bodleian and the kind guide confided in me that they dump skiploads daily as they get everything from pamphlets up. I saw a book on an auction site recently - printed in London circa 1915 and worldcat.org had the closest library copy in Paris. But they are a good place to start - and manual add will not kill me either.

>8 AnnieMod: Thanks for the advice. I will get in all the easy ones first and then go to the older tomes, most likely manual, but I see adding from wherever adds to the Overcat facility so I may be of help to others down the line.

>9 Michael680: As you sat,"manual add will not kill me."
Living in Vienna, I read a lot of new books published in Austria. Back when I started there was no Austrian source, and Amazon.de was a lot worse than it is now, so I ended up with about 10% manual entries. I decided that it was actually faster and easier than searching all over and then having to edit the entry. Laziness wins, so if I find a source with good data in just a few tries, I use it, but you are right not to be scared of manual entry.

>11 MarthaJeanne: I used to use an app that had a barcode scanner so the more modern ISBN's went in fairly easily (so I had a file to upload here to begin with). There were always exceptions but I am over the frustration. I think worldcat was the best single source I have used so far, but there is always some bias and error in any system so yes, manual is sometimes the best or only way to go. I can't ask people to print less and catalog more just to suit me.

>1 Michael680: How do I use Library thing? and what Is it About???

>13 lluveRin: https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/Help_and_FAQ

>13 lluveRin: https://www.librarything.com/tour/

>15 gilroy: Ty

I use the pen name Lee Cushing. Residing in Blackpool, England, I've authored over 70 books.
I'm also a passionate collector of celebrity autographs.
As a staunch advocate for LGBTQ rights, I incorporate this theme into my work.
My pen name honours the acting icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, and I encourage my readers to explore their extensive filmography. Despite some less-than-stellar movies, their commitment never wavered.
My interests span supernatural folklore and enigmatic mysteries, including alien abductions and the Loch Ness Monster.
Shows like Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer captivate me and fuel my creativity.

>18 MarthaJeanne: Please read https://www.librarything.com/about/authors so that you understand what authors can do on LibraryThing, and what they should avoid.