1gmlew77t
The question is: is there a site/app with similar cataloging functions as librarything but without using the ASIN for data other than a convenience field as it seems to be a horrible data point for anything?
I am looking for something that uses an authoritative source like a LCCN as it's base for a single book and doesn't add random user data or any Amazon API gathered data for anything other than maybe cover art.
I don't know if I'm asking too much of a website/app but after trying to figure out the correct info for the first book I tried to parse I feel as I may need to just dust off my data entry skills and open a spreadsheet instead. All I really need is an app that can scan and/or enter an isbn, return basic correct info and spit out a csv like list with the data.
In order to understand, do a search on the site for this: National Geographic picture atlas of our world
The isbn I have: 0870448129
The LCCN for it: 90675180
It seems like the books that come up and the data within was gathered by importing 1000 different users Calibre Library and then consolidated it with all the random, half correct, half crossed over from other books then distilled it all into 3 titles and 279(?) editions for a book where each real life edition is a distinct almanac on its own with different editors and titles. Or is that what librarything is; a place where any isbn returns all the data from every ASIN ever made that has ever had that isbn and every title that has ever had a similar name? While that approach might work for a search like "Harry Potter book 1" or any associated isbn for that book it certainly doesn't work for titles like mine.
I am looking for something that uses an authoritative source like a LCCN as it's base for a single book and doesn't add random user data or any Amazon API gathered data for anything other than maybe cover art.
I don't know if I'm asking too much of a website/app but after trying to figure out the correct info for the first book I tried to parse I feel as I may need to just dust off my data entry skills and open a spreadsheet instead. All I really need is an app that can scan and/or enter an isbn, return basic correct info and spit out a csv like list with the data.
In order to understand, do a search on the site for this: National Geographic picture atlas of our world
The isbn I have: 0870448129
The LCCN for it: 90675180
It seems like the books that come up and the data within was gathered by importing 1000 different users Calibre Library and then consolidated it with all the random, half correct, half crossed over from other books then distilled it all into 3 titles and 279(?) editions for a book where each real life edition is a distinct almanac on its own with different editors and titles. Or is that what librarything is; a place where any isbn returns all the data from every ASIN ever made that has ever had that isbn and every title that has ever had a similar name? While that approach might work for a search like "Harry Potter book 1" or any associated isbn for that book it certainly doesn't work for titles like mine.
2davidgn
Not sure what your workflow was, but if you just put the ISBN 0870448129 into Overcat, you get this.
3davidgn
Searching the Library of Congress using the LCCN yields this.
No doubt searching using the ISBN would yield similar results. Not sure why an ASIN needs to come into this process at all.
No doubt searching using the ISBN would yield similar results. Not sure why an ASIN needs to come into this process at all.
4keristars
National Geographic picture atlas of our world
It sounds to me like you were looking at the Add Books page, which does pull in a lot of data of varying quality, which you can choose to use or not.
You can tell the search which sources to look at - and if you don't like any of them, you can manually add your book data. (Link on the bottom left, under the list of potential sources.)
I've touchstoned the book you cited for quick reference. It will take you to the Work page, which is the summary of data (more or less) applicable to all copies of the book. It parses everyone's book to figure out the author, most popular cover, and so on. But none of that will affect your book data. Once you add your books, you can stick to your library to only see what you have entered.
(nb: Be sure not to have any Common Knowledge/CK columns in your chosen view. CK is the shared data that anyone can edit - things that apply to every copy, like Original Title or Important Events.)
It sounds to me like you were looking at the Add Books page, which does pull in a lot of data of varying quality, which you can choose to use or not.
You can tell the search which sources to look at - and if you don't like any of them, you can manually add your book data. (Link on the bottom left, under the list of potential sources.)
I've touchstoned the book you cited for quick reference. It will take you to the Work page, which is the summary of data (more or less) applicable to all copies of the book. It parses everyone's book to figure out the author, most popular cover, and so on. But none of that will affect your book data. Once you add your books, you can stick to your library to only see what you have entered.
(nb: Be sure not to have any Common Knowledge/CK columns in your chosen view. CK is the shared data that anyone can edit - things that apply to every copy, like Original Title or Important Events.)
5LeslieWx
>1 gmlew77t: I've been here less than a year, and I came in knowing that I was very picky about metadata (data about data, in this case information about books' authors, titles, subjects, publisher, etc.). So one of the first things I did was change my Add Books page to remove Overcat as an option; removing Amazon was probably one of the first 10 things I did.
At this point I have Library of Congress as my first-choice source, and then I've added almost 60 libraries or library consortiums that I've found helpful as I continued adding books. It's a lot less confusing than it sounds, because LT has allowed me to re-order them in a geographical way that makes sense to me so I can quickly find a library I think might be likely.
One huge help in all this has been worldcat.org. I made a (free) login account, and I think a second one for the US "node" or "implementation". If I don't have luck at libraries in my list, or if I add something but it's missing key metadata, WorldCat does a pretty decent job of searching libraries worldwide for exactly the edition I'm holding in my hand and want to match. In fact, it's through WorldCat that I've found many of the libraries that are now in my LT AddBooks list!
At this point I have Library of Congress as my first-choice source, and then I've added almost 60 libraries or library consortiums that I've found helpful as I continued adding books. It's a lot less confusing than it sounds, because LT has allowed me to re-order them in a geographical way that makes sense to me so I can quickly find a library I think might be likely.
One huge help in all this has been worldcat.org. I made a (free) login account, and I think a second one for the US "node" or "implementation". If I don't have luck at libraries in my list, or if I add something but it's missing key metadata, WorldCat does a pretty decent job of searching libraries worldwide for exactly the edition I'm holding in my hand and want to match. In fact, it's through WorldCat that I've found many of the libraries that are now in my LT AddBooks list!
6SandraArdnas
>5 LeslieWx: Why would you remove Overcat? It is a collection of library records from previous searches.
To the OP, LT doesn't use ASIN, Amazon does. If you never use Amazon as a source, you will not have any ASINs since the field is not editable and is filled only from a source. Contrary to Leslie, I'd say put Overcat first as a source, followed by specific libraries likely to hold your books, leave Amazon as the last resort for something not found in library sources. (Even than,you can just add manually)
To the OP, LT doesn't use ASIN, Amazon does. If you never use Amazon as a source, you will not have any ASINs since the field is not editable and is filled only from a source. Contrary to Leslie, I'd say put Overcat first as a source, followed by specific libraries likely to hold your books, leave Amazon as the last resort for something not found in library sources. (Even than,you can just add manually)
7MarthaJeanne
Best use for Amazon is for new books not yet in libraries. (Maybe no even out yet, or only just.) Manual add is much better for older books, as Amazon partners put in a lot of ratty data.
Overcat is the best overall source, as it is only library data, and usually gives you a choice.
If you want a database that doesn't include data from other users, you can certainly create your own.
You (and I) may not have any use for the ASIN, but there are more and more books that have ASIN, but neither ISBN or LCCN, as self-publishers don't care about those but want to sell through Amazon. LT has to have it available. So does any other app or website that wants to appeal to a wide range of readers.
Overcat is the best overall source, as it is only library data, and usually gives you a choice.
If you want a database that doesn't include data from other users, you can certainly create your own.
You (and I) may not have any use for the ASIN, but there are more and more books that have ASIN, but neither ISBN or LCCN, as self-publishers don't care about those but want to sell through Amazon. LT has to have it available. So does any other app or website that wants to appeal to a wide range of readers.
8bnielsen
>7 MarthaJeanne: You can also use Overcat just to give a hint as to which source a given book can be found in. (I've used it to find a good source for some books in Catalan :-)
