Can I upload a cover for a work I don't own (that has no cover)?

I just created a new series, Cole's Cooking Companion, so that I could tie my copy of Sizzle: Barbecuing and Grilling to that series. I'd already discovered that there were a dozen other works in the series that were held by LT members, so I added all of them to the new series, too.

One of those works, Tortilla International (Cole's Cooking Companion), doesn't have a cover—just a grey rectangle with the title, author, and "Library Thing" typed on it. In the course of trying to learn more about the series before I created it, I found an electronic version of the cover for that work. Is there any way for me to upload it to LT?

At present, no. It's a good idea, though.

>2 timspalding: Also, on a related note, maybe you could stop deleting uploaded covers for only-copy works when the uploading user deletes the copy. That would let me do a hell of a lot of housekeeping. (Although that in itself wouldn't fully address other zero-copy work behavior, such as any awards the zero-copy work may have won disappearing from the author page, etc.)

>2 timspalding: Should I put in a formal RSI?

If nobody is using a cover it needs to be deleted because many books have so many covers.

>5 MarthaJeanne:

Yeah, it would really only be useful for low-copy books.

I thought the whole reason we couldn't do this was because 1) to prevent cover spam and 2) because it was linked to the fact that a book matters to you so the cover mattered, just like a review.

If point 2 is no longer valid, does this make it open to adding reviews to books that are not in our library too?
ETA: I know people have created separate accounts to add books to series or short stories for work to work relationships and such.

If people care enough to really want to upload a cover, they ought to care enough to enter the book, at least in Wishlist.

>2 timspalding:
I’m not so sure. It might just become another entry way for spam.

>2 timspalding: >3 davidgn: My suggestion is to create something like an official LT librarian account, with members applying to be eligible to add through it and staff would approve or not, depending on previous contributions. That would enable us to add books, covers and such not in our library, while preventing flybys to spam. Is that technically feasible? I mostly needed something like that when working on series. Academic ones have missing books (meaning no one has cataloged them) fairly often.

>10 SandraArdnas: That's a great idea.

>10 SandraArdnas: so add a layer similar to GoodReads?

>7 gilroy:

So, I hear you. At the same time, people add information to works and authors all the time. You can add images to authors and venues without owning the author or having favorited the venue. I don't think people will abuse the system, but we can have a page showing recent additions.

I might also have a minimal gate-keep—no adding cover images if you have no books or are new.

>12 gilroy:

This we aren't going to do.

>8 MarthaJeanne: If people care enough to really want to upload a cover, they ought to care enough to enter the book, at least in Wishlist.

That's been my understanding for lo these many years.

>12 gilroy: I'm not sure it's similar. Last time I checked, nobody outside librarians could edit any aspect of book entries on GR, other than your personal tags, review and reading dates. It's similar only in that there would be a way to enter works NOT associated with personal catalogues. If zero copy works will remain an entry in series, awards and such and retain the cover, that accomplishes the same thing. I can add the book, do what needs doing and then delete from my catalogue.

If people care enough to really want to upload a cover, they ought to care enough to enter the book, at least in Wishlist.

Sorry to disappoint you (again), but I care about helping the community on LT more than individual books. If I can be helpful to add a good, hi-res cover to something I don't "care enough" to catalog, I certainly will because I care about the data and expanding the richness of LT. Clogging up my catalog with red herrings is something I care not to do.

The LT community is lucky to have so many who have that mindset. Thank you >17 Bookmarque:

I see it everywhere. When members fix combining works though it's not in their library, they do it to be helpful to the LT community. Why answer questions on Welcome to LibraryThing! group if one already knows the answer and perhaps has answered it 100 times before? Because it feels good to be helpful.

In fact, LT is a community of data builders. I think that is Tim Spalding's founding core value. He's even stated that elsewhere, not that I can remember where, but somewhere and it went "click" in my brain. Yes, that's LT.

There are times when I'm combining and separating that I wouldn't mind having the ability to add a cover to a work I don't own, but on the whole I think it should be the person cataloging a book who should be responsible for adding a cover to it.

>19 amanda4242: I'm not sure I see why you wouldn't, Amanda. I don't touch works (too afraid...still) but I can't see how it would hurt and might help folks like me who would appreciate the assistance by anyone so inclined to do so. Maybe I'm missing something? Or maybe it's just as you said, you feel it should be the library adder's responsibility.

>17 Bookmarque: So create a second account and use it as a placeholder for these books you care to contribute to but do not care to have in your own account?

We don't really need LT to create a new level of superusers who have more powers - we have the tools to do what we need as is. :)

Will I do that? No - if I care enough to add a cover, the book goes into my catalog. But...

>21 AnnieMod: I could, AnnieMod, but I just don't have the inclination to complicate things with a layer like that. Got other stuff to do, but if things were convenient, I could see dabbling.

And definitely no to the superuser.

>18 DebiCates: Because it feels good to be helpful.

So right! I remember talking with a friend and she mentioned that she never wanted to take "charity". So I asked her if she liked helping others and she said of course she did. Then I asked her why she'd deny that to other people. There was a big pause there as she considered and then agreed that it was probably silly to be so adamant when others are only trying to help.

>20 DebiCates: Partly because I don't want to clutter up the site with covers that may not match any cataloged copies, partly because I don't want covers to become a spam magnet, but it's mostly because I think it's the responsibility of the person adding the book to add a cover. I'm happy to help if someone asks for assistance finding and/or adding a cover.

>21 AnnieMod: >22 Bookmarque: If the superuser mentioned refers to my idea, it was not meant in that direction at all. Quite the opposite, the aim is merely NOT to give those powers to those who have not contributed anything for the books they have in their catalogue, so not much point in having those powers outside their catalogue and even that is meant merely to prevent another avenue for spammers. But as mentioned, if we can add the work and cover and the data is retained even when it becomes a zero copy work, so much the better. Personally, I'm not willing to hassle with the second account so that series include all published works, and even less so to include them among my own books, but if there's a way to do it within my normal workflow, than I would. That's all.

>24 amanda4242: I understand your reasoning now. Thank you.

BTW, when I'm adding a book, and looking for a cover that best matches what I have (had, usually) I enjoy browsing the uploaded covers, especially for books that have gone through many printings. Er, editions I should say, not just printings.

>25 SandraArdnas: Oh now I get you. Agreed. I'd like some more flexibility, but without having to make another account to manage.

See https://www.librarything.com/topic/383661

>28 timspalding: Awesome! Thank you. I had never thought through all the logic, but I'm glad you did -- I wasn't out to replace covers I didn't think were "the best", just provide something decent that I'd bumped into for a work that had nothing.