Audit Mode/Nonduplicates mode

felius suggested this in Talk originally, but I've heard other discussion about it too (such as complaints about the green plus from the "search LT, then add" crowd).

felius said:
"What I'd *really* like is an "audit mode" on the addbooks page, which lets me scan books with my cuecat and checks my library to see if they've already been entered. If they *haven't* been entered, then it lets me know and goes on to search for them. (obviously in audit mode it's impossible for me to add a duplicate - I'm ok with that.)"

I'm picturing this as a checkbox on the Add Books page.

Possible wording
*Audit Mode
*Nonduplicates mode
*Allow duplicates

Oh yes, this would be wonderful. Not just for batch scannings, but I run into this when I start reading a book and I can't remember for sure if it is on my wishlist/to read list. I'd love for there to be a a better way rather than either searching "Your Books" first or just searching and add only to then have to hit the delete button after it turns out to be a duplicate.

Heck, I'd be tempted to argue that this should be the default and actions should be required to add a duplicate. It would be much nicer even if at the add time it would just bring up something like "Not added, already in catalog, check allow duplicates to add multiple times".

Of course, given that there's technical issues with how the books are added and processing time concerns I doubt we'll get this, but boy it makes me less tempted to use the "to read" and "wishlist" on this site and maybe even just use another site for them.

Sounds like a really useful option - I would certainly use it.

I just got a cue-cat & was checking it & found a book that I hadn't catalogued!!

So, another vote for audit mode!!!

PLEASE!!!!???!!!

with brown sugar on top?

Okay, I'm in favor. I'm wondering if this can be generalize further to be an audit/inventory mode. Some people may want to use LT to see what they have—so they can get a list of things NOT found when they went through their library that way.

5: You mean a collated list? *puzzled*

Wait, I'm confused, too. Is the audit mode conceived as a different interface than simply adding books?

I echo the idea in >2 JonathanGorman: in which entering books automatically flags a book already in the library before you add it. I'd supplement that with the option of (a) showing the source of the copy already in your library while (b) providing alternative sources for the same title.

ETA clarification: and then swap out the bibliographic data from (a) for that in (b), while leaving intact my review, private notes, etc. If a pony, might as well have wings.

>6 infiniteletters:

An inventory. Check, check, check. Okay, I have all X books.

8: A way to checkmark books, like in Power Edit from the catalog, or the same type of idea on the author/series page?

Or printable lists? (yes, I know printer format, but something else?

Or are we still talking about the Add Books page?

*still puzzled*

9 infiniteletters

I think he's saying, it would keep track of what books you've scanned. So you can check for books that are not physically where they should be, as well as for books that haven't been cataloged.

I love the idea. All the ideas. I'm not great at keeping up with cataloging and I would love to be able to run through a shelf with my cuecat and make sure everything is correct and accounted for.

Ooh, elenchus has a great idea:

7: ..swap out the bibliographic data from (a) for that in (b), while leaving intact my review, private notes, etc. If a pony, might as well have wings.

That would make it hugely easier to get rid of my Amazon-based data. And I could scout round the sources to find the best range of info. For me, that would be a unicorn.

sarahemmm, count me with you. An easy way to move from Amazon data to library data would be an unicorn as you say.

Something like that is one of the planned improvements that Tim wants to build on from the OverCat feature.

Oh yes, that would be such a wonderful unicorn -- I'd love to get rid of my Amazon data but keep all that personal stuff plus the date I originally entered the book into LT (which is meaningful to me and holds me back from recataloging).

Ah, I missed this discussion and posted this same request in the "Announcing OverCat" thread. Be what it may--elephant, pony, Pegasus or unicorn--I'd definitely use this feature since over two-thirds of my library (roughly 4500 out of 6700 books) were logged using amazon sources.

I just had a laughing little conversation w/my husband about the very elephant, unicorn or kitty with wings SilentInAWay mentioned on the other thread. At this point I don't care to re-catalog all my books. I already did it once and what I have is fine. If there were a script that could be run to replace source data only and retain the data I added (tags, reviews, notes, reading and acquisition dates, ratings, covers etc) and put the title in title case, I'd run it. I'm not doing it otherwise and I'm not alone. The biggest winner is LT when a person chooses the Overcat data, but with such an enormous number of books already painstakingly cataloged, LT will have to provide ease of use tools to gain that win.

5, 8> Oh, yes! I'd love that. I _think_ all my books are in - but a place/mode of Add books/whatever where I could scan a shelf-ful and have it tell me that all but two of them are cataloged - that would be wonderful!

But if it were a choice between that and the update data - I'd take the update.

I'd love this too and have been hoping that it would turn up some day for years. There are too many books I have lying around that I'm not sure if I've catalogued or not. Ditto with my amazon wishlist - sometimes I put new things on and I'm not sure when I last synchronised it.

Then again I'd also love an application for my mobile (symbian) that would allow me to scan barcodes and find out if that title is already in my library (though it would have to throw up the tags so if it was wishlisted I could snag it immediately)

>18 wyvernfriend: ...I'd also love an application for my mobile (symbian) that would allow me to scan barcodes and find out if that title is already in my library (though it would have to throw up the tags so if it was wishlisted I could snag it immediately)

Now that would be really, really useful -- Catalog searching over 3G (the only alternative in many used bookstores) is slow enough; it would be really nice to streamline the process by initiating the search with a quick scan of a bar code!! Perhaps a little app whose entire purpose is to search my own catalog (or LT's database) based on scanned/hand-entered data?? For found books, the search results can include basic bibliographic info, a list of collections that contain it (if it's found in my catalog), and then a URL link to the appropriate LT page for additional details.

(iPhone for me, please).

I want all of these features yesterday please Tim

**bumpity**

**bumpity bumpity**

pretty please with a dustjacket on it?

I'm willing to wait "two weeks" for it as long as I know it is coming!!

It is Spring Cleaning Time & I want to check my books!!

I agree, I've been typing in each title I want to check, but it would be much quicker and easier (even accounting for the times it doesn't work) to be able to use the cuecat for this.

>4 skittles:

How about with "Pretty please with cheese on top?"

;-D

Pretty please with lots of cheese on top!!??!!

and sprinkles!

Pretty please with cheese sprinkles on top!!?!!

(I really need to audit/inventory/check my books after a move)