ISBN Scanning Questions
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1jackson.snyder2
Hello. I have a medium sized theology library I would like to catalog. I would like to buy an inexpensive ISBN scanner and appropriate software so that I can more quickly populate a database so as to make the books more quickly available to members. Can someone please recommend a system that will work with Win 7? Can you help me out? Thee is much confusing and contradictory info on the web for this subject. Thanks. Jackson Snyder
2bestem
I don't know about software, but LT sells an inexpensive barcode scanner http://www.librarything.com/more/store/cuecat
3jackson.snyder2
Right. There are gobs of them. I am hoping to find someone that actually does this so I can find out exactly what can be done with it. Obviously I am just now in the beginning stage of learning.
4aulsmith
I think the scanner itself converts the barcode to ascii text which is placed where ever your cursor is on the screen.
5lesmel
Most barcode scanners do not have software, they function like a keyboard....simply an input device. You may have more luck asking about this in the Librarians that LibraryThing group: http://www.librarything.com/groups/librarianswholibrar
As for catalog software, you can use LT to catalog the collection. You could even ask for a cataloging flashmob here: http://www.librarything.com/groups/flashmobcataloging. You could use something like MSAccess.
As you have probably noticed, there are various personal library software options. I have only used GoodReads, LT, and MSAccess to manage my personal library.
As for catalog software, you can use LT to catalog the collection. You could even ask for a cataloging flashmob here: http://www.librarything.com/groups/flashmobcataloging. You could use something like MSAccess.
As you have probably noticed, there are various personal library software options. I have only used GoodReads, LT, and MSAccess to manage my personal library.
6jjmcgaffey
The CueCat comes unmodified, which means that when you scan it outputs a scramble of letters and numbers. If you put that scramble into the Add Books search field, LT will translate it into the proper ISBN (assuming you have in fact scanned the bar code for the ISBN - a lot of paperbacks have a UPC on the back cover and an ISBN barcode either not at all or on the inside of the front cover) and offer you the proper edition of your book. That does mean adding one by one; I successfully used a Cat to add some 3000 books over about 4 months, just me and my laptop and Cat, though. Add a batch, fix the data (that can be as simple as tidying up the title, or as complicated as measuring your books and putting in precise data on physical size), move on to the next batch.
I've cataloged my books half a dozen ways, from a piece of paper to Access, Excel, and proprietary software designed for books - LT is the first one where entering was simple and accurate enough that I actually got all my books in before additions and discards made my entries obsolete. It works for me.
You can also get a Cat, open it up, cut one particular leg of a chip inside (search for "declawing" or "neutering" instructions for a CueCat), and it turns into a simple barcode scanner - scan the barcode, it outputs the numbers (or letters, if they're what's encoded into that one - ISBNs only have numbers and sometimes an X, other barcodes may have lots of letters).
The Cat works fine, modified or unmodified, with Windows 7.
You can also enter ISBNs, by typing or via modified Cat (I don't think you can use an unmodified cat), into a CSV file or just a text file, and Import that into LT via the More tab. I find that less useful - it does get a lot of books onto LT quickly, but they're more than a little messy (even if you choose a good source, like Overcat) - and if you've imported a huge bunch, you need to go in and clean up all of them. I think it's more tedious than hand-entering them in small batches and fixing them up as you go.
Note that using Amazon as a source will increase the messiness (Amazon often has series info in the title, sometimes has a book attributed to the wrong author, etc etc). Overcat is a compilation of all the successful library searches anyone's done on LT, so the data is reasonably good - but it's a little lacking with newer books, particularly paperbacks. There are various library consortium sources (like ACCESS Pennsylvania or ILCSO) that often do a good job on newer books, but you might have to check two or three sources to find your book. And if nobody has it, you might have to enter it manually (link near the bottom of the Add Books page), just typing in title, author, and whatever other info you want to add.
And one more thing, if you care about covers - LT defaults to grabbing an Amazon cover for a book. Which is fine, and usually reasonably accurate - but if Amazon changes the cover it associates with that ISBN, your cover on LT will change. It's better - will keep you showing the right cover better - to switch to a Member-Uploaded cover any time you have the option. And if nobody's uploaded a cover, you can do it - scan your book and upload, or find it on the Web and Grab it.
I've cataloged my books half a dozen ways, from a piece of paper to Access, Excel, and proprietary software designed for books - LT is the first one where entering was simple and accurate enough that I actually got all my books in before additions and discards made my entries obsolete. It works for me.
You can also get a Cat, open it up, cut one particular leg of a chip inside (search for "declawing" or "neutering" instructions for a CueCat), and it turns into a simple barcode scanner - scan the barcode, it outputs the numbers (or letters, if they're what's encoded into that one - ISBNs only have numbers and sometimes an X, other barcodes may have lots of letters).
The Cat works fine, modified or unmodified, with Windows 7.
You can also enter ISBNs, by typing or via modified Cat (I don't think you can use an unmodified cat), into a CSV file or just a text file, and Import that into LT via the More tab. I find that less useful - it does get a lot of books onto LT quickly, but they're more than a little messy (even if you choose a good source, like Overcat) - and if you've imported a huge bunch, you need to go in and clean up all of them. I think it's more tedious than hand-entering them in small batches and fixing them up as you go.
Note that using Amazon as a source will increase the messiness (Amazon often has series info in the title, sometimes has a book attributed to the wrong author, etc etc). Overcat is a compilation of all the successful library searches anyone's done on LT, so the data is reasonably good - but it's a little lacking with newer books, particularly paperbacks. There are various library consortium sources (like ACCESS Pennsylvania or ILCSO) that often do a good job on newer books, but you might have to check two or three sources to find your book. And if nobody has it, you might have to enter it manually (link near the bottom of the Add Books page), just typing in title, author, and whatever other info you want to add.
And one more thing, if you care about covers - LT defaults to grabbing an Amazon cover for a book. Which is fine, and usually reasonably accurate - but if Amazon changes the cover it associates with that ISBN, your cover on LT will change. It's better - will keep you showing the right cover better - to switch to a Member-Uploaded cover any time you have the option. And if nobody's uploaded a cover, you can do it - scan your book and upload, or find it on the Web and Grab it.
7johnkemps
Hello. Can anyone tell me if I can use any bar code scanner with Librarything.com or must I use the cue-cat???
Thank you
JK
Thank you
JK
8thorold
>7 johnkemps: You can use anything that acts like a keyboard, the CueCat was simply the cheapest choice at the time LT was getting started. See the old responses above.
In the meantime there is also the LibraryThing app: you can use that to scan barcodes for adding books, if you have an IOS or Android phone.
In the meantime there is also the LibraryThing app: you can use that to scan barcodes for adding books, if you have an IOS or Android phone.
9jjmcgaffey
LT's Add Books page will take the info that an unmodified Cue Cat puts out and translate it into numbers (and letters - well, X, anyway). That was a special function for Cats. If you have a barcode scanner that outputs the numbers, it will work - as Thorold said, anything that acts like a keyboard will work. And the app is the simplest way to do it - at least, to do a quick add. Then you may have to go in and edit your addition, depending on how picky you are about your data (I usually do).
10Julie.Silber
What if the books are too old to have a bar code. Can the app scan JUST the ISBN without the presence of the barcode? If LibraryThing doesn't do that, does ANY app? Thanks!
11thorold
>10 Julie.Silber: The LT app doesn’t do that, although it has been suggested as an improvement from time to time.
There are lots of third-party OCR apps that will grab text from a photo you take — recent iPhones also have that function built into the camera app, I’d imagine Android phones do it as well. So you could photograph the copyright page, highlight the isbn and copy it to the clipboard then paste it in the LT app. But that’s probably more steps than simply typing in a ten-digit number in the LT app.
There are lots of third-party OCR apps that will grab text from a photo you take — recent iPhones also have that function built into the camera app, I’d imagine Android phones do it as well. So you could photograph the copyright page, highlight the isbn and copy it to the clipboard then paste it in the LT app. But that’s probably more steps than simply typing in a ten-digit number in the LT app.
