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(Warning:long entry. Executive summary: 1. Software sucks. 2. What's up with duplicate isbns? 3. I love my books.)
So, a bunch of years ago I intensely used Delicious Library, a book cataloging program that let me add books to my catalog by simply scanning the barcode, or typing in the isbn. It would use a plethora of sources on the web to present you with options for what it thinks was that book. For books pre-dating isbn, it let you search on other criteria, or last resort just manually entering the data for a new book.
The new, "improved" version now only allows as sources a plethora of... amazon sites. amazon us, amazon uk, etc.
WTF?
Needless to say, this isn't working. I've tried a few others, and so far have come to the conclusion that most of them suck. The least evil seems to be Goodreads, which has a browser version (so I can use a laptop vs just a phone app) and collaborates with the phone app to use the camera to recognize books. But by looking at the cover picture, not the barcode with isbn on the back. Though you can enter an isbn.
Which brings me to the third part of this rant - I thought that ISBNs were unique! Apparently not, because the book I have with its isbn prominently printed on the front cover seems to have the same isbn as some totally unrelated other book. How did that happen? All sources I have googles about isbn seem confident that they are unique. Where is the catch, what am I missing?
Also - I can't be the only nerd trying to catalog my books. What do *you* like and use?
So, a bunch of years ago I intensely used Delicious Library, a book cataloging program that let me add books to my catalog by simply scanning the barcode, or typing in the isbn. It would use a plethora of sources on the web to present you with options for what it thinks was that book. For books pre-dating isbn, it let you search on other criteria, or last resort just manually entering the data for a new book.
The new, "improved" version now only allows as sources a plethora of... amazon sites. amazon us, amazon uk, etc.
WTF?
Needless to say, this isn't working. I've tried a few others, and so far have come to the conclusion that most of them suck. The least evil seems to be Goodreads, which has a browser version (so I can use a laptop vs just a phone app) and collaborates with the phone app to use the camera to recognize books. But by looking at the cover picture, not the barcode with isbn on the back. Though you can enter an isbn.
Which brings me to the third part of this rant - I thought that ISBNs were unique! Apparently not, because the book I have with its isbn prominently printed on the front cover seems to have the same isbn as some totally unrelated other book. How did that happen? All sources I have googles about isbn seem confident that they are unique. Where is the catch, what am I missing?
Also - I can't be the only nerd trying to catalog my books. What do *you* like and use?
