1. Getting Access
Both librarian tools use your standard Annotate login. However, an admin must enable the librarian permissions on your account first. If you see a permission error when trying to log in, message an admin to flip the switch for you.
Note: The tools have separate sessions, so you will need to log into each one individually.
Every edit you make is logged. This isn't to police you; it just allows us to revert mistakes if something goes wrong. Don't be afraid to make changes.
2. The Tools
You will primarily use two interfaces for this job:
- Librarian Tickets: A kanban board (To Do, In Progress, Done) where reader requests arrive.
- Librarian Portal: The direct database interface where you can search, edit, add, and merge books and editions.
Usually, you will read a request in the Tickets tool and fulfill it in the Portal.
3. Books vs. Editions
Understanding the difference between a book and an edition is the most important part of this job.
- Book (Work): The canonical story itself (e.g., Dune by Frank Herbert). This is what shows up in search.
- Edition: A specific physical or digital release (e.g., the 1990 Ace paperback with 412 pages). One book has many editions.
| Book Record (General) | Edition Records (Specific) |
|---|---|
| Dune by Frank Herbert | Ace, 1990 (ISBN 0441172717) - 412 pages |
| Gollancz, 2015 (ISBN 9781473224469) - 608 pages |
Rule of thumb: If you are fixing details that apply to the story universally, edit the Book. If you are fixing a specific cover, ISBN, or page count, edit the Edition.
4. Editing a Book
To edit general book metadata, search for the title, author, or ISBN in the portal and click Edit. You can change:
- Title, Author, ISBN, and Synopsis
- Cover (paste an image URL or upload directly)
- Publisher and Publication Date
- Book Type (book, audiobook, or non-isbn)
- Series details, Language, Original Publication Year, Genres, and Pages
Important: Always use the autocomplete dropdown for Authors, Series, and Languages. Typing them manually often creates duplicates.
5. Managing Editions
Click the Editions button on a book's row to manage its specific versions. There are two types:
- Open Library Editions: Pulled directly from Open Library. These are read-only.
- Custom Editions: Editions created by us. You can edit all fields freely.
If an Open Library edition has incorrect data (like a missing cover), click Add corrected version next to it. This copies the data into a new Custom Edition so you can fix the error without retyping everything.
6. Merging Duplicates
Use the Merge Names and Merge Books buttons in the toolbar to clean up duplicates. Merges are permanent, so proceed carefully.
- Merge Names: Fixes duplicate authors or series (e.g., merging "C. Lispector" and "Clarice Lispector"). Type the incorrect name, then merge it into the correct autocomplete suggestion.
- Merge Books: Select one "winner" (the record to keep) and one or more "losers" (the duplicates). The losers will be converted into editions of the winner.
Always use the "Preview merge" feature first. It will show you exactly what data will move and how many reviews will be deleted. Reviews on losing books do not survive the merge.
7. Adding a Book
Always search the portal first to ensure the book isn't already there. If it's missing, click Add Book.
You must include a Title, Author, Cover, and Synopsis. Regular books require an ISBN, while audiobooks require a run-time. Again, rely heavily on the autocomplete for authors and languages.
8. The Ticket Board
The ticket board tracks reader submissions. You can open a ticket to copy its data, "Pick up" a ticket to assign it to yourself, or drag it between columns.
| Ticket Type | What it means | What "Approve" does |
|---|---|---|
report_info |
Correction to a book's fields. | Automatically updates the fields provided. |
add_book |
New book submission. | Creates the book record. |
add_series |
Adding a book to a series. | Updates the series data on that book. |
add_edition |
New edition submission. | Creates a custom edition for the book. |
Some tickets are "flag only" (meaning the reader reported an error but didn't provide the fix) or scoped to a specific edition. These do not have an "Approve" button and must be resolved manually in the Portal.
9. Proactive Cataloging
Don't just wait for tickets. We need help expanding the database, particularly for non-English books.
A good workflow is to pull up a popular Goodreads list (especially in a language you speak natively), search our Portal for the top titles, and manually add any that we are missing. Ensure they have good covers and accurate synopses.