LibraryThing does Borders product codes
Short version: I've added an option to parse "BINCs," the product code Borders (and Waldenbooks?) paste over the ISBN on the back cover.
If you use a barcode scanner to enter your books into LibraryThing, or even if you don't, you periodically run into a Borders barcode, pasted over the book's original ISBN barcode. It can be extremely aggravating.
LibraryThing now has an option to read these stickers. You can either scan them with a barcode reader or type the printed BINC, shown here:
To do this, either (1) turn on this option in Add books:
Or (2) put "binc" into the search box, in front of the number (eg., "binc 5106509"). Note that if you check the checkbox, you can ONLY enter BINCs. Everything else will fail.
For LibraryThing to parse BINCs, it needs to run a quick search on Borders' website, and fetch the ISBN. Technically this is "screen scraping," which some webmasters will try to block. Since users of this feature are by definition Borders customers, I'm doubt they'll raise any objections. I'm writing them this morning to tell them about it. To sweeten it, I've added Borders to the list of merchants and libraries on work pages. Their website can't hold a candle to Amazon on ecommerce features—and, indeed, they use Amazon as their main online presence—but it has a nifty function to check whether your local Borders has it in stock, and reserve it if they do.
If you use a barcode scanner to enter your books into LibraryThing, or even if you don't, you periodically run into a Borders barcode, pasted over the book's original ISBN barcode. It can be extremely aggravating.
LibraryThing now has an option to read these stickers. You can either scan them with a barcode reader or type the printed BINC, shown here:
To do this, either (1) turn on this option in Add books:
Or (2) put "binc" into the search box, in front of the number (eg., "binc 5106509"). Note that if you check the checkbox, you can ONLY enter BINCs. Everything else will fail.
For LibraryThing to parse BINCs, it needs to run a quick search on Borders' website, and fetch the ISBN. Technically this is "screen scraping," which some webmasters will try to block. Since users of this feature are by definition Borders customers, I'm doubt they'll raise any objections. I'm writing them this morning to tell them about it. To sweeten it, I've added Borders to the list of merchants and libraries on work pages. Their website can't hold a candle to Amazon on ecommerce features—and, indeed, they use Amazon as their main online presence—but it has a nifty function to check whether your local Borders has it in stock, and reserve it if they do.
posted by Tim at 10:00 PM
13 Comments:
Err . . . it will only check your local *US* Borders. I can't check my local London branch.
Sorry about that. I didn't link to the UK Borders*, but it doesn't have those options anyway. All it has is a store locator.
*The stores on the left will be editable soon.
cool feature...it is annoying to have to peel off the sticker or hold open the verso page to get the ISBN. nice! thanks!
Are you caching the binc->isbn map?
No. I don't think I want to build up an imperfect copy of Borders' database.
I tried a binc of "8675171" and tried to get the ISBN without any luck. Am I doing something incorrect? Many thanks.
Have you tried other BINCs? It might no longer be sold by Borders...
Hi Tim. That BINC refers to a remainder / bargain book. Is there a remainder / bargain ISBN for Borders books?
I know there are for Waldenbooks.
BINCs often drop out of use. For example, a book that may have had a binc one year but then been reissued as a bargain book a year later will have a new binc, and sometimes one or the other won't be in the system anymore (and sometimes both will still be in the system! ~It's not perfect, but I have to work in it). The ISBN system is more accurate for cataloging.
And while older versions (pre-2002) of Borders/Waldenbooks (they are the same company now) binc stickers used a crappy, residue-leaving glue, newer stickers are more often than not very easy to pull off if you have even the slightest inclination (and a single longer than average fingernail).
The easiest way to remove those annoying tags is with rubber cement. Learned the trick from a book on selling books. :)
Good luck.
BINCs move around depending on what sticker you're looking at. Also, they come and go so many may no longer be valid. ON THE PLUS SIDE: Borders stickers are extremely easy to pull off...
I found them very hard. Maybe we live in different climates?
Maybe you've had your book for a long time? Old BINC stickers left on books tend to be hard to pull off - and leave gunk behind. Newly put on stickers will come off very easily. Try taking off the stickers just after buying the book.
By the by, the sticker you have pictured is a newly-designed sticker; most stores are only able to print out the old stickers for replacements. On the old sticker design, the BINC is just beneath the author's last name on the far left, where your pictured sticker says "fiction/ lit."
Hope that's not entirely confusing...
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