Powell's books!
Powell's City of Books
Click on a store to see holdings.
This means that work pages now show store-by-store availability from Powell's, alongside the other bookstores you elect. You can click to find out details, hold the book or buy it online.
There are a couple of ways of add Powell's to your LibraryThing "experience." The easiest is to go to edit your profile. Down at the bottom you'll see bookstores, including Powell's.
In keeping with the neighborhood focus on the program, we've split the data out individual Powell's locations, and not counted inventory in warehouses, whether in Oregon or elsewhere. This meant that—barring last-minute changes—if it shows up on LibraryThing, they have it in stock where it says. We've also broken up results into New, Sale and Used categories.
As elsewhere, we pull in all editions of a work, from the paperback to the hardback to the CD version—even versions in other languages. In some ways, this "works"-level view of Powell's inventory goes beyond what they do. (And in some ways it's more annoying, since LT's first result may be the French version on eight-track tape.)
Our thanks go out to our new friends at Powell's. The catalyst was apparently a rabid LTer at Powell's—can the user reveal himself?—but I found everyone there extremely sympathique and eager to get this done.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention LT has a Powell's Group. I'd love comments here, but I also started a post on Talk.
What it means. First, we hope this makes our Portland members happy; they've been agitating for us to do something with Powell's for a long time now.
It may be a bigger win. So far, our bookstore program has been small. We still have only eleven bookstores in the system, six Powell's stores and five others. But Powell's is the biggest independent and a leader of them. We hope it convinces others to take advantage of us on this—completely free—service.
We're particularly interested in getting Booksense stores in. We already parse the Booksense format, so we could add a few hundred stores with virtually no effort.
The big picture. On the web, books are broken. A few small parts are solved or on their way—Amazon, Abebooks.com, Google, Powells—and this gives many the illusion that books are a solved problem. But the rest of the "bibliosphere" isn't where it could be. Libraries and publishers, authors and most bookstores are adrift, and not part of the conversation.*
But things are changing. One day—not too far off—local bookstores will be fully "on" the web, just like Amazon is. They'll not only have websites, they'll have feeds and APIs, and sites like LibraryThing will be able to give and get data seamlessly. You'll be able to find a book in your town as easily as you find a pizza. They'll be truly part of the web, not just on it.
We're not there yet. Most of the bookstores we've worked with have had another, different data format. None have APIs.
But it's going to happen! And we think that, if we keep working to hook up the pieces, we'll be part of the solution.
*My correspondent at Powell's asked me for examples. Here's my rant/reply:
You can't Google a book and find out where in town to get a copy. You can't Google a book and find out whether your public library has a copy. Your library doesn't know the author is touring the area. The author doesn't know which independent bookstores are selling the most copies, and so where to read. Bookstore software is crap and most independent bookstores aren't online at all. The second-largest US bookstore chain—Borders—is less online that Powell's! Libraries are absolutely *terrible* online; you will rarely get a library in the first ten pages of a Google search because search engines can't "see inside" library websites. Library data is largely inaccessible and dominated by an inflexible data monopoly. Book data is mostly from Amazon or from a welter of other companies that don't or can't help any but the largest providers. Publisher websites a seldom more than 1990s brochure-ware. Small presses sometimes have good websites, but aren't included in the book-data game. There's no online network for authors and agents. There isn't even a decent "works" system for books—and to the extent there are systems like this, publishers and libraries have completely different systems.
PHOTO CREDIT: Powells.com.
UPDATE: I forgot to mention LT has a Powell's Group. I'd love comments here, but I also started a post on Talk.
What it means. First, we hope this makes our Portland members happy; they've been agitating for us to do something with Powell's for a long time now.
It may be a bigger win. So far, our bookstore program has been small. We still have only eleven bookstores in the system, six Powell's stores and five others. But Powell's is the biggest independent and a leader of them. We hope it convinces others to take advantage of us on this—completely free—service.
We're particularly interested in getting Booksense stores in. We already parse the Booksense format, so we could add a few hundred stores with virtually no effort.
The big picture. On the web, books are broken. A few small parts are solved or on their way—Amazon, Abebooks.com, Google, Powells—and this gives many the illusion that books are a solved problem. But the rest of the "bibliosphere" isn't where it could be. Libraries and publishers, authors and most bookstores are adrift, and not part of the conversation.*
But things are changing. One day—not too far off—local bookstores will be fully "on" the web, just like Amazon is. They'll not only have websites, they'll have feeds and APIs, and sites like LibraryThing will be able to give and get data seamlessly. You'll be able to find a book in your town as easily as you find a pizza. They'll be truly part of the web, not just on it.
We're not there yet. Most of the bookstores we've worked with have had another, different data format. None have APIs.
But it's going to happen! And we think that, if we keep working to hook up the pieces, we'll be part of the solution.
*My correspondent at Powell's asked me for examples. Here's my rant/reply:
You can't Google a book and find out where in town to get a copy. You can't Google a book and find out whether your public library has a copy. Your library doesn't know the author is touring the area. The author doesn't know which independent bookstores are selling the most copies, and so where to read. Bookstore software is crap and most independent bookstores aren't online at all. The second-largest US bookstore chain—Borders—is less online that Powell's! Libraries are absolutely *terrible* online; you will rarely get a library in the first ten pages of a Google search because search engines can't "see inside" library websites. Library data is largely inaccessible and dominated by an inflexible data monopoly. Book data is mostly from Amazon or from a welter of other companies that don't or can't help any but the largest providers. Publisher websites a seldom more than 1990s brochure-ware. Small presses sometimes have good websites, but aren't included in the book-data game. There's no online network for authors and agents. There isn't even a decent "works" system for books—and to the extent there are systems like this, publishers and libraries have completely different systems.
PHOTO CREDIT: Powells.com.
Labels: bibliosphere, bookstore integration, bookstores, powell's books
posted by Tim at 3:52 PM
18 Comments:
This totally rocks. And I love the vision of finding books at a local store, regardless of size. I feel bad even using cover art that links to Amazon (though thanks for the art, Amazon) because it may take business away from some of the very stores that really promote book culture, not as an investment but because that's where their heart and soul is.
My publisher asked me to add links to my website so people can instantly order a book. But the only indie I know of where I can create a direct link is Powell's. So fine - but I also want to tell people where they can buy locally. So I'm including links to a map of Independent Mystery Booksellers Association members and the American Bookseller's Association membership directory, which can be searched by zip code.
My favorite store doesn't have an online catalog or ordering option. They just don't have the money or tech support or time to do more. They're already doing a huge amount of work. I'd love to have a way for things to be better knitted together so their inventory could be as easily accessed as Amazon's.
Wouldn't it be nice if publishers agreed on some open standard that would let booksellers place orders and list their stuff online seamlessly? And if pigs could land on the moon and start a colony?
Powell's! Eeeeee! Thank you!
And you're right about books being broken. Sure, I can find out what I want to know, but it takes me three to five browser tabs to do so.
Tim --- Have you contacted The Strand Bookstore in New York? It is also a HUGE independent like Powell's that sells new, used, and reviewers' copies. Most of the bestsellers are 50% off right away (often pre the official publication date). It's family-owned and advertises itself has having over 18 miles of books. The website is
www.strandbooks.com
Oh, wow, this is super cool, as you guys ALWAYS are! I love Pwells. I have a son in Portland and with him have spent many happy hours in their downtown store. As a North Carolina school librarian I have ordered older books from them on a purchase order. As an independent reader, I have ordered books from them, new and used. I receive their weekly e-newsletter. I love their author interviews. I love their HUGE inventory. In short, I love Powells. Thank you, and now I'll look and see how this enhances LT!
Huzzah!
Most excellent news!
Additionally, I agree with what Kath posted which is that LT ought to seriously considering hookin' up with The Strand. They're legendary---speaking for myself, I place a fair amount of orders from them. Also? I love the totebags they give away with orders during the December holidays! -:)
The store I'd most like is the Seminary Coop Bookstore in Chicago.
Thank God!
This is great. Thank you!
Sorry, I just have got to say: "YEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" I live in Portland, so hells yes. This rules.
Kudos!
BTW: They were smart to do it. I have been finding interesting books in other members libraries and ordering a whale of a lot of stuff from Powell's, but lots of times I haven't because it wasn't as easy as others were...
Books on the Web are a pain, but I think the system is rickety rather than borken. I have been able to trace and buy several out-of-print books, but a 'deleted' classical music CD ... forget it!
The Seminary Co-op uses Booksense (http://semcoop.booksense.com). Talk to their general manager, Jack Cella. I can go across the street and enthuse to him about LT if it would help!
Congrats. I like your rant.
On my blog I want sometimes to link to a book, giving the readers the option to buy it, but I don't want to always link to the big guys. I wish I had a way to easily link somewhere that will give the readers a local store or a random online bookstore's book page. A blog widget like that would be cool.
I don't care for Powells. They have excessively high international postage rates (especially considering their volume) and the books I ordered from them so far were all tatty (and the kind of tatty that comes from careless storing and handling, not from reading). I would like to see BetterWorld integrated, or a big book store from the UK.
Publisher websites ARE seldom more than 1990s brochure-ware.
less online THAN Powell's!
If this is a standard rant that you want to reuse, you might want to tidy up the typos!
First off, I don't live in Portland, but I go to Powell's fairly frequently, so this is very exciting!
You can't Google a book and find out whether your public library has a copy.
Secondly, this is changing some! Worldcat.org, doesn't have all libraries in it, (some of that monopoly of data probably makes sense in this scenario), but more and more libraries are joining, and it's worth checking to see if your local library does have their data showing up in Worldcat.org - many do!
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