Play Book Tag discussion

Looks like Goodreads has a new "hack" to add your local library onto book pages to direct link to see if your library has the book you are looking at.

https://www.goodreads.com/blog/show/8...

I tried it out this morning, was happy to see that my library was already "in the system". Then from the book page it gives you a direct link to my library search catalog. This saves me from having to pull my library up in a new tab and the direct link is handy.

But it doesn't search for the book you are looking for- so you still have to put in what book from the book page you were on before it tells you if the library has it or not. I know this isn't hard work or anything- but I guess I assumed the link would have auto put the book in- since it's linked from the book page?

This is almost super helpful to me! But the time it takes saving with the direct link is counteracted by the link not autologging into my account like my browser normally is.

I do think this is a positive thing though. Hopefully promotes people to use their library more potentially since the ease of getting to the library site is more present.

Yay! Let's please promote people to use their library!!

Now I have been billing myself, as the most non-technological person I know. You guys know I don't even listen to audio. Even that would be too complicated. But I do have two apps on my phone. One is good reads, and the other… Ta-da… Is my library. I like being able to order books, renew them, and check dates, straight from my phone. It's just fabulous. I was frightened of such a thing, But it turns out I like it. I can access my library at anytime of day or night even from the beach. OK OK, I actually have another app or two. A vegan restaurant daily specials, and my sons recent bar mitzvah video. In any case, it's good to be linked to a library.

I use a plugin/extension for my chrome browser that tells me on the book page and on my bookshelves if a book is available at my library through overdrive and how many holds it has. It has saved me money in the past because I can check it before I buy the book for my kindle. It is called "Available Goodreads" and I think I got it (for free) at the chrome store.

This is very useful information. Thanks!

Oh, this is helpful! I am on my phone now but will check it out when I get to an actual computer.

Hey, that's kind of cool! Just tried it with my library and it works!

Cora wrote: "I use a plugin/extension for my chrome browser that tells me on the book page and on my bookshelves if a book is available at my library through overdrive and how many holds it has. It has saved me..."

That is so tempting. Is it an app on your computer or phone? I try to avoid apps as I'm never sure if I'm giving up more privacy than I want when I download one. (As if there is any privacy left once you enter the virtual world.)

Ok, looking at the app example online, I don't understand the stats. Looking at 1984, how can one be available if there is 1 hold on 2?

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/de...

It is an extension to the browser rather than its own program. I am sure there are the same types of privacy issues that you would have with apps though. It works on the chrome browser on my computer.

The way the display works is it tells you how many copies and how many holds so 2/1 would mean there is one copy and two holds, 0/1 means there is one copy that is currently checked out with no holds. When it is available the type is green and might say 2 available (so there are two copies currently available). If it is not available through your library's overdrive account it says not available. If it is an audio book there is a little head phones symbol next to it.

Sometimes, especially with classics, you can have different editions of a book that are listed separately with one edition with holds and the other available. Often this happens when one is an omnibus edition with that book in it or audio books with different narrators.

Cora wrote: "I use a plugin/extension for my chrome browser that tells me on the book page and on my bookshelves if a book is available at my library through overdrive and how many holds it has. It has saved me..."

This seems much more like what I thought the GR hack was going to be. I try not to use chrome extensions too much (I think we have pinterest and honey only), but this definitely sounds worth looking into for me. Thanks Cora!

I've used this extension before and it was fairly helpful. I ended up uninstalling it, though, because all the extensions I had on Chrome were messing up how Goodreads was working. I think it's because I also had the adblocker installed.