Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

Which date should be used for audiobooks? Usually there is one date stated in the recording itself; this would seem like the correct date to use, but often there is a release date from the publisher on their web site or on amazon which may be even twenty or thirty years later. Does a release date = date of publication?

Yes the date that physical edition was created, not when the story was created. Often you'll see original published date on the GR listing. I'm not sure how that is created because sometimes it's blank. Hopefully someone will tell us how that field gets populated.

Dracula for example https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8... Below the description, above the "original title" you'll see "Published October 7th 2010 by BBC Books (first published May 26th 1897) "

In this case it's not even a physical edition - just a file, that's why I'm a bit puzzled. At least with a CD, cassette, or some physical item, there is often publication info on the cover or liner notes.

And I don't mean the date of the original work - I mean the sound recording versus the audiobook release date. The audio recording may have been made in the 1980s, but the audio download this year. There is no physical item with a date - just the recording itself.

Can you show us where it is available?

audible.com ex
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...
https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fan...

they list a release date and that is what GRs has.

For example: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Release date on web site [https://www.recordedbooks.com/title-d...] is Mar 28, 2011. Unfortunately, the audio preview does not state the copyright info, but if you listen to the actual recording (from the library in my case) the date of the recording itself is stated as 1980.

Thanks for dialing in what you were asking with examples. We'll wait for an expert to jump in. I can't imagine it wouldn't be the release date that site shows but you pose a good question.

The publication date would generally agree with the publisher's site. In the case above, Mar 28, 2011.

Original publication date is a field in the work section of the book record, down at the bottom.

The date of the entire work is not in question - just the recording. The work was in the 1800s. The recording of the work was made in the 1980s and is stated in the recording itself. The publisher lists the release date as 2011.

Lisa wrote: "The recording of the work was made in the 1980s and is stated in the recording itself."

We have no field for that, although it could be added to the edition's description.