Ben Companjen

https://ben.companjen.name
https://github.com/bencomp/openlibrary
https://github.com/bencomp/oldumpscripts
https://github.com/bencomp/VacuumBot

Interested in Open Library, because:
- it's (supposed to be) Open Data...
- ... which is (almost) Linked Data
- ... and open source
- there are technical challenges to make Open Library better.

I started a discussion on the Open Library technology mailing list about improving the RDF output. Work in progress... Join me on the general discussion mail list, the technical discussion mail list and (not sure what for) the librarianship mail list. Or chat along in the IRC channel #openlibrary on Freenode.

I control VacuumBot and sometimes do analyses of the OL data dump using my Python OL dump scripts.

Tips for editing:
- leave fields that you can't fill out empty
- create separate editions for hardcover, paperback and e-book versions of a book (so that the different versions can be referred to via different URIs)
- really click the name of the author to confirm the link to the author
- use the "format" field to describe the physical appearance keywords (e.g. "Paperback", "Hardcover", "E-book") and notes for details (e.g. "Golden letters on the front, blue print on the spine.")
- enter notes about what you changed (if the previous editor comes back and sees his/her work changed, it could help to see the arguments for change)
- don't submit text that you don't have the rights for, like textual descriptions copied from Wikipedia or reviews from web or newspaper
- don't use Open Library for self-promotion - just describe your book in the best way possible, so that people can find it (or rather its description).

Tips for development:
- describe your ideas and problems in emails to the ol-tech list
- submit issues to GitHub.

Reading Log

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