I'm aware GBS throttles attempts to get the data. Since Google is
*surely* interested in external sites linking to them, I can only
conclude this is an oversight on their part. (It would certainly
surprise me if a site built on search—their bots make up to 1/3 of
LibraryThing total traffic!—did not want others to link to search and
link to them.)
To solve this problem, I am creating a JavaScript bookmarklet that
works like "SETI_at_home." You go to Google Book Search and click a
button. In the background it searches for books and brings back the
Google IDs. You can do it while you work on something else in another
window, or stare slackjawed as the results going by. Because it uses
your browser and your IP address, and because it goes slowly, it does
not appear to trigger shutdowns.
If you are a LibraryThing member it will search for your LibraryThing
books. If not, or if you just want to help, it will search for random
books that haven't been covered.
All the data will be made freely available on LibraryThing, no strings
attached. I'm hoping that libraries and projects like the Open Library
pick it up. If there's a desire, we'll add GBS links to our
LibraryThing for Libraries product, as a free add-on.
Tim
On 9/14/07, Jason Etheridge <phasefx_at_gmail.com> wrote:
> On 9/14/07, Tim Spalding <tim_at_librarything.com> wrote:
> > It seems to me this would be a service—check out a book before you get
> > it. But I could imagine it would also touch a nerve.
>
> I'd like this (and have certainly experimented with Project Gutenberg
> records), but (and this might be obvious) you'd want to build it so
> that it can be selectively disabled.
>
> It surprised me at first, but some libraries don't actually want
> patrons spending too much time on "catalog-only" workstations, and
> they'll lock them down to prevent general internet browsing. The
> rationale is that those stations are a limited resource, and they want
> as many patrons to have access to them for the immediate need of
> finding resources in the stacks. They'll have other workstations
> dedicated to Internet and under the control of some time management
> software. On those, you'd want to expose all the online resources you
> can.
>
> -- Jason
> http:://esilibrary.com/
>
--
Check out my library at http://www.librarything.com/profile/timspalding
Received on Fri Sep 14 2007 - 11:35:55 EDT