Catalogs describe books; feeds describe changes
A catalog record explains what a resource is. A Book RSS item explains why that record is appearing now. Keep those jobs separate. A newly cataloged local-history book, a new publisher edition, an updated author record, a library holding, and a used-book offer are different events even when they refer to the same work.
Use a work–edition–resource–offer model
- Work: the intellectual creation, independent of format or publisher.
- Edition: a particular publication, translation, revision, language, or format.
- Resource: an EPUB, PDF, HTML edition, cover image, sample, or OCR transcript associated with an edition.
- Holding: a library or institution’s relationship to a copy or licensed resource.
- Offer: temporary availability from a seller or service, including price, currency, condition, and retrieval time.
This separation supports broad reader feeds and precise collector alerts. It also prevents a marketplace price change from rewriting the bibliographic record.
Identifier strategy
| Identifier | What it can identify | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN | A particular book edition or format | Can be missing, mistyped, reused incorrectly, or different across formats |
| OCLC number | A WorldCat bibliographic record | Access and record relationships depend on OCLC services and policies |
| LCCN | A Library of Congress control record | Not present for every work or edition |
| DOI / Handle | Persistent digital objects or publications | Scope varies; not a universal book identifier |
| Local ID | Your durable normalized entity | Must be managed, redirected, and never recycled |
Source-specific discipline
Amazon-style and publisher catalogs
Use supported catalog or advertising interfaces, respect image and price display rules, and distinguish a bibliographic edition from a current retail offer. A production integration may require credentials, attribution, or specific link behavior. Do not scrape or copy descriptions and covers merely because they are visible in a browser.
WorldCat-oriented workflows
OCLC services and product access change over time. Confirm the current API, subscription, and permitted uses before implementation. Store OCLC identifiers as source identifiers, not as your only record identity. Holdings data can be valuable, but the live catalog should remain the authority for current availability.
Library of Congress and national-library data
Use supported structured endpoints and retain source links. Library records can provide titles, subjects, formats, contributors, and collection context, but each endpoint has its own field shapes and completeness. Preserve provenance rather than flattening all records into a generic description.
AbeBooks-style and used-book marketplaces
Normalize seller listings as temporary offers. Record original price, currency, shipping status, seller description, source listing ID, condition, and retrieval time. Keep uncertain edition matches separate. The used-book marketplace RSS guide covers alert events and privacy.
Author and series feeds
An author feed can announce new editions, interviews, authorized excerpts, or catalog updates. Use authority identifiers where possible and avoid merging people solely on name similarity. A series feed should retain volume numbering, edition distinctions, and relationships to the parent series. Do not fabricate biographical details or publication claims when sources are incomplete.
Metadata field map
{
"work": {"id": "work_42", "title": "River Maps"},
"edition": {
"id": "ed_42_en_2026",
"language": "en",
"publisher": "North Quay Press",
"publication_date": "2026-06-03",
"identifiers": [{"scheme": "ISBN-13", "value": "9780000000000"}]
},
"offer": {
"source": "marketplace_example",
"source_id": "listing_9081",
"price": {"amount": "18.00", "currency": "USD"},
"condition": "used_good",
"retrieved_at": "2026-10-21T18:00:00Z"
}
}Generate reader-facing summaries
Raw catalog notes can be abbreviated or professional-facing. Create a concise, original summary that identifies subject, edition, contributors, and the reason for appearing in the feed. Preserve qualifiers such as facsimile, revised, abridged, translated, large print, or volume number. Never invent reviews, awards, sales rank, popularity, or partnerships.
For library-specific implementation detail, read Library Catalog RSS Feeds.