Is Your Book Eligible for Loan Stars?

Loan Stars is a readers' advisory tool for Canadian libraries that highlights the most anticipated books recommended by Canadian library staff.

Each and every month, library users log in to CataList and recommend the upcoming titles that they believe are essential to Canadian library systems. The recommendations are tallied and the top 10 turn into Loan Stars picks. The twist is the books featured in these monthly lists are publishing the following month. It can be a lot to keep track of, which is why we have this handy dandy visual guide (PNG).

But not every title is eligible for the Loan Stars program. There are four main pieces of criteria a book must meet:

  1. The book must be publishing for the first time (not just in a new format).
  2. The book must be forthcoming.
  3. The book must be English-language.
  4. The book must be in CataList.

And how do library staff know if your book is eligible? This "Recommend" button will appear next to your book for logged-in library users. Publisher accounts will not be able to see this button.


More than a pub date

It's not just the pub date that determines whether or not a "Recommend" button appears when your title is loaded to CataList. There are multiple elements in your metadata that determine your book's eligibility. 

Which is why we need you, the lovely publisher, to ensure certain pieces of information are communicated to us through your metadata. We've outlined the best way to do this below.

That being said, we've discovered that many publishers are sharing these details in different ways. So if you have a longstanding alternative way of communicating any of these data points, please be in touch. We're always happy to work with you to get your data out into the universe! 


The Loan Stars metadata checklist

The following is a list of criteria that will determine whether or not a "Recommend" button appears alongside your book. Please provide the following data points as accurately as possible: 

Question
ONIX 2.1 Tag
List

What format is your book in?

Is it a paperback, a hardcover, a betamax? (Yep, there are multiple codes for that one.)

PR. 3. 1

<ProductForm>

List 7 - Product Form Code

Is this the first time your book is publishing?

i.e., Has there been any previous edition? (The answer should be 'no.')

Loan Stars uses the <NoEdition /> tag to verify that the book's content has not been previously published in an earlier edition and we recommend its accurate use.

Note: If your book is publishing for the first time simultaneously with another format (like an ebook) or sharing a pub date with a different edition in another market, your book is still considered a first edition and should not have a previous one indicated in the metadata. 

PR.10.5

<NoEdition/>

N/A

Is it digital only?

Format doesn't really matter to us (outside of audio; perhaps we'll have an audiobook list in the future!), but we do want to make sure that all recommendations for your book are channeled into a single version. So, unless the book is only being published in a digital format, ebooks won't have a "Recommend" button attached to them.

Note: You can't include this information if you have already used a <NoEdition/> tag. In the case of a digital-only version available in the market, we highly recommend you include edition information in your metadata.

PR.10.1

<EditionTypeCode>

List 21 - Edition Type

What language is the book written in?

If your book has "(X language edition)" in its metadata, that indicates that the book is not meant for English audiences and it will not be eligible for Loan Stars.

Note: This detail should be in the metadata, NOT in the title or subtitle.

PR.11.4 

<LanguageRole>

List 74 - ISO - ENG 

Who is the book meant for?

i.e., Who is the target audience?

If it's for adults, then Age Range is an insult. If meant for the young, age range should be strung (e.g., 7-10).

PR.14.1

<AudienceCode>

List 28 - Audience Code

What's your book's status?

i.e., Is your book available for purchase? Or is it forthcoming? 

PR 20.1

<PublishingStatus>

List 64 - Publishing Status

But seriously, is your book's content brand new?

We just like being thorough. Is this book a remake of another? We review the Product Relation section and exclude books that are replacing earlier books or replaced by later ones. 

Note: ebooks don't usually "replace" a book; they are just an alternative format. 

PR.23.7

<RelationCode>

List 51 - Product Relation Code

Is your book available yet?

i.e., Is your book on its way or...? 

If you've listed your book as "Not yet available" or "Awaiting stock" be sure to include expected ship dates (if possible), or else it may be excluded.

PR.24.22

<ProductAvailability>

List 65 - Product Availability

How much does your book cost?

...in Canada. How much does your book cost in CAD?

This is to ensure library staff are recommending the Canadian edition of a book.

PR.24.64

<CurrencyCode>

List 96 - Currency Code (ISO)

If you have any questions, concerns, or confusion about why a button is or is not appearing, please contact the Loan Stars team!

Happy metadata-ing!