One More Library Trick: a quick URL for linking to ISBNs

While the Provincial Library web OPAC does allow for a search by ISBN — on its advanced search page — there’s no easy way to link directly to a particular book from another website simply by its ISBN.

So I created one.

If you go to a URL in the following form:

http://ruk.ca/isbn/XXXXXXXXXX

Where you replace XXXXXXXXXX with the actual ISBN you’re linking to, you’ll automatically get redirected to the record for that ISBN (if there is one) in the PEI Provincial Library web OPAC.

Here’s an example:

http://ruk.ca/isbn/0596003838

That’s a link directly to the record for Content Syndication with RSS by Ben Hammersley.

Note that this will obviously only be of value if there actually is an item for the ISBN in question in the library’s collection. Note as well that it looks like the library only started entering ISBNs into their OPAC recently, so this is missing for earlier items.

Comments

Don Moses's picture
Don Moses on August 30, 2004 - 21:28 Permalink

Hi Peter:
I’m back on the Island after obtaining my MLIS degree.
Have you send Jon Udell’s handy LibraryLookup bookmarklet?
http://weblog.infoworld.com/ud…

You can build one for iPac (the system both Holland College and the Public Library uses). Basically it allows you to see if your local library has an item while you are searching one of the online bookstores like amazon.ca

Libraries are just starting to use RSS feeds to provide new or enhance existing services. For instance the Kansas City Public Library provides their subject guides as RSS feeds — see http://www.kclibrary.org/guide…

Maybe you’d like to participate in some sort of hands-on RSS workshop :)

Don