Using Library Thing data

Can LT data be downloaded/exported to Excel or some such program and then used to produce spine labels or checkout slips?

I know it says it can be but has someone done it? Is it relatively simple.

Is there a better way to do a checkout system? I'm talking very inexpensively and not labor intensive.

The pastor of our small nondenominational church has just offered much of his library and is encouraging others to do so. I'm interested in taking care of it using LibraryThing but work full-time (at a public library) and want to be careful of my time commitment.

Thanks, Joyce

I have exported my catalog in the past. If you go to the Tools tab, there is a section on the right called Export/Import. I did the CSV version of export. If you have normal Microsoft Excel installed in your computer; when you click on your exported CSV file, it will open up as an Excel file -- and it can be saved as such.

I've never done spine labels or checkout slips.

The kind of checkout system you might want to use is somewhat dependent on how many people you think will check out books. I think regular libraries use special programs, which I imagine to be pricey.

I tried briefly to export it once, but didn't know enough about Excel at the time, so I'll try again when I have a helper. I've thought about using the comment section on each book for keeping track of who has a book out, but I have a computer in our church library. I also haven't done it yet. I'm not finished entering our books into LT. Right now I use a self-stick sleeve and card in the book for check outs. I hand write the author's name, title and where it is shelved on the sleeve and the card. It's a simple way to keep track, but work-intensive to start on a new library.

Thanks for your posts to my question. I did get my first 45 titles imported fairly easily. Brought my laptop up to church and keyed in ISBNs (and author for verification) into Excel. I did find I had to save the Excel file as an older version, 2003. It won't import the xlsx extension of 2007.

After I get the rest in, my hope is to get the LT's printed list and scan it in to my computer to then create spine labels and checkout cards. Maybe

Let us know how it works! Right now I make sloppy (well I try not to make them sloppy, but my printing is) spine labels with a sharpie on an acid-free library sticker.

Hi all. Well after working my little system awhile after church I think I'll order a scan gun. And lots more titles are appearing. People seem pleased to at the beginnings of a library.
As far as stickering I'm thinking of just sticking with 3-digit Dewey (no decimals) and printing off pages of stickers then using as needed. Even though people don't love DD#s it's already in place on LibraryThing and I've decided I don't want to spend time deciding on topics for each book. I've already got a full-time job : )
Thanks for your feedback. I welcome any thoughts or suggestions. Joyce

I have been trying to do that very thing for the last three hours (export my list into excel in order to make checkout slips) but to no avail! Yes, it is very labor intensive.
So I was browsing for more ideas and came up with a solution that, I think and hope, will help me as well as make my church library more friendly!
I gave up on the decimals, too...however, I stuck with my own categories. Whatever your categories are, however, label the spine accordingly, and place them in order by author. Then, have a notebook (already dated) for people to sign their name and the title of the book they are taking...
it's that simple!
The reason I like this idea is so people won't feel so intimidated by the "system" feel. It's just friendlier. I know this may clash with you as a full time librarian! But the way I see a church library is, it's a ministry. Even you never see that book again, it's okay...it has hopefully touched someone's life.

Got my "Cat scan" gun last night. Yea! It really works (and its so cute!). I've already lugged home several totes of books and can't wait to put them in quick and easy. Best $15 I've spent in a while. One of the half dozen I tried didn't read but with it already in hand and plugged in to LT it was easy enough to key the ISBN in. (Maybe I'll do my library after I finish : ) ).

I'm not even going to try to download to excel. Just get sheets of stickers and print them using Word in appropriate numbers for each DD#. Stick 'em on and put a piece of tape over them. We're not going for archive here. Make 'em available.

I spent about 3 hours yesterday inputting books into our library. Was pleasantly surprised that many of them had a bar code for my darling cue cat. Usually I have to use the ISBN or put it in manually because many of the books in our library are older. I'm still in the Christian Living section. What slows me down are the books which are blatantly in the wrong section. I'd go crazy if I tried to fine tune every book, but there are some that simply have to be fixed.

Yes, I've done this. There is an option to export your collection as a CSV which may then be cleaned up in excel. You'll find some Dewey numbers are not what you need but they can be cleaned and sorted. I'm currently doing the same in a LI parish

I use a brother label printer, print out spine labels and labels I put on check out card. Is a little extra work to enter the call number etc. for printing, but I didn't want the trouble of setting up label printing, having to find the right label stock for my printer, etc. Guess we all have our little routines and "systems."

I went from SIX DAYS days to do about 100 books to 90 books in TWO HOURS!

I just worked on this today for printing in a normal printer.

1. I used the "E view" to set up the columns I want to print on the labels for the card and envelope.

These are the items I chose it to show:

Dewey/Melvil Author Title Date Pages(I also include a column for "date of entry" so that I know which books I've not yet catalogued, I edit that out later).

2. Set it to show 100 entries before saving your format for "E view".

3. Copy all that page into to a word doc. (I used Word Starter, it seemed to handle the copy and paste better).

4. Open a NEW word doc and set up a page for the style labels you want to use. I used Avery Address labels 8160. Create a new doc filled with this format so that you can move, book by book, all the info for each book into each address "cell".

5. Look up how to open two word docs at once on your screen.

6. Copy and paste the info from one word doc to the the label. Format to taste (I bold the title and try to put the title on lines by itself where space permits).

7. Print two copies, one for the card sleeve, another for the card.

The label will look something like this:

612 Cole, Joanna
The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body
Scholastic Press (1990), Paperback, 40 p

Now, to figure out how to format for printing the spine info. I'm hoping for some good labels at the office store this afternoon!

Hope this helps someone!