Amazon vs Syndetics : a Comparative Study on Bibliographic Enhancement Services November 2003 Eugenie Ng (presenter) Patrick Lo Bill Tang

Introduction: Amazon VS Syndetics Introduction: Amazon VS Syndetics Comparison Comparison 1. Bib. Enhancement Features 2. Record display 3. ISBN Match Results Results User Feedback User Feedback Outline

Amazon.Com Online bookstore Online bookstore FREE of Charge (Amazon Associate Programme started in 1996) FREE of Charge (Amazon Associate Programme started in 1996) Over 3 million titles Over 3 million titles Use ISBN as matching point Use ISBN as matching point Data uploading by the library Data uploading by the library

Syndetic Solutions Started providing enriched content in 2001 Started providing enriched content in 2001 Over 3.5 million individual content elements Over 3.5 million individual content elements Charge for services Charge for services Use ISBN as matching point Use ISBN as matching point Provide automatic links weekly Provide automatic links weekly

Bibliographic Enhancement Features

FeaturesAmazonSyndetics 1Author Notes 2Front Cover 3.Reviews 4.Sample Pages* / First Chapters 5.Summaries & Annotations 6.Tables of Contents 7.Fiction Profiles  8.Audio Samples  9.Back Cover  10.Books of Related Subjects  11Physical Description  12.Search Inside Book Function  * Samples Pages include Front Flap, Copyright, Index & Back Flap Bib. Enhancement Features

Record Display

Amazon Record (1a) : WebPac Display

Amazon Record (1b) : Additional Information

Search inside this book Front cover, Front flap, TOC, Copyright, Excerpt, Inndex, Back Flap, Back Cover … Amazon record (1c): “Search inside this book” function

Amazon Record (1d) : “Browse sample pages”

Syndetic Record (1a): WebPac display

Syndetic Record (1b) : Additional information

Syndetic Record (1c) :

Amazon AV Record (1a) : WebPac Display

AV record from Amazon (1b):

Amazon AV record (1c): Product details & reviews

Syndetic AV record (1a): Webpac Display

Syndetic AV record with Annotation (1b):

ISBN Match (I) LU Library Collection LU Library Collection

Overall Match Rates AmazonSyndetics No. of records 84,103 No. of matched Records 69,18362,138 Rate82%74%

Individual Match Rates: By Year Match rates (%) YearAmazonSyndetics %64% %68% %73% %73% %70% %74% %79% %82% %81% %79% Average82%74%

Individual Match Rates: By Subject Match Rate Subject (DDC) AmazonSyndetics Generalities ( ) 93%89% Phil. & Rel. Dis. ( ) 92%88% Religion ( ) 88%86% Social Sciences ( ) 77%70% Language ( ) 78%66% Pure Sciences ( ) 88%81% Tech. & Applied. Sci. ( ) 85%76% Arts ( ) 84%81% Literature ( ) 90%85% Geography & History ( ) 87%83%

ISBN Match (II) New Books New Books Books published in 2003, not held in Lingnan, Books published in 2003, not held in Lingnan, Selected from vendor’s alert service Selected from vendor’s alert service

AmazonSyndetics No. of records 120 No. of matched Records Rate99%40% Match Rates for New Books

Match rates for Individual Features Amazon%Syndetics% Author Note/About author3529.2%1915.8% Book Description/ Summary %3730.8% Book Review1714.2%75.8% Cover Image6755.8%4739.2% Sample pages/ 1st Chapter86.7%---- Title Profile % TOC86.7%3428.3%

Results

Results of Comparison AmazonSyndetics Enhancement Features Record Display ISBN Match (By Year) ISBN Match (By Subject) New Titles (Book)

Advantages (Amazon) FREE FREE Higher ISBN match rates Higher ISBN match rates Unique features, e.g. “Search this book function/Look Inside this book”, audio samples Unique features, e.g. “Search this book function/Look Inside this book”, audio samples User-friendly interface User-friendly interface Create a community for writing reviews, sharing ideas Create a community for writing reviews, sharing ideas

Advantages (Syndetics) Auto link up, no manpower needed from the Library Auto link up, no manpower needed from the Library Update weekly Update weekly Clean & clear display, no advertisements Clean & clear display, no advertisements Image display at Webpac Image display at Webpac Source known (e.g. TOC from Blackwell, review from Lib. journal etc.) Source known (e.g. TOC from Blackwell, review from Lib. journal etc.)

Disadvantages (Amazon) Crowded Information display, including advertisements Crowded Information display, including advertisements No image display at WebPac No image display at WebPac Record source not clear Record source not clear Updating by the Library Updating by the Library Records not include all information types Records not include all information types Match records with ISBN only Match records with ISBN only

Disadvantages (Syndetics) Charge for Service Charge for Service Lower ISBN match rate, particularly new titles Lower ISBN match rate, particularly new titles Records not include all information types Records not include all information types Match records with ISBN only Match records with ISBN only Error / dead links Error / dead links

Syndetic record with dead link (1a):

Syndetic record with dead link (1b):

User Feedback

Library A Library A “Amazon is much more parsimonious with reviews, and too much is Publisher puffery. Syndetics allows us to stick this in a menu, so you only see the additional info you want. We love Syndetics and it's the best added value we provide.” “Amazon is much more parsimonious with reviews, and too much is Publisher puffery. Syndetics allows us to stick this in a menu, so you only see the additional info you want. We love Syndetics and it's the best added value we provide.” Source: AUTOCAT

Library B “This is a *large* collection of RSS News Feeds based on bestselling Amazon lists--everything from Fiction to Technical Books. Add these to your news aggregator, and you have an updated list of what's currently hot on Amazon, with jacket art, links to Amazon, etc. This kind of thing could theoretically be done in any kind of environment, not just on Amazon. Amazon makes it easy, however, by providing the raw feeds” “This is a *large* collection of RSS News Feeds based on bestselling Amazon lists--everything from Fiction to Technical Books. Add these to your news aggregator, and you have an updated list of what's currently hot on Amazon, with jacket art, links to Amazon, etc. This kind of thing could theoretically be done in any kind of environment, not just on Amazon. Amazon makes it easy, however, by providing the raw feeds” Source: AUTOCAT

- Thank you -

Additional Information

FeaturesSource Summaries Book News, Inc. Book News, Inc. Fiction Profiles Analyzes by Syndetics' staff Biography Profiles Analyzes by Syndetics' staff 1 st Chapter Dial-A-Book, Inc.Dial-A-Book, Inc. and from selected publishers Dial-A-Book, Inc. TOC Through special arrangements with Blackwell's Book Services, Book News, Inc., and Ingram Book Company, Reviews Library Journal Library Journal School Library Journal School Library Journal Publishers Weekly Publishers Weekly Booklist Choice Doody's Review Services Doody's Review Services Source of Syndetics

Cover Art23, % Fiction & Biography Profiles % Publishers Weekly2, % Library Journal3, % School Library Journal % Booklist3, % CHOICE12, % Doody's Medical Reviews % Summaries & Annotations38, % Tables of Contents53, % First Chapters1, % Author Notes4, % Match Rates for Individual Features (Syndetics)

Syndetic Record (2a) : WebPac Display

Syndetic record (2b) : Book Jacket

Syndetic record (3a) : WebPac display

Syndetic record (3b): Additional Information

Syndetic Records with Annotation (3c)

Syndetic record with author note (4a)

Syndetic sample record with author note (4b)

Syndetic Record with Author note (4c)

Amazon AV record (2a) : WebPac Display

Amazon AV record with Product details and reviews (2b):

Amazon AV record with product details & reviews (2c):

Syndetic AV record with title profile (3a):

Syndetic AV record with title profile (3b):

Syndetic AV record with title profile (3c):

Amazon Audio Sample

Syndetic AV record with error (2a):

Syndetic sample record with error (2b):

Syndetic AV record with wrong link (2a):

Syndetic sample AV record with wrong link (2b):

Wrong image from Syndetics Syndetic sample AV record with wrong link (2c):

Correct Image

Syndetic sample AV record with mismatched image for the same title (3a):

From Syndetic Image from Syndetics

Correct Image for our holding (3c):

AmazonSyndetics No. of records Sent to Match* 76,374 No. of matched Records 69,18362,138 Average91%81% Overall ISBN Match Rates *Publication year between AmazonSyndetics No. of records Sent to Match* 76,374 No. of matched Records 69,18362,138 Average91%81%

Individual Match Rates : By Year Match rates (%) YearAmazonSyndetic %69% %73% %80% %83% %81% %84% %86% %86% %86% %86% Average91%81%

Individual Subject Match Rates Match Rate Subject (DDC) AmazonSyndetic Generalities ( ) 94%89% Phil. & Rel. Dis. ( ) 94%86% Religion ( ) 90%81% Social Sciences ( ) 90%81% Language ( ) 82%68% Pure Sciences ( ) 91%82% Tech. & Applied. Sci. ( ) 91%79% Arts ( ) 88%83% Literature ( ) 91%84% Geography & History ( ) 90%83%

AmazonSyndetics No. of records Matched 50 Coverage No. of matched Records 3414 Average rate68%28% Match Rates for New AV Titles

AmazonMatch RateSyndetics% Cover Image2958%1428% Book description/Summary 18 36% Error-- Review2346%Error-- About the author /Author Note 12%Error-- TOC12%Error-- Listen to Samples12%Error-- Match Rate for Individual Features (AV Title)

Lingnan joined Amazon’s associate program in Lingnan joined Amazon’s associate program in ,411 records were matched by now. 71,411 records were matched by now.

Library C “The enriched content was a *major* selling point in our Migration from GEAC to Sirsi's Unicorn for the public catalog. Here at the Central Site our members might notify us of 3-4 titles per month were some aspect of the enriched content does not match the actual title. For the most part we are pleased with Syndetic's enriched content.” “The enriched content was a *major* selling point in our Migration from GEAC to Sirsi's Unicorn for the public catalog. Here at the Central Site our members might notify us of 3-4 titles per month were some aspect of the enriched content does not match the actual title. For the most part we are pleased with Syndetic's enriched content.” Source: AUTOCAT

Library D (1) “We've been using the Syndetics Enhancements for around 2 years now, and we're very pleased with the service. From what I hear from our branch staff, our patrons love it as well. It is very easy to set up (we're currently using the III catalog, but we initially ran it on the DRA catalog--no problems with either one) … “We've been using the Syndetics Enhancements for around 2 years now, and we're very pleased with the service. From what I hear from our branch staff, our patrons love it as well. It is very easy to set up (we're currently using the III catalog, but we initially ran it on the DRA catalog--no problems with either one) …

Every once in a while we will run into a case where the jacket art is Mismatched with the bibliographic item, but they're very good about correcting these sorts of things in a timely fashion. I think that the best thing that Syndetics has going for it is that you know what you're getting … Every once in a while we will run into a case where the jacket art is Mismatched with the bibliographic item, but they're very good about correcting these sorts of things in a timely fashion. I think that the best thing that Syndetics has going for it is that you know what you're getting … Library D (2)

Amazon does have some features--such as reader reviews, 'people who bought this, also bought this'--that are quite nice, but for just basic, well thought out enhancements, you couldn't go wrong with Syndetics. While on the subject of Amazon, here's a couple of things to look at. That might show where catalogs might be heading in a while.” Amazon does have some features--such as reader reviews, 'people who bought this, also bought this'--that are quite nice, but for just basic, well thought out enhancements, you couldn't go wrong with Syndetics. While on the subject of Amazon, here's a couple of things to look at. That might show where catalogs might be heading in a while.” Source: AUTOCAT Library D (3)