Getting Started as an Open Librarian

So you've been browsing Open Library and noticed something that could be better — a missing cover, a wrong publication date, an author with no biography. Good news: you can fix it. This guide walks you through your first contribution and, if you'd like to go further, how to join the Librarians-in-Training (LIT) program.

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1. Create an account

Go to openlibrary.org/account/create and sign up for free. You'll need an email address. Once verified, you're ready to contribute.

Already have an Internet Archive account? Open Library is part of the Internet Archive — you can log in with the same credentials.

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2. Understand what you can edit

Open Library has three main types of records, and any account holder can edit all of them:

• Works — The abstract idea of a book (title, subject, description). One work can have many editions. Work IDs end with W (e.g. OL5731538W).
  
• Editions — A specific physical or digital release (publisher, year, ISBN, cover image, page count). You may also see this called a manifestation in library cataloguing terminology. Edition IDs end with M.
  
• Authors — A person's name, bio, birth/death dates, and links to external databases like Wikidata. Author IDs end with A (e.g. OL4586796A).

If you see an Edit button on a page, you're allowed to edit it.

Understanding identifiers

Any time you see a pattern like OL123A, you're looking at a unique Open Library identifier. The prefix OL marks it as Open Library's own ID (distinct from ISBNs and other identifiers). The number is a sequential record count, and the final letter is the record type: A for author, W for work, M for edition, L for list. These IDs appear in the page URL when you visit a record.

Important: Record IDs should never be repurposed or reassigned. Doing so can corrupt reading logs, break lists, and damage API integrations for other users.

A note on author disambiguation

Sometimes works by different authors with the same name get combined under one profile — this is called conflation. If you notice this, do not try to fix it yourself. Email openlibrary@archive.org instead, as resolving conflated profiles requires elevated privileges and care to avoid data loss.

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3. Find something to improve

You don't need a plan — just start with something you notice. Your own bookshelf is a great place to look. Some easy first contributions:

• A book missing its cover image
  
• A publication date that's wrong or blank
  
• An author with no biography
  
• A typo in a title or description

You can also browse Recent Community Edits to see what others are working on.

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4. Make your first edit

A word of caution: Before changing existing metadata, make sure the record is actually wrong and not simply a different edition than the one you have in mind. The same work can have many editions with legitimately different publishers, dates, and page counts. When in doubt, check the edition's other details or review the edit history before making changes.

Editing an edition (book record)

1. Find the book page you want to improve.
   
2. Click Edit in the top-right area of the page.
   
3. Fill in or correct fields for publisher, publication date, ISBN, language, pages, etc.
   
4. In the "Please, leave a short note about what you changed:" field, briefly describe your change (e.g. "Added publication date and publisher").
   
5. Click Save.

Editing a work

On a book's main page, look for the Work Details tab in the edit view. Here you can update the description, subjects, and series information. When adding or editing an author, type their name and select them from the dropdown — if you just type without selecting, it won't be saved.

Editing an author

Navigate to the author's page and click Edit. You can add a bio, birth and death dates, a Wikipedia link, and identifiers like their Wikidata ID.

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5. Add a new book or edition

Before adding anything, search first. Duplicates are one of the most common issues on Open Library.

If the work doesn't exist at all:

1. Click Add a Book in the navigation menu (under "Contribute").
   
2. Fill in the fields: title, author, publisher, publication date, format, and ISBN if available.
   
3. Click Save. This creates both a work and an edition at the same time.

If the work exists but your specific edition doesn't (e.g. the 1995 paperback is listed but not the 2003 ebook):

1. Go to the work's page.
   
2. Click Add an Edition near the edition list.
   
3. Fill in the edition-specific details — publisher, date, ISBN, format, language.
   
4. Click Save. This adds a new edition under the existing work without creating a duplicate work record.

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6. Add a cover image

1. On a book's page, click the cover placeholder (or the existing cover if you have a better one).
   
2. Upload an image file or paste one directly.
   
3. Use the front cover only, and make sure it matches the specific edition you're editing.
   
4. Do not replace an existing cover unless it is clearly incorrect.

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7. A few good habits

• Cite your source. Note where you found a fact (e.g. "Publication date from copyright page") in the edit note field when saving.
  
• Check your work. After saving, click History to see a log of all edits and compare versions.
  
• Merging duplicates requires additional privileges. If you find duplicate records, focus on reporting them rather than trying to merge them yourself — that requires elevated permissions (see the LIT section below).

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Where to get help

• Open Library Help Center
  
• Editing FAQ
  
• Librarians Portal
  
• Open Library on GitHub — for bugs or code contributions
  
• Slack — Email openlibrary@archive.org to request an invitation

Ready to go further? See the Librarians-in-Training Guide.