Greetings Logos Users.
We need your feedback on this question: Would you find it valuable to have more consistent author names, even if there are some unwanted short-term side effects?
Over the years we have worked hard to standardize how author names appear in our library and on logos.com.
This works well for Logos Editions where we have the ability to control the metadata. It breaks down for Faithlife Ebooks.
For Faithlife Ebooks we use an automated system that pulls book information directly from publisher data. Because publishers don’t always follow the same conventions we use, this can lead to multiple display names for the same author. This makes searching for products and finding the author you want in your library harder.
We have an improvement ready to go that will solve this problem. Multiple display names for a single author will be a thing of the past. It will also solve the problem where some authors display as “First Last” and others as “Last, First”:
As excited as we are about this improvement, it would have two potentially unwelcomed side effects. And we wanted to give you a heads-up and hear your reaction to them.
1. Sort order in the Details view in the library
Our primary sort order in the details view in the library has been “Last, First”.
This will change.
The new primary sort order in the details view in the library will be “First Last”.
We will probably be able to change this in the future back to “Last, First,” but we didn’t want to hold up shipping these improvements unnecessarily.
In the meantime, you’ll still be able to use the find box or the author facet to filter down and find the author you’re looking for.
2. Collection rules
In this forum thread users have shared some of their collections. In some collections, they assume the author name following a “Last, First” format. There is a potential for some of these collections to be altered. We’ve run some tests internally, and it appears the changes will be minimal but they might occur.
We’re interested in getting your feedback. We’re leaning toward shipping these improvements with these two drawbacks, and addressing them later. But we want to make sure you’re aware and on board. Please let us know what you think. Your input will help us figure out the best way to move forward.
