Help Me By Smart Logos

Can you provide a tool that will allow me to compare what is in my library with what I am thinking about purchasing.

e.g.

Master Library Builder (2,010 vols.) or other collections.

If I have one of the commentary sets, how do i know which volumes have been updated or added? WBC comes to mind.

Can you set up and auto scribe feature that sends me some sort of notification that a books of mine has been added to a collection i have?

Respectfully yours,

Bura Lee Robinson III

Logos Fan

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Tes

Can you provide a tool that will allow me to compare what is in my library with what I am thinking about purchasing.

e.g.

Master Library Builder (2,010 vols.) or other collections.

If I have one of the commentary sets, how do i know which volumes have been updated or added? WBC comes to mind.

Can you set up and auto scribe feature that sends me some sort of notification that a books of mine has been added to a collection i have?

Respectfully yours,

Bura Lee Robinson III

Logos Fan

Welcome to the forum Bura, here you have http://www.logos.com/comparison

Bura

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/350565#Comment_350565

Tes:

Thank you for reading and replying to my request. Over the years I have read and appreciated your contributions to the many Logos Forums. Blessings to you and yours.

Years ago I sent Bob a spreadsheet with as best I could understand the differences between the base packages and mentioned it be a great tool to see what upgrading a base package would get me. Weeks later he publish the now comparison page.

What I'm asking for now is the ability to look at a bundle like the Nelson 501 Book Unlock (501 vols.) and be able to see what I have vs what I will gain from the purchase.

Another example would be a commentary set I purchased e.g. Word Biblical Commentary or Life Application Commentary series. I would like to click on either and see what commentaries have been added to the set our updated via a new edition.

When we purchase a set of commentaries it would wonderful if we would receive and email letting us know that an additional volume was now available.

Matthew C Jones

Can you provide a tool that will allow me to compare what is in my library with what I am thinking about purchasing.

Dear Bura Lee Robinson III. [:D] Welcome to the forums.

I want to point you to one magnificent tool that I still use at least weekly. It was compiled by Praiser for the sole purpose of evaluating the 2010 book collection and comparing duplication across base packages. It is offered in a spreadsheet form and the second and third pages will amaze you. I use one copy of it to help me fill out incomplete collections at the greatest savings. No more delays. Go here:

http://community.logos.com/forums/p/27683/208253.aspx#208253 and download the spreadsheet file

3326.Logos Master Collection 2010 revised 12-31-2010.xlsx

Alexander

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/350592#Comment_350592

Bura - Your best option would be to call or email sales. Not only might they be able to get you a better deal on what you are looking for, they will be able to compare what you have with what is in the package and possibly give you credit for what you already own. When I reach out to sales, I always have a very positive experience.

Dan Francis

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/350592#Comment_350592

I own neither set but will say from the Nelson's offering I would greatly recommend the preachers Commentary and Word Biblical Commentary and are they main things i would want from the Nelson set.

The Weirsbe commentaries have a very nice devotional quality. The Pillar New Testament Commentaries and A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary are wonderful too in the master series. Lectionary Commentary is a most help set of books too. Wesleyan Bible Commentary is a great series as well, Holman New Testament Commentary is a fine one too.

I must admit I think the JPS series would also interest me in the master series, very much. Either set I would consider to be too expensive for me, not because they are not a great bargain, but because it contains things i would rarely use. A bargain is only such if you think or know you will be using them. Otherwise they are just clutter. For me to purchase either of these collection would be like purchasing neapolitan ice cream to get the strawberry ice-cream, I desire. If you desire the majority of the collection please consider purchasing it but if you only truly want a few choice items do not buy the fruit salad to pick out the strawberries when it would be more economical to purchase the strawberries you want.

Oh my, on reviewing this post i do believe my subconscious is directing me to some strawberries…. but I do hope I gave you some food for thought.

-Dan

Keep Smiling 4 Jesus :)

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/350592#Comment_350592

Years ago I sent Bob a spreadsheet with as best I could understand the differences between the base packages and mentioned it be a great tool to see what upgrading a base package would get me. Weeks later he publish the now comparison page.

Option: could email Bob or suggestions => http://www.logos.com/about/contact with link to this thread.

What I'm asking for now is the ability to look at a bundle like the Nelson 501 Book Unlock (501 vols.) and be able to see what I have vs what I will gain from the purchase.

+1 [Y] For product pages with collections and bundles, would be awesome to show which titles are already unlocked so can readily see what would be added by purchase.

Currently need to have my Logos library open so can check title by title to see what would be added.

Another example would be a commentary set I purchased e.g. Word Biblical Commentary or Life Application Commentary series. I would like to click on either and see what commentaries have been added to the set our updated via a new edition.

One idea is adding &unlocked=no to Logos.com search URL:

http://www.logos.com/products/search?q=word+biblical+commentary&unlocked=no

http://www.logos.com/products/search?q=application+commentary&unlocked=no

Keep Smiling [:)]

DMB

Bura .... your question is so interesting.

(1) It's a natural question. Many people have large libraries, they'd like to a collection and wish to know what might be new.

(2) So far anyway (maybe you'll hit paydirt), no one really has a solution for you. (I suspect the easiest way might be to buy it, see what downloads, see if you like it, and then call Logos for a refund if not; inefficient but certainly workable).

(3) The oddity, is that Logos knows exactly what you own. In fact, when you boot up your Logos4 to a pre-existing layout, it carefully checks to make sure you didn't slip in a ringer while they weren't looking. It certainly might have happened.

(4) And even more oddly, the Logos folks are by nature fanatical computer geeks, love books, and love to sell books. The forum members seem to be the same way ... many program, are fanatical in their interests, and love books too.

(5) This leads us to what 'should' be obvious: why is this such a difficult proposition (having been discussed over and over and over)?

Bura

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/350599#Comment_350599

I certainly understand I could call. But that would be inefficient for both Logos and myself.

Logos checks my library each time I suspect when I log on. They have a database of my collections.

I want to continue to support them but do not want to buy duplicates.

Graham Owen

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386394#Comment_386394

I want to continue to support them but do not want to buy duplicates.

As your library grows you will almost inevitably purchase some duplicates whenever you purchase a large collection (unless it is a collection of new/previously unavailable resources).

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386486#Comment_386486

Just a hint: I usually look closely at sales figures when I consider theological books: if it sells somewhat well (better than #60,000 best seller rank on Amazon regarding books that You don't actually expect to sell all that well) or extremely bad (worse than #1,350,000 place regarding commentaries or #2,800,000 regarding other quite specific theology books on Amazon) I get really suspicious. Sometimes I apply slightly different figures, for example I mostly want commentaries to sell better than #900,000 place.
You might keep in mind regarding these figures, that the theology fields I'm interested in, are a bit exceptional, or there aren't many books by contemporary authors that sell well in these fields: Catholicism is the closest match and Anabaptism the second closest match to my beliefs according to 2 tests I did 5 days ago on Selectsmart.com. I basically read only critical scholars, (but regarding Ethics I'm fundamentalist).

Carl Sanders

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386487#Comment_386487

While Amazon sales ranks sometimes helps, I would be a bit hesitant to build my library with too much attention to them. I not only buy lots of books, but also do extensive online selling of books, including many theological and biblical ones. Some of the best books (especially as one gets more technical or as they have been in print for quite a while) have fairly horrible Amazon numbers (at least compared to the metrics suggested by Unix). There are also problems with multiple versions of the same book (e.g., hardcover and paperback) which may have quite different sales ranks. It's not that a sales rank can't be of some help, but it's a rather blunt instrument (and I'm not sure anyone knows exactly how they work).

One other factor is the fluctuations in sales ranks. A brief story to illustrate. My dissertation (slightly revised) was published a few years back. Pretty technical and narrow as is common with such works. The sales rank as I currently type this is over 5,000,000 - and I think this fairly represents the narrow focus of the topic. I, of course, think it's an amazing work (and the reviews in the relevant journals were pretty positive!), but I can understand why most people don't find it worth purchasing even for its current bargain price - $70 new, or roughly $30 used. Back a few months ago, several people purchased copies within one week - and the sales rank soared to around 200,000. It's settled back down. So for infrequently purchased works, the sales rank can fluctuate widely. In addition, the sales rank is based only on Amazon sales - no Logos info, no bricks & mortar sales, no sales from other online sites, etc.

If you want more details on how sales rank works (from a forum on a site that supports book sellers - and for a product I don't use), you can check out this link: http://www.scanpower.com/fbablog/amazon-sales-rank-explained-what-it-is-what-it-is-not/. There are lots of other similar discussions which make some of the same points. Just google Amazon sales rank.

I'd personally focus more on tools that help you identify the quality of sources and think about the kind of use you expect to put them too. That might include some of the online tools that evaluate resources, bibliographies of recommendations, identifying the works most frequently cited in a particular field, etc.

Unix

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386493#Comment_386493

It's often hard to find data about what the author believes in regarding key beliefs and key critical scholarship issues (with ethical beliefs as a third priority).

I'd personally focus more on tools that help you identify the quality of sources and think about the kind of use you expect to put them too. That might include some of the online tools that evaluate resources, bibliographies of recommendations,

Yes, I often take that into consideration!

identifying the works most frequently cited in a particular field, etc.

fgh

https://community.logos.com/discussion/comment/386394#Comment_386394

I certainly understand I could call. But that would be inefficient for both Logos and myself.

Unfortunately Logos likes inefficient. They tend to give better prices if you're inefficient and call them than if you're efficient and buy from the website.