Overdrive library search - why does this happen?

[4691mls]

I like to use Advanced Search to search for new books. I usually do this several times a week. I search for all ebooks added in the last 7 days. I sort by date added so the newest ones will be listed first. Once they come up, I look through all of them until I reach the books I saw on my previous search. I do this because 1) I will see if the library has added any books from authors I know I like; and 2) sometimes I come across an interesting-looking book that I might not have known about.

But I also occasionally search for an author I've read before in order to see if there's anything I haven't already read. And sometimes when I do this I will discover their most recent book has appeared, even though I never saw it while doing my new books search.

Am I doing something wrong in my new books search that causes me to miss some books? or is this an Overdrive issue that not all new books get found?

[JSWolf]

Next time you see this issue happen, try the 7 days search again and when the results come up, sort by author and then look or your the author. If you cannot find the book, try a 14 day search and srt by author again. Maybe you missed it the previous time you searched?

[4691mls]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Next time you see this issue happen, try the 7 days search again and when the results come up, sort by author and then look or your the author. If you cannot find the book, try a 14 day search and srt by author again. Maybe you missed it the previous time you searched?

I don't search all my favorite authors every week. Just every once in a while, I'll think "oh, I haven't read anything by Jane Doe in a while, let me see if the library has something I haven't read before". So if I do this and find a new book I could've missed it last week, or several months ago.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I don't search all my favorite authors every week. Just every once in a while, I'll think "oh, I haven't read anything by Jane Doe in a while, let me see if the library has something I haven't read before". So if I do this and find a new book I could've missed it last week, or several months ago.

If you select details for that book, you'll see when it was released. Then you can see when you may have missed it.

[John F]

Originally Posted by 4691mls

I like to use Advanced Search to search for new books. I usually do this several times a week. I search for all ebooks added in the last 7 days. I sort by date added so the newest ones will be listed first. Once they come up, I look through all of them until I reach the books I saw on my previous search. I do this because 1) I will see if the library has added any books from authors I know I like; and 2) sometimes I come across an interesting-looking book that I might not have known about.

But I also occasionally search for an author I've read before in order to see if there's anything I haven't already read. And sometimes when I do this I will discover their most recent book has appeared, even though I never saw it while doing my new books search.

Am I doing something wrong in my new books search that causes me to miss some books? or is this an Overdrive issue that not all new books get found?

I have very similar browsing habits to yours, and I think I see this behavior sometimes. I'll request an ebook through email to my library and they will add it, but it won't show up in the search (leaving the search field blank) when I sort by date last added in seven days. If I do search for the ebook title, it will show up. And this is for my local library, which doesn't add a lot of ebooks, so it would be tough to miss it.

[SteveEisenberg]

There's a bug in the Overdrive software.

If Overdrive listens to anyone, it is their best customers -- libraries with hundreds of thousands of Overdrive titles. So if I lived in some place like Singapore, or Los Angeles, or New York City, I might try finding the name of a local librarian who works with Overdrive, asking my bug report to be passed on. Be sure to give every little detail of at least two examples. Be sure to note the search date, the time, the author, the title, when you logged into the library (right before the search would be good), what browser you were using, what computer, and everything else you can think of.

If you weren't logged into the library before searching, try that, and vice versa, and report results.

Also, tell the librarian that you would be glad to be contacted with any questions, or for testing.

You may think there is no way you should need to do this. It's their job to figure it out. That's true. I'm saying as an, ahem, professional software developer, that it is hard to anticipate what tidbit of information is the vital clue making the different between a problem report that results in a fix, and one that is ignored.

[4691mls]

I'm glad to know it's not just me!
I guess I need to search some of my favorite authors more often if I want to keep current on their library listings.