Goodreads Librarians Group discussion

I read the examples here:
http://www.goodreads.com/help/show/62...

where specifically says (bolding for emphasis are mine):
The only exceptions are those where the author is known primarily by a name that includes the honorific:
Example:
Mahatma Gandhi (not Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi)

and yet what we have is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

which one should we use?

I agree completely. I've seen his and Sir Walter Scott's changed a lot; really odd seeing Mahatma Gandhi changing since his author profile is an example used in the librarian manual and supposedly every librarian read...it's even a help topic as you noted.

The change was a recent one and I'm sure it needs to be revoked.

I hesitate to keep editing entries for the über well-known or religiously significant authors that go back and forth so much. Maybe a strongly worded librarian note from Rivka could be added?

at the moment I will be pooling all the mohandas and mahatma gandhi out there (if ever found more) to that one profile just because it looks like to be the most "offcial".

otsn, it seems that special permission can be given to some goodreads author (or their pseudonym):
http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
http://www.goodreads.com/author/edit/...

Huh? How is pooling anything explaining Gandhi profile change against librarian manual and help screen notes?

And once a goodreads author, like one of your links for the Dr. Brandy Engler, how can you even see the librarian note to tell if was an exception or if just listed that way against policy? The other example has a whole long thread and, unusually for librarian issues, Patrick did weigh in with an exception and a librarian note stating. Search did not find "Engler" in any of librarian group threads so I sincerely doubt an exception was made (plus doubt author well known enough, judging by number of ratings, that it's a single book out in Dec. 2012 by an author not heard of on goodreads until last November, that an exception would be likely. No offense to Dr. Engler but way more likely the profile too new to have been caught than that she is as famous as Dr. Seuss much less the revered Gandhi).

And, even if special permission were to be eventually given, the name has to follow goodreads standards until permission given.

Gandhi is one entry already discussed and decided and I cannot imagine goodreads wanting to go through the discussions all over again. Not a new author requesting an exception made. Nor a deceased author that the goodreads database is encountering for the first time and needing a ruling on what is standard. That profile is specifically one of the entries actually in the manual and the help screens so not likely to be changed (if you were to manage to get an exception—still needs to match what's specified in manual until staff approves the change).

I just keep seeing the profile changing; actually haven't seen any librarian threads asking for a change or an exception to Gandhi profile although possibly staff have been contacted by pm or by contact form. No discussions, just librarians changing.

Exactly why was listed in manual and help topic. I would expect if all of a sudden staff was changing the standard for his name that at minimum there would be a librarian note and likely they would change manual and help screens to reflect the reversal of the previous standard.

Fixed Ghandi (again) and added note (again).

Fixed the GR author. (Left the one that is a pen-name for an imaginary person, rather than an actual doctor.)

It's absolutely horrid that librarian notes get deleted (unless staff replacing with one of their own). Infuriating. Why would anyone delete the note? Just messes things up.

Does deleting a librarian note show in change log?

Neither adding nor removing a note shows up in the log. However, if someone (accidentally or otherwise) merged that profile in the wrong direction with another version of the name, the Note would also disappear. Looks like that probably happened here.

Ouch. Librarian notes going away is scary.

What I meant is that when I posted the above question, the only "official" profile (=with all the data and bio available) is the one I linked (Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi). Just to make all his books follow the author profile when a higher power than me decide to change it back to Mahatma Gandhi.

And since Rivka changed it back to Mahatma Gandhi, and putting a librarian note, I will follow that rule accordingly.

@rivka,
To merge the author profile, one need to access the author profile to match the name of the profiles, no? I mean, is it possible for someone to merge Mahatma Gandhi to M.K. Gandhi without seeing the librarian notes?
eta: the name is Gandhi, not Ghandi.

Nenangs wrote: "Mahatma Gandhi to M.K. Gandhi without seeing the librarian notes?"

If the one they edit is the M.K. Gandhi page, then yes.


Nenangs wrote: "the name is Gandhi, not Ghandi."

Fixed, thanks.

Would it be worth bending the rules slightly (a lot!) and making Gandhi into a Goodreads Author? It would protect the account from these frequent renamings and probably not interfere with normal librarian tasks too much.

GR Authors must be living.

rivka wrote: "GR Authors must be living."

I know. Thinks. 'Plan B', have a category of author which will behave like a Goodreads Author (ie. is locked against everyone except staff). PTB could create it in the same way as a GR Author with a dummy user account to claim it.

It was just a thought, but how many times has Gandhi been renamed? Everytime he gets a new name we get a splurge of new books added to what his name should be (and the usual misspellings of course).

If he were locked, all other name variants would have to get merged by staff, just like every variant of E.L. James does.

No thanks. :P