Managing Catalogs

Managing catalogs might sound a bit tricky, but don't worry, we've got you covered. It's actually a great way to organize your inventory and make it easier for customers to find the books they're looking for. Let's break it down in simple terms:

What Are Catalogs?

Think of catalogs like virtual shelves in your online bookstore. They help you group books by subjects, making it easier for customers to browse and find what they want.

Adding Catalog Data

You don't have to do this manually - that would be a lot of work! You can include catalog data when you upload your books. If you're unsure about how to do this, just drop us a line at [email protected], and we'll help you out.

What Catalogs Do for You:

1. Showcase Your Books: Your active catalogs will be displayed on your Biblio online store page. This means customers can browse your books by the catalog categories you've assigned.
   
2. Easy Navigation: Each book listing will include a link back to the catalog it belongs to. So, if a customer is interested in a specific subject, they can easily explore more books in that category.

Mapping to Biblio Categories

You can also link your catalogs to Biblio's categories, which helps customers find your books in the "Browse By Subject" section on Biblio.

How to Manage Catalogs

Here's a step-by-step guide to managing your catalogs:

1. Log in to your BiblioDirect account.
2. Click on "Inventory" at the top of the page.
3. Select "Manage catalogs" to get to your catalog list and tools.
   

Adding a New Catalog:

    1. Click on the "Add a new online catalogue" tab

    2. Give your catalog a name and choose its status as "active" or "inactive." You turn catalogs on        and off anytime.
    3. Write a brief description of the catalog if you wish. That step is not required.

    4. Click "Add."

Managing Existing Catalogs:

Once your catalog is set up, you can make changes anytime.

1. Change its status to "on" or "off" to activate or deactivate it.
2. Adjust the display name if you want it to appear differently to customers.
3. Edit the description to give more details about the subject.
4. Link it to Biblio's Categories so customers can find it when using our page for browsing by subject. To do so, choose a subject heading in the drop-down under "Categories".
   

Adding Books to a Catalog:

There's more than one way to create new catalogs and to add books to your catalogs. If you use inventory management software that lets you add catalog data, you would simply upload to us and your catalogs will be created and the books will be included in them. You can always add and edit them later. If you're not sure about this please email us at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help.

Let's start on the catalog management screen. Take a look at the end of the row under "Actions":

Click on the search icon to view items already in that catalog. 

Click on the lighting icon to automatically run a search for listings of yours that might suit that catalog. You'll be able to check the listings you want to add and then add them or cancel.

Check on the trash can if you want to remove the catalog altogether.

Adding Listings to Catalogs One at a Time

On each individual listing page, you'll see where you can add that listing to an online catalog, and create a new catalog if you don't already have one that fits that book. You can add any individual listing to multiple catalogs. Go to the "Edit listing" page for any of your books and here's what you'll see:

Click on the plus sign and you'll see this appear:

You can choose to add it to an existing catalog, or create a new catalog. Be sure you click "Add" when you're done. You can repeat this step to add that listing to multiple catalogs. If you want to remove the listing from a catalog, just click the "X" next to the catalog name.

FAQ: If I Perform a Purge-and-Replace, Will that Erase My Catalog Data?

Answer: NO!

Performing a purge and replace of your uploaded book data will not remove uploaded catalogs. If you have catalogs that you want to add or remove, use our catalog management system.

If you want to purge and replace your catalogs, please contact [email protected] with a request to purge your catalogs. We recommend having a complete and current inventory file ready to upload, especially if you are trying to replace your catalog data with updated catalog information in your database. If you just want to purge them without replacing them, include that information in your email request.

If you ever need help or have questions about managing your catalogs, don't hesitate to reach out to us. We're always here to assist you!