Introducing Talpa Search, the revolutionary AI-powered library search tool brought to you by LibraryThing. With Talpa Search, finding any book or media has never been easier. Powered by true and authoritative bibliographic data, this tool combines the advanced AI capabilities of Claude AI from Anthropic and ChatGPT from OpenAI with data from Bowker, Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest, and LibraryThing.
So, how does Talpa Search work? It utilizes AI technology in two ways. Firstly, it queries large language models to validate every item against trusted bibliographic data. Secondly, it harnesses the natural-language abilities of these models to understand and answer queries, using traditional library data. Unlike other chatbots, Talpa Search won’t create imaginary books—it only presents accurate information from its massive storehouse of bibliographic data.
Talpa Search’s ability to identify books by their cover designs is thanks to the efforts of book lovers who have played LibraryThing’s CoverGuess cover-tagging game since 2010. This community-driven feature allows for more precise results.
What sets Talpa Search apart is its integration with library holdings, giving priority to items in your library’s collection. Results can also include items not in your collection, appearing further down the list. This ensures users have access to a comprehensive search experience.
For a limited time, Talpa Search is completely free to all libraries using Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest and LibraryThing. Take advantage of this opportunity and configure Talpa Search, receiving links and buttons for your website through the Syndetics Unbound Admin.
Keep in mind that Talpa Search is still an experiment, and LibraryThing welcomes feedback to further enhance its capabilities. It’s essential to note that the tool performs exceptionally well in finding older titles, but may have limitations with recently-published ones. Also, search results are influenced by the holdings of participating libraries, with items not available in a library marked with black-and-white covers.
If you have any suggestions or comments, be sure to reach out to info@librarything.com or click “Find Out More” within Talpa Search to access the “What Do You Think?” section.
Talpa Search is a creation of LibraryThing, the platform behind the popular personal cataloging site LibraryThing.com and the efficient catalog system, TinyCat. In collaboration with ProQuest, they proudly present Syndetics Unbound, the co-creator of this groundbreaking tool.
The name “Talpa” derives from the Latin word for mole, symbolizing a tool that unearths hidden treasures of knowledge. Now you have a chance to experience the power of Talpa Search, powered by data from LibraryThing.com, Bowker, and Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest.
Discover the future of library searches with Talpa Search. Check its availability and take your library’s search capabilities to the next level. Don’t miss out, try Talpa Search today!
