What does it do?
Wake County Library Lookup is a greasemonkey script for Firefox that alerts you if any editions of the current book you are browsing on Amazon.com are available at the Wake County Public Libary.
Download version 0.2 of January, 2007
Screenshots
Why?
If this idea sounds familiar, it's because Jon Udell did it six months ago. I was inspired by his script, and decided to write my own version from the ground up.
Why the rewrite? Why not simply modify Udell's script?
My script is slightly more sophisticated than Udell's. The problem with Jon's script is that it only searches for the one edition of the book that you're currently browsing.
For instance, if you're looking at the paperback edition of a book on Amazon, but the library only stocks the hardcover edition then you get a "no". As a result, any time you're browsing a book on Amazon the script reports "no" then you have to wonder whether it's lying to you.
On the other hand, my script searches all editions of the book you're browsing. It lets you know if any editions are available, and if so, which ones.
I've found this to be very helpful, and it has increased my usage of the library tremendously.
How do I install it?
You must be using Firefox. You must have the greasemonkey extension installed (this takes five clicks).
Step 1
After you have these, using Firefox, download the latest version of the script from the link above. The script will be displayed in your browser.
Step 2
With the script displayed in Firefox, select Tools > Install User Script.
Step 3
Click OK to accept the default configuration and install.
That's it. You can try viewing an Amazon.com item to ensure that the script is installed properly.
How do I uninstall it?
In Firefox, select Tools > Manage User Scripts. Select "Wake County Library Lookup" from the left-hand column, and click Uninstall.
The Future
I have time then I'll write dialects for the Duke, UNC, and Orange County libraries. I'd do one for the Durham County Library, except their online catalog seems to be trapped in the mid 1990s when Java Applets were the way of the future.
I've written the script so that only one function need be modified to adapt it to different libraries. Please feel free to write a version for your own local library, and post it to the Greasemonkey script repository!