now allowed to be posted on PBS? I've seen several posted, and I know children's coloring books aren't allowed. Thanks. Pat

They have ISBNs, so they show up. Along with calendars. But there were so many problems and confusion with pages being colored that coloring books were not allowed.

Another interesting question is whether or not they can be sent using Media Mail.

The PBS rules state that coloring books are not allowed, without distinguishing between children's and adult coloring books. Because many of these have ISBNs, however, they find their way into the PBS database either by automatic importation from a data service or by members posting them.

My understanding is that neither are considered swappable on the site because they are not books that can be read. There could also easily be issues if one or more pages had any coloring whatsoever since PBS rules also state that books should not have "highlighting, underlining or writing on text pages", and I would interpret this to mean that no pages could be colored at all if coloring books were allowed.

Media Mail definition refers to books with text on the pages. Coloring books do not usually have text on their pages so they do not qualify for Media Mail and are therefore in the rules as not swappable (the listing for Not Allowed just says "Coloring Books" it doesn't distinguish between children and adult). 

They cannot be posted to the system for credit. You can offer them in the Book Bazaar as long as you do not post them to the system once a deal is figured out - you need to PM addresses and use the Give Credit button, and you cannot send them Media Mail.

I once got a deck of cards when I thought I had ordered a book.  Yes, they had text on them, but..............

The sender's excuse was 'well, it had an ISBN'.  So as we know, just cause it has an ISBN doens't mean it meets guidelines for postability here.

Yes, as Jeanne pointed out, just because something has an ISBN does not mean that it is allowed to be swapped here.

I remember that not long after I first joined that I posted a deck of foreign language "flash cards". I thought that this was okay because they had text and I considered them to be a valuable learning tool. The deck had an ISBN, was complete and in very good condition. When I uploaded an image for card box it was denied and I was informed that the cards were not postable.

LIke Diane, I'm thinking they are technically unswappable because coloring books may not meet criteria for Media Mail (and the potential for used pages)

I don't really agree with them being excluded, but I recognize that the decision has to be made and it has been. Since there are so many unswappable things that do have ISBNs, I really think the database needs to have a way to exclude them from being wished for and posted. There are a lot of rules to read, remember and follow so if we can make it harder to break this one, I think we should. I have wished for and recieved several decks of cards, for example, and I was happy because I knew what they were before ordering them. Preventing people from being disappointed should be a priority, though, and that goes for people who post things that are not allowed and lose out on a credit.

I don't really see a problem with posting and trading items that have ISBN numbers as long as they are identified correctly for what they are so that requestors know what they will be getting. However, the site objectives are to maintain PBS strictly as a book swapping site, so the issue is basically about which items are acceptable as books, and which are not.

In the example I cited above, even though a set of foreign language flashcards could be a valuable learning tool and had an ISBN, they did not comprise an actual book and therefore did not meet site requirements for postability as a book.

Coloring books, on the other hand, are bound publications that may or may not have ISBNs, and I don't see the problem with swapping them as long as they are identified as such and requestors are aware that these are coloring books and not printed books that can be read.

Chris, one of the biggest reasons everything with an ISBN cannot be posted and traded on this site is that not everything can be mailed as MEDIA MAIL. Even though an item may have an ISBN, it may not qualify for media mail status. Being able to mail books at one of the very lowest costs is one of the major advantages of this site.

Pam

Thanks for the reminder, Pamela. I was thinking only about which publications, either with or without ISBN numbers, were acceptable on the site as books and, more precisely, as readable books. You are right about Post Office restrictions regarding what can be sent as Media Mail, and it really has nothing to do with ISBN numbers but rather with content and type of media.

Here is a link to the Post Office website for USPS Media Mail Service. It is concise and has some additional details not included in the PBS help doc What materials can be sent by Media Mail postage rate?

So, it is a matter not only of "what constitutes a swappable book", but also of "what is acceptable as Media Mail".

Adult coloring books are very popular tho, and would probably find a home if posted in the Book Bazaar.  Just remember to mail them First Class instead of Media Mail.

Adult coloring books are very popular tho, and would probably find a home if posted in the Book Bazaar.  Just remember to mail them First Class instead of Media Mail.