Hi, new user so sorry if this is a repeat post. I was wondering if there was any good way to determine the availability of a book, and on the other hand, the amount of demand for certain books. (Besides adding them to your wishlist in the case of the former.) 

So far, the only way i've found to check all this is to go on librarything.com pages for the books i am posting or requesting. Sorta strange that LT does but PBS doesn't have info on the availability of it's own books, unless am i wrong? Ideally (for someone of my generation who needs to process the info NOW, lol), the info for each book would be on its own PBS page in the "book information" details.

Not to be a big whiner, this is a great community!

If you add a book to your reminder list, it will show you how many copies are available.  And you will find quite a few people that agree with you that it's strange you have to do that.

They said they are working on the programming to have it show how many copies of a book are  posted and the rate at which it's being requested with an estimate to show when the last copy posted might be requested.  It won't show your place in line.  But it would give you an idea that keeping the book with 200 copies but a high request rate might be better than keeping the book with few copies but that's never requested. 

Hopefully they'll get that worked out soon. 

Thanks! In the meantime, i will do all my browsing on librarything. Kinna like knowing where i am in the line, though...

Nevermind. Figured it out. Didn't know LT showed PBS book info.

ETA: I don't think the LT info is all that correct, though. I just tested it with "Catcher in the Rye". It says that there are 112 copies of a particular edition available. I clicked on the link. It took me to PBS and the book is not available for order at all.

I don't know if this helps, but  do a LOT of browsing and when I find a book that interest me I put it in my reminder list.  Then, if I really want the book I have transferred it to my WL.  The reminder lets me know how many books there are of the ones I am interested.

The WL has let me know my ranking in the order of receiving the book.  I guess a N/A means that the book is not available, and so don't count on getting it in this lifetime (VBG). 

Janette