Doctrinal and content notes

Doctrinal notes and content notes are short text fields on every book. They serve different audiences.

Doctrinal notes

A short note flagging anything noteworthy about the book's perspective — a particular viewpoint, a position the author takes, or an editorial stance worth knowing about before borrowing. Originally designed for libraries that wanted to flag a book's theological position, the field is useful for any library whose patrons benefit from knowing a book's angle.

Examples:

• "Vegan author; all recipes are plant-based"
• "Strongly left-leaning political analysis"
• "Free-market economic perspective throughout"
• "Author takes a critical view of modern psychiatry"
• "Specific denominational viewpoint on baptism" (for religious libraries)

Doctrinal notes are visible to anyone browsing the book — they sit just under the description in a soft yellow box labeled "Doctrinal Notes".

Content notes

A short note flagging mature content, references that might surprise a parent, or anything else patrons should know before they borrow.

Examples:

• "Brief depiction of violence in chapter 4"
• "Contains 2 instances of strong language"
• "Discusses sexual abuse"
• "Romance subplot; chaste but romantic tension"

Content notes are also visible to patrons, in a separate light-grey box.

When to use each

• Doctrinal notes — When the book takes a position your patrons might disagree with or want to know about
• Content notes — When the book has content that a thoughtful patron (especially a parent) would want to know about before borrowing

Best practices

• Keep notes short — one sentence is usually enough
• Be factual, not editorial ("Author argues for X position" not "Author is wrong about X")
• Don't moralize — let patrons decide
• Update notes if you re-read and revise your assessment

Hiding notes

Leave the field blank to hide it. Notes aren't required.