What is Talpa?

Talpa is an innovative AI-driven library search tool designed to assist users in locating books and various media through natural language queries. By merging artificial intelligence (AI) with reliable book data, Talpa delivers precise and pertinent search results.

What Makes Talpa Unique?

Talpa distinguishes itself by employing AI in two primary ways:

• It utilizes large language models from Anthropic and OpenAI to generate book recommendations, subsequently verifying each suggestion against actual library catalogs and databases for accuracy.
• It leverages natural language processing to comprehend search queries, aligning them with subjects, tags, characters, and other metadata to identify relevant books.

For instance, if you input “novels about World War 2 in France,” Talpa will recognize the keywords and return books set in France during that period.

Key Features

Talpa boasts several notable features:

• Natural language search capabilities for books, movies, music, and more.
• Verification of every suggestion against library catalogs and databases.
• Understanding of search queries based on subjects, tags, characters, and other metadata.
• Prioritization of items within your library’s collection.
• Identification of books by cover design, utilizing data from LibraryThing’s CoverGuess game.
• Compatibility with various media types, including books, ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music.

Pros & Cons Table

Who is Using Talpa?

Talpa is tailored for:

• Public and academic libraries
• Library users and patrons
• Librarians and library staff
• Anyone engaging with library collections and databases

It serves a diverse range of libraries, including public, academic, school, special, and government libraries.

Support Options

Currently, support options for Talpa are limited as it is still in the experimental stage. Talpa integrates with:

• Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest
• LibraryThing data
• Bowker data

Please note that there is no API access available at this time.

Pricing

Talpa is presently offered free of charge for libraries utilizing Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest and LibraryThing. Future pricing and plans are yet to be determined.

Please note that pricing information may not be up to date. For the most accurate and current pricing details, refer to the official Talpa website.

Integrations and API

Talpa integrates seamlessly with:

• Syndetics Unbound from ProQuest
• LibraryThing data
• Bowker data

Currently, there is no API access available.

FAQ

• Who created Talpa? Talpa was developed by LibraryThing, the organization behind LibraryThing.com and TinyCat, in collaboration with ProQuest.
• What does “Talpa” mean? “Talpa” is derived from Latin, meaning “mole” (the animal).
• Where can I learn more about Talpa? Visit the Syndetics Unbound site for more information and setup instructions. You can also reach out via email at info@librarything.com for inquiries.

Useful Links and Resources

• Syndetics Unbound Site
• LibraryThing Site
• Talpa Setup Instructions
• Contact Email for Questions