Update Locate Button to navigate to Book Page section

[mekarpeles]

Issue Refinement

Summary

The "Locate" button currently redirects patrons off-site to WorldCat when a book isn't available to borrow or read on Open Library. This issue proposes keeping those patrons on-site by redirecting the button to the OL edition/book page itself, specifically to a section surfacing price/vendor purchasing options and nearby library availability. Given the button receives hundreds of thousands of clicks, this is a meaningful retention opportunity and could improve discoverability of the already-existing vendor and library data we surface on edition pages.

The proposal is directionally clear but technically underspecified — the "locate section" it refers to may already partially exist (the edition page has both WorldcatLink and affiliate buy links in a mobile-vendor panel), but it's unclear whether those sections need to be redesigned, promoted, or if a new anchor-targeted section is needed.

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Requirements

• Determine whether the existing edition page vendor/library sections (WorldCat link + affiliate links) are sufficient as a "locate" destination, or if a new dedicated section is needed
• Change the Locate button href from /books/{key}/-/borrow?action=locate to /books/{key}#locate (or equivalent anchor)
• Optionally: remove or repurpose the action=locate server-side redirect in borrow.py (L126–127)
• The "locate" section on the edition page should prominently surface: nearby library availability (currently WorldCat link) + purchase options (currently affiliate links)
• Confirm the section renders correctly for editions missing ISBN/OCLC identifiers (graceful degradation)
• Verify analytics tracking — current data-ol-link-track="CTAClick|Locate" should continue working

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Success Criteria

• Clicking "Locate" no longer sends patrons to WorldCat; they stay on the OL edition page
• The edition page "locate" destination contains meaningful library and vendor data
• Analytics confirm a measurable reduction in off-site WorldCat referrals and/or improvement in on-site session continuity
• All existing tests pass; LocateButton continues to render in search results, carousels, and the edition read panel

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Relevant Files, Components, & Changes

• openlibrary/macros/LocateButton.html — renders the Locate CTA button; locateUrl currently points to borrow?action=locate. This is the primary change point for the href.
• openlibrary/plugins/upstream/borrow.py#L126-L127 — action == 'locate' triggers web.seeother(edition.get_worldcat_url()). This redirect should be removed or changed.
• openlibrary/plugins/upstream/models.py#L112-L119 — get_worldcat_url() on the Edition model; may become vestigial if this feature ships.
• openlibrary/templates/type/edition/view.html#L310-L321 — the existing mobile-vendor panel with WorldcatLink + Buy this book / affiliate_links; the "locate section" destination likely lives here.
• openlibrary/macros/WorldcatLink.html — "Check nearby libraries" section that still links to WorldCat; consider whether this should also be revised or if it's acceptable as a secondary link.
• openlibrary/macros/LoanStatus.html#L139-L152 — renders LocateButton in the fallback $else branch when a book is not borrowable/readable.

Reference commits (upstream internetarchive/openlibrary):

• #9952 — closed Dec 2024, introduced LocateButton.html and the borrow?action=locate flow in the first place (by @SivanC). This is the direct predecessor to this issue.

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Related Issues, PRs, Dependencies

• internetarchive/openlibrary#9952 ✅ closed/completed — "Replace 'Not In Library' with Locate button" — introduced the current Locate→WorldCat flow this issue proposes to change
• internetarchive/openlibrary#5831 ✅ closed — "Unified Read Button Dropper" — related work on the read panel button architecture

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Risks, Considerations, Uncertainties

1. WorldCat still in the loop: The edition page's WorldcatLink macro still links out to WorldCat. This issue may partially address off-site exits but doesn't eliminate them — worth discussing whether WorldCat links on the book page itself should also eventually be replaced.
2. Editions without rich metadata: Editions lacking ISBN/OCLC/affiliate data will have a sparse or empty "locate section." The UX for those cases needs explicit design consideration.
3. Search results / carousels: The LocateButton renders in non-edition contexts (search, carousels) where there's no full edition page sidebar. A redirect to /books/{key} from those surfaces should still work, but the anchor behavior needs verification.
4. Analytics continuity: The current CTAClick|Locate tracking fires on the button click regardless of destination. If the URL changes significantly, ensure the tracking attribute still fires.
5. Performance: The edition page has render timers. Adding a prominent new section may require caching consideration, especially if vendor/library API calls (BetterWorldBooks, etc.) are invoked on more page loads.
6. Proposal vagueness: The issue body has empty Proposal and Requirements Checklist fields. This needs fleshing out before a contributor picks it up.

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🔔 Stakeholders Notified

• @mekarpeles — issue author and program lead; the "hundreds of thousands of clicks" data point likely came from internal analytics, needs to provide destination spec
• @cdrini — owns search/editions infrastructure; Locate button renders in search results and carousels, changes there need his eyes
• @lokesh — front-end/design lead; if a new "locate section" needs to be designed or the edition page sidebar needs redesign, this is his domain

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Prescriptions

• Needs: Breakdown is correctly applied — the proposal lacks a concrete spec for what the "locate section" looks like on the book page. Before a contributor starts, someone needs to answer: does the existing mobile-vendor panel suffice, or does a new #locate anchor section need to be built?
• Needs: Lead is correctly applied — this touches a high-traffic CTA and requires a product-informed decision on destination design.
• The mechanical change in borrow.py and LocateButton.html is straightforward (~2–3 lines), but the design/scope of the destination section is the real work.
• Once scoped, the backend change (removing the action=locate redirect) could be a Good First Issue in isolation.

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Breakdown

Implementation Details (for maintainers)

Related files

Refer to this map of common Endpoints:
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Requirements Checklist

Checklist of requirements that need to be satisfied in order for this issue to be closed:

• [ ]

Stakeholders

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[eshantharjun9-hub]

/assign. @eshantharjun9-hub