This Val automatically enriches your existing "val Book Lookup" database by fetching comprehensive metadata from Google Books API.
You already have the perfect setup! Your "val Book Lookup" database contains:
- Title ✓
- Author ✓
- ISBN ✓
- Year Published ✓
- Page Count ✓
- Publisher ✓
The Val will:
- Find records with Title + Author but missing other data
- NEW: Find records with ISBN but missing Title + Author
- Search Google Books API for metadata
- Fill in the empty fields automatically
- Add books to "val Book Lookup" → Enter either:
- Title + Author (traditional method), OR
- Just ISBN (new method!)
- Press the button (visit your Val URL) → It fills in all available metadata
- Link to your main Books database via Relations/Rollups
Method 1: Title + Author (your existing workflow)
- Add Title and Author to a new record
- Script finds ISBN, year, page count, publisher, etc.
Method 2: ISBN Only (new capability!)
- Add just the ISBN to a new record
- Script finds Title, Author, year, page count, publisher, etc.
- Perfect for when you have a book in hand but don't want to type the details
- Add books to "val Book Lookup" → Enter either:
- Title + Author (traditional method), OR
- Just ISBN (new method!)
- Press the button (visit your Val URL) → It fills in all available metadata
- Link to your main Books database via Relations/Rollups
Method 1: Title + Author (your existing workflow)
- Add Title and Author to a new record
- Script finds ISBN, year, page count, publisher, etc.
Method 2: ISBN Only (new capability!)
- Add just the ISBN to a new record
- Script finds Title, Author, year, page count, publisher, etc.
- Perfect for when you have a book in hand but don't want to type the details
Your script pulls comprehensive data from Google Books API:
Core Fields (currently in your table):
- ✅ ISBN - Prefers ISBN-13, falls back to ISBN-10
- ✅ Year Published - Extracted from publication date
- ✅ Page Count - Direct from Google Books
- ✅ Publisher - Direct from Google Books
- ✅ Description - Available (add column to see it)
Rich Metadata Available (add these columns to capture):
- Subtitle (Rich text) - Book subtitle
- Categories (Multi-select) - Genre/subject categories
- Average Rating (Number) - Google Books rating
- Ratings Count (Number) - Number of ratings
- Language (Rich text) - Book language
- Published Date (Rich text) - Full publication date
- Preview Link (URL) - Google Books preview
- Info Link (URL) - Google Books info page
- Image Links (Rich text) - Book cover images (JSON)
Your system is already configured! Just make sure:
NOTION_API_TOKENpoints to your integrationNOTION_DATABASE_IDpoints to your "val Book Lookup" database
To process all incomplete records:
Visit: https://your-val-url.web.val.run/
To check system status:
Visit: https://your-val-url.web.val.run/status
To process a specific record:
Visit: https://your-val-url.web.val.run/process/RECORD_ID
To see all available endpoints:
Visit: https://your-val-url.web.val.run/help
To connect your "val Book Lookup" to your main reading database:
-
Add Relation Property to your main Books database:
- Name: "Book Info"
- Type: Relation
- Related database: "val Book Lookup"
-
Add Rollup Properties to show metadata:
- ISBN: Rollup → Book Info → ISBN
- Year: Rollup → Book Info → Year Published
- Pages: Rollup → Book Info → Page Count
- Publisher: Rollup → Book Info → Publisher
Now when you add a book to your main database, just link it to the corresponding record in "val Book Lookup"!
GET /- Process all incomplete recordsGET /status- Check configurationGET /process/:recordId- Process specific recordGET /health- Health check
/backend/index.ts- Main HTTP handler with manual trigger/backend/notion.ts- Notion API integration with comprehensive metadata support/backend/books.ts- Google Books API with extensive metadata extraction/backend/processor.ts- Processing logic for enriching records
✅ Works with your existing setup
✅ Comprehensive Google Books metadata (15+ fields available)
✅ Smart matching algorithm (exact + relaxed search)
✅ Only fills empty fields (preserves your data)
✅ Manual button-press execution (no unwanted automation)
✅ Links to your reading database via Relations/Rollups
✅ Expandable with more metadata columns (just add them to Notion)