Book request form: let readers suggest titles for your library

Book requests arrive in the corridor and at the desk, and the same title is asked for again and again. I would rather give readers a link. Anyone can suggest a title, say who it is for and explain why. The librarian counts the repeats in one sheet.

The three parts of the form

About the book: title, author, series, format and a link to its page. This lets you find the exact edition.

About the reader: who it is for and what kind of book it is. This shows gaps in the shelves.

About the request: why the library should have it, whether a class needs it and whether the requester wants the first loan.

Who fills it and who reads it

Students, teachers and parents fill it from a link on the library page. The librarian reads the rows as JSON or CSV. A visitor's AI might ask: "What is the title and author?" Then "Who is it for?" Then "Why should the library have it?" It shows the answers and sends only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms and forms for schools.

A tip

Count repeats, and keep class requests in a separate pass because they have a deadline. Recruit shelf helpers with a volunteer application form, and run a reading trivia quiz when the new books arrive.

Questions

How do I spot a title that many people asked for?

Download the CSV and sort by book_title. Repeated titles sit together, so you can count them quickly and buy the most requested ones first.

Can a requester say the book is for class?

Yes. The needed_for_class box names the class or project, so you can handle urgent requests before general wish-list titles.

Does the requester hear when the book arrives?

No. The form sends nothing to them. If they left an email, use your usual library notice. The first-loan tick box shows who to tell first.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "Suggest a book for our library",
  "description": "Tell us what you would like to read. We cannot buy everything, but every request is read.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "requester_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_role",
      "label": "You are a",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Student",
        "Teacher",
        "Parent",
        "Staff member"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_email",
      "label": "Email, if we may tell you when it arrives",
      "type": "email"
    },
    {
      "id": "book_title",
      "label": "Book title",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "book_author",
      "label": "Author",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "series_name",
      "label": "Part of a series? Which one?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "preferred_format",
      "label": "Format",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Print book",
        "Large print",
        "E-book",
        "Audiobook",
        "Graphic novel"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reader_level",
      "label": "Who is it for?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Early readers",
        "Primary age",
        "Middle school",
        "Teens",
        "Adults"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book_genres",
      "label": "What kind of book is it?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Mystery",
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Poetry",
        "Comics",
        "Sport",
        "How-to"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "listing_link",
      "label": "Link to the book's page",
      "type": "url"
    },
    {
      "id": "already_read",
      "label": "Have you read it?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "A sample",
        "Not yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why_add_it",
      "label": "Why should the library have it?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 800
    },
    {
      "id": "needed_for_class",
      "label": "Is it for a class or project? Which one?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "first_loan",
      "label": "Please let me borrow it first",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"Suggest a book for our library","description":"Tell us what you would like to read. We cannot buy everything, but every request is read.","fields":[{"id":"requester_name","label":"Your name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"requester_role","label":"You are a","type":"single_choice","options":["Student","Teacher","Parent","Staff member"]},{"id":"requester_email","label":"Email, if we may tell you when it arrives","type":"email"},{"id":"book_title","label":"Book title","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":250},{"id":"book_author","label":"Author","type":"short_text","max_length":150},{"id":"series_name","label":"Part of a series? Which one?","type":"short_text","max_length":200},{"id":"preferred_format","label":"Format","type":"single_choice","options":["Print book","Large print","E-book","Audiobook","Graphic novel"]},{"id":"reader_level","label":"Who is it for?","type":"single_choice","options":["Early readers","Primary age","Middle school","Teens","Adults"]},{"id":"book_genres","label":"What kind of book is it?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Fiction","Fantasy","Mystery","Science","History","Biography","Poetry","Comics","Sport","How-to"]},{"id":"listing_link","label":"Link to the book'\''s page","type":"url"},{"id":"already_read","label":"Have you read it?","type":"single_choice","options":["Yes","A sample","Not yet"]},{"id":"why_add_it","label":"Why should the library have it?","type":"long_text","max_length":800},{"id":"needed_for_class","label":"Is it for a class or project? Which one?","type":"short_text","max_length":200},{"id":"first_loan","label":"Please let me borrow it first","type":"checkbox"}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "Suggest a book for our library",
  "description": "Tell us what you would like to read. We cannot buy everything, but every request is read.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "requester_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_role",
      "label": "You are a",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Student",
        "Teacher",
        "Parent",
        "Staff member"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "requester_email",
      "label": "Email, if we may tell you when it arrives",
      "type": "email"
    },
    {
      "id": "book_title",
      "label": "Book title",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 250
    },
    {
      "id": "book_author",
      "label": "Author",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "series_name",
      "label": "Part of a series? Which one?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "preferred_format",
      "label": "Format",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Print book",
        "Large print",
        "E-book",
        "Audiobook",
        "Graphic novel"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reader_level",
      "label": "Who is it for?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Early readers",
        "Primary age",
        "Middle school",
        "Teens",
        "Adults"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book_genres",
      "label": "What kind of book is it?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Mystery",
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Poetry",
        "Comics",
        "Sport",
        "How-to"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "listing_link",
      "label": "Link to the book's page",
      "type": "url"
    },
    {
      "id": "already_read",
      "label": "Have you read it?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Yes",
        "A sample",
        "Not yet"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why_add_it",
      "label": "Why should the library have it?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 800
    },
    {
      "id": "needed_for_class",
      "label": "Is it for a class or project? Which one?",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 200
    },
    {
      "id": "first_loan",
      "label": "Please let me borrow it first",
      "type": "checkbox"
    }
  ]
}

Book request form for a school library