internetarchive/openlibrary

Footer external links should open in a new tab

Open

#13,057 opened on Jun 29, 2026

View on GitHub
 (3 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Python (1,172 forks)batch import
Good First IssueLead: @mekarpelesNeeds: LeadNeeds: ResponseNeeds: TriagePriority: 4Type: Bug

Repository metrics

Stars
 (4,626 stars)
PR merge metrics
 (Avg merge 11d 13h) (95 merged PRs in 30d)

Description

Problem

All external links in the footer open in the same tab instead of a new tab.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/67843849-e04c-4cdb-ab85-7be337966488

Affected file: openlibrary/templates/lib/nav_foot.html

Affected links:

  • Bluesky, X (Twitter), GitHub social icons
  • Careers (archive.org)
  • Blog (blog.openlibrary.org)
  • Terms of Service (archive.org)
  • Donate (archive.org)
  • Writing Bots (docs.openlibrary.org)
  • Release Notes (github.com)

Reproducing the bug

  1. Go to https://openlibrary.org
  2. Scroll down to the footer
  3. Click any external link (e.g. Bluesky, GitHub, Blog, Careers)
  • Expected behavior: External links should open in a new tab (target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer")
  • Actual behavior: External links open in the same tab, navigating the user away from Open Library

Context

  • Browser : Chrome
  • OS : Mac
  • Logged in (Y/N): Y
  • Environment : prod

Breakdown

All external links in the footer open in the same tab instead of a new tab.

https://openlibrary.org (scroll to footer)

Affected file: openlibrary/templates/lib/nav_foot.html

Affected links:

  • Bluesky, X (Twitter), GitHub social icons
  • Careers (archive.org)
  • Blog (blog.openlibrary.org)
  • Terms of Service (archive.org)
  • Donate (archive.org)
  • Writing Bots (docs.openlibrary.org)
  • Release Notes (github.com)
  1. Go to https://openlibrary.org
  2. Scroll down to the footer
  3. Click any external link (e.g. Bluesky, GitHub, Blog, Careers)
  • Expected behavior: External links should open in a new tab (target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer")
  • Actual behavior: External links open in the same tab, navigating the user away from Open Library

Overview

Add target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" to all external anchor tags in the footer template.

Requirements Checklist

  • Add target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" to all external links in nav_foot.html

Related files

  • openlibrary/templates/lib/nav_foot.html

Stakeholders

Contributor guide

Research direction
Locate all external anchor tags in openlibrary/templates/lib/nav foot.html and add target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" to each.
Tech stack
pythonhtml
Domain
frontend
Issue type
Bug
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
1
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
Under 1 hour
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
Active
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
Clear
Prerequisites
GitHTML
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
90