In this Thing, we will explore some 2.0 tools for book lovers. Websites such as LibraryThing, Shelfari, Goodreads, and others are allowing readers to connect in new ways. These sites can be used to organize your book collection, track your reading histories, and discover new authors and network with a community of other bibliophiles.
Library Thing
LibraryThing describes itself as “a cataloging and social networking site for book lovers”. You can, however, make your account “private” so no one can see your titles. All that is required is a user name and password – you don’t even need an email address! The free account lets you add up to 200 books. Paid accounts with no limits are also available.
Besides adding your titles and tagging them (Thing 9, Tagging and Social Bookmarking), you can also create reading lists, read reviews, get recommendations, participate in forums, and look at the other people’s libraries. You can also search by title, author, ISBN, series, tags and more.
After creating an account, you can add a book to your LibraryThing catalogue by entering the title, author or ISBN. LibraryThing then searches a number of online sources (including Library of Congress, Amazon and about 700 library catalogues) and retrieves the book's data. You can then edit, tag and customize the information for your own library. You can even create widgets and add them to your blog, like this:
Tour LibraryThing here, then read A Short Introduction to LibraryThing. To view some cool stats about LibraryThing (like the number of members, largest libraries, top books, etc.) click the Zeitgeist tab.
LibraryThing and Libraries
Small libraries are using LibraryThing to catalog their holdings, or highlight special collections. Libraries are using the LibraryThing widget on their web pages or blogs to recommend books and list new titles. It's great for Reader's Advisory, and can replace card files and reading lists of recommended titles.
Our Own Marlena Harold, Youth Services Librarian at Satellite Beach, has over 800 titles in her LibraryThing account. She gives here titles star ratings, makes recommendations, and signs up for Advanced Reader Copies.
You can see her account here.
Other Sites for Readers and Book Lovers
LibraryThing is not the only book lovers cataloging site. You can also visit Shelfari or Goodreads. For a comparison, view "Personal Library Tools for Librarians" on slideshare.
BookMooch, Bookins, and WhatsOnMyBookshelf are online book trading communities.
Wondering what to read next? Try these helpful sites: BookBrowse, WhichBook.net, and the aptly-named What Should I Read Next?
LitLovers has great resources for book clubs.
Thing #22 Activity:
Step-by-Step Instructions:
1. Create a free account on LibraryThing. If you already have a LibraryThing account, try Shelfari or Goodreads.
2. Search for and add a least 5 books to your library.
3. Blog about your experience. In your blog post, include a link to the library you created. The URL for your library can be found on the Profile tab here:
Be sure to tag your post as “Thing 22”.
Additional Optional Activity:
1. Create a LibraryThing widget, like the "Some of My Favorite Books" box above, and embed it in your blog. Instructions are here. (Remember, before embedding the code into your blog post, be sure to click the "Edit HTML" tab above the menu bar.)
Additional Optional Resources:
To manage you collection on LibraryThing, read “Your Library and Your Books” To learn more about LibraryThing, check out the LibraryThing Blog and their ideas blog, Thing-ology Blog . You can also check out the Librarians who LibraryThing group.
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