LibraryThing

After watching Tim Spalding's video “What is Social Cataloging” I had to check out LibraryThing for myself. Though it had been mentioned in previous weeks, I'd only briefly looked at the website never exploring too much. For the last six months or so I have been using Goodreads as a way to keep track of all the new books I've read. I didn't add anything I'd read previously and find it's a good way of keeping a simple list of what I've read and how much I liked it. However, the idea of being able to tag books and the host of other features discussed in the video got me motivated to make my own account. I also explored the LibraryThing for Libraries feature which is far superior to many of the current OPACs that libraries are using.

I went through and added all my books from Goodreads to my account on LibraryThing. I found the tags very helpful in actually making me think about the subjects of the books. I stayed away from tags such as “good” or “bad” instead using the star rating system provided. Also added some of my own book reviews. It was fun to add tags of my own and then check out the book page to see what others had added. Sometimes I went back and added some of the tags listed to my own making the collective tagging bi-directional. The list of books entered also gives a huge array of options showing user tags, subjects, LC Classification, ISBN, and even where the book might be available locally. To a bibliophile, LibraryThing is amazing! There are so many different features, groups to explore and other member's libraries to check out, that it is going to take me a while to fully explore.

So then what can LibraryThing do for libraries? Well it can do a lot actually. I encourage you to take a look at the all the features on the LibraryThing for Libraries Website. There are currently over 200 libraries using LibraryThing's OPAC enhancement and some of the features are really neat. Patrons can add tags, ratings, videos or reviews. They can browse tags, find other editions, and even get book recommendations. There are also widgets to add such as the “At My Library” Facebook application which allows patrons to add their books to their Facebook page, showing their friends what they're reading.

Another cool feature is the Shelf Browse enhancement. This is an an application that shows patrons a virtual shelf with cover images. The shelf uses the library's call numbers to create a shelf similar to what someone would be looking at when they went to the physical library. I've always thought that the worst thing about finding books or movies online was the lack of browsing. I have often found some amazing titles just by browsing the shelves and randomly selecting something that looks interesting. For patrons who still want this experience but are unable or unwilling to leave the house they can still take part in browsing. This would be a huge help to patrons who are disabled or homebound. Our library provides a home delivery service, but the patron has to know or have some idea about what books they want. With the shelf browse feature they can go to the library virtually!

Patrons can also explore through the Series Browser and see all the awards that a book has won. Libraries also have the option of creating permanent links to their materials allowing patrons to more easily share books with friends. With all of this to offer, LibraryThing has also started to provide Library Anywhere mobile catalogs. Patrons can download apps for their iPhone, Blackberry or Android phones. The application can “search the catalog, place holds, see checked-out books, and more. It can showcase hours, branches, and events with a customizable homepage. It comes with an "accessible version" that provides a fully Section 508-compliant version of your existing catalog. And LibraryThing for Libraries customers get integration of tags, reviews, recommendations, other editions.” You can even play around with the application through the website getting a feel for what it would look like on a smartphone.

I think more libraries need to jump on board with LibraryThing or at least try and implement some of its features into their own OPACs. Spalding says in his video lecture that library OPACs are stuck in pre Web 1.0 mode. They are not providing anything more to patrons than a book location. The systems are old, outdated and need to be revamped. We live in a world now where nearly everything is connected. If you go someplace you can check in via an app on your phone, that then posts to your Facebook, and then gives you recommendations for other places to check out. You can write a review of the place you've been, add tags, photos and more. If libraries want to stay alive then they need to be more open and provide more connectivity to their patrons. I really think that LibraryThing has taken steps in the right direction with their personal and corporate applications. I'm excited to start using LibraryThing more and to see if libraries begin adopting better, more customer driven OPACs.