From the Library Universe: November 2006

Library Thing

1) Background

a) Launched August 29, 2005 by Tim Spalding, a computer programmer, as a means to catalog his own book collection and to foster an online community of bibliophiles.

b) As of today (2 November 2006) according to the site (see Zeitgeist tab) there are 97,412 members, 6,815,330 books cataloged, 9,260,407 tags added, 1,349,659 unique works, 81, 911 reviews, 55,177 works reviewed, and 966 user groups (“Librarians who LibraryThing” is the largest!).

2) Add books to your library very quickly

a) By any of these entry points:

i) Title

ii) Author

iii) ISBN

iv) LC Card Number

b) Just insert one item of information and hit “enter”—LibraryThing does most of the data entry for you!

3) Useful uses

a) People can use LibraryThing to catalog all of the books that they own.

b) People can use it to look up specific works using the above entry points, or to serendipitously browse books using several means, such as tags, similar works lists, or can view libraries of other members, etc.

c) Once a work is located, LibraryThing can tell you what nearby library holds the work.

d) Swap a book that you hold for another that someone else owns through third party intermediaries such as Bookmooch, which are linked to LibraryThing. Never buy another book again!!!

e) Pull up books in your collection on LibraryThing by all of these entry points: title, tag, LC call number, self-created “call number”, subject, ISBN, author, date of publication, your personal five- star rating, publisher, or date that you enter the work into your LibraryThing library.

f) Display your books visually (Your Library tab> cover view).

g) Read reviews of books—write your own reviews. Reviews are found under the “Your profile” tab. Some reviews are surprisingly well done.

h) See pictures of the authors of works. (Your Profile tab>Author Gallery).

i) Find the highest rated books and check out LibraryThing recommendations that seem to reflect your current library/interests. (All under the “Pssst! Tab)

j) Import libraries from outside sources or URLs.