Presented by Emma Antobam, Jessica Handy and Dove Thomas

GSLIS 747October 5, 2010

Does this scenario look familiar??

Or this….

Or perhaps this??

Are you a bibliophile? Do you…

• Discreetly, or indiscreetly, but intently scan people’s bookshelves when visiting in their home for the first time??

• Whenever you pass a used bookstore, do you somehow automatically enter in? and walk out with a purchase?

• Does your wish list on Amazon have at least five titles on it?

If this description fits you, then you may want to check out

Library Thing

• Definition: a social cataloging site for storing and sharing personal library catalogs & booklists

• Launched in Aug 2005 by Tim Spaulding, it was originally set up to organize personal book sprawl, but was expanded to allow members to socialize and exchange information on books

• A social network for book lovers, the “World’s Largest Book Club”

• Create your own profile• Catalog your books- keep track of

books you own, have read, would like to read, favorites, on your own terms- create your own categories

• Find data about books- imported through Z39.50 connections, Amazon.com and the Library of Congress

• Discover new books- recommendations, reviews, ratings

• Interact- Talk, online book forums, locate local book events & news

• Free early reviewer books from publishers and authors

• Your first 200 books listed free, $10 annual fee to include more listings, or a $25 lifetime membership

• Many languages available

Vital Statistics…• 1,193,555 members

• 55,580,131 books catalogued

• 1,172,272 reviews

• 9,019,945 ratings

From the Zeitgeist Page Top Ten Rated Authors

Based on number of copies

• Agatha Christie • Jane Austen • Nora Roberts• William Shakespeare• C. S. Lewis

• Neil Gaiman • J. R. R. Tolkein • Terry Pratchett • Stephen King

• J. K. Rowling

Using Library ThingThings to Know

• Getting started• Providing tags

– The social taxonomic tool

• Collections– Your library, wishlist, favorites, currently reading

• Book Details– Social information– LC and Dewey classification provided

• Interacting with members & their catalogs• Zeitgeist

Fun Features• Profile: Getting Personal

– Upload photos, describe yourself/library

• Groups and Book Talk – Joining or following groups– Sharing thoughts with users

• Local – Members, events and locations in your town

• Widgets– Add blog widgets & search widgets

• Gallery– View photos of your authors

LibraryThing for LibrariesPractical Applications for Libraries

•LTFL – a cost-based OPAC booster for libraries

•Using the free LibraryThing for your library

LTFL

• Currently 1,616 libraries are using LTFL• It is a cost-based service using information

gathered from the users of the free site• Boosts a library’s OPAC• Example: Wikinomics at Brigham Young

University

LibraryThing for New Books

• As books are acquired add them to LibraryThing

• Use tags to categorize the books by subject and acquisition date

• These tags can be used for widgets in your catalog or to link in newsletters

• Example: SJC LibraryThing

References• http://www.librarything.com/ Library Thing, Retrieved 09-22-2010.• Regan, Jim (2005-11-09). "Do your own LibraryThing". Christian Science Monitor.

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1109/p25s01-stct.html. Retrieved 09-22-2010.• Rutkoff, Aaron (2006-06-27). "Social Networking for Bookworms". Wall Street

Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB115109622468789252-i8U6LIHU7ChfgbxG1oZ_iunOIWE_20060727.html. Retrieved 09-22-2010

• Woodroof, Martha (2008-03-20). "Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually". NPR. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88514715. Retrieved 09-22- 2010.