Sunday, November 11, 2007

Thing #11: Library Thing

Library Thing: Easy to use, Helpful, Expansive,

My ex-wife, (ah see what you'll learn from reading a blog) a retired public librarian, told me about Library Thing over a year ago so I was familiar with its power. I did not create an account then and I should have. However, I knew that once you start, it is ADDICTING. I should add, I probably have well over 1500 books in my house ranging in subjects from military and naval history, restaurant china, American architecture, and old catalogs, to name a few. I'm a bookaholic. Before the Internet, a good weekend always included spending some time in a used bookstore...then came amazon.com and Bookfinder.com.

I suspect that much of what people add to Library Thing is fiction. I'm doing the opposite and dumping in my nonfiction. I have added the small collection of books on American china I own as well as a few books on restaurant history and one on menu design. It was incredibly easy so I will continue adding. What a great tool to show library customers who want to create a list of what they have read too since LT links to so much and has the capability of fostering an online community with shared interests.

Here's the link to my catalog www.librarything.com/catalog/Philsbks

My one potential frustration is with the consistency of tagging and the entering of the same book with one record having an incomplete title (no subtitle) or a publication year that is one year off from the date on my own copy but obviously the same book. I have not tagged anything yet but will do so later. For something as basic as books on china or restaurants , it should be straightforward. However, once you get to World War II, and want to be precise in differentiating books on the Battle of the Atlantic versus say say the Mediterranean naval battles, you need to have a common language to cull everything from searching tags. Simply slapping a World War II tag is virtually useless isn't it? Perhaps exploring LT further will yield some useful hints--I'm still a novice but an enthusiastic one.

I really like the option for adding book covers--here is a natural practice task for using a digital camera and uploading images--not a hard thing to do but a great way for someone to practice their skills. A lot of my books are older so this will be a fun project to hone skills.

Addendum: I'm up to 30 items in my library so that finishes the restaurant china titles. My name is Phil...and I am a Library Thing addict.....

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