Thing 13: LibraryThing (Week of 3/9)

This week's topic is LibraryThing. (To complete this lesson, you will need to bring in 5 books from your home library collection.)

LibraryThing, the “site for book lovers,” enables you to catalog your personal book collection, rate and review your books—online. In addition, you can connect with others who have similar taste in reading and find local book-related events, such as author book signings. You can add up to 200 books for free or pay a small fee to add unlimited amounts of books.

This week's TechPlay exercise is:

Step 1. Go to www.librarything.com and take the tour.

Step 2. Set up an account.

Step 3. Click on the tab “add books” to create your library. One easy way to do this is by using each book’s International Standard Book Number, or ISBN. This is usually found on the back of the book. Type the ISBN in the white search box. The title will appear in the box on the right. Click on the title, and your book is added to your library! Do this for 3 more of your books.

Step 4. Another way to add a book is by title. Enter your last book by typing the title in the white search box. You’ll probably see more than one edition of the book in the box on the right. Scroll down through the titles until you see the edition you’re holding (cover and publication date are your clues). When you find your edition, click on it. Now it’s been added to your library. To delete any titles, simply hit the “delete book” icon next to your added title. You’ll be asked again in a pop-up box; just click “yes.”

Step 5. Click on the tab “Your library.” Scroll down to see the books you’ve entered. This is the beginning of your library – congratulations! Post an entry on your blog explaining how LibraryThing might (or might not not) be useful to you.

*Challenge Step: Click on one of the titles. This leads to a ton of information about your book. On the left side of the screen, click on “member reviews.” Here you’ll find many reviews of this book. To add your own review, click “edit book” on the left side of the screen, and scroll down to the “your review” box. Click on the box and start typing. Remember to click on the green “save” button when you have finished. Also, be sure to click the “sign out” button at the end of your session, particularly if you are doing this exercise at work.

FYI – Another book cataloging and social networking site is found at www.shelfari.com. Run by Amazon.com, it seems to focus more on popular fiction works and also seems to attract a younger, less discerning crowd.