A relatively new site, LibraryThing is a community that any bibliophile will love. This site offers users many tools and avenues to explore, talk and share about books. An initial registration allows users to add up to 200 books into their account for free; a one-time fee of $25 allows a lifetime of unlimited access.
A really nice feature about this site is that users can pick and choose how much they share and communicate with others. At the very least, LibraryThing is a personal interactive Iibrary that serves as a great place to document your reading history and ideas for what you might be reading next. For example, say you want to add East of Eden to your account. Just click on the “add books” tab, type in the author or title and the book will come up. LibraryThing is linked to Amazon.com and the Library of Congress, so just about any book that you can think of will appear in the search results. Users also have the option to edit their selections by adding tags, giving ratings, reviews and recommendations, and choosing a cover. By adding books, recommendations will automatically appear, allowing users to explore similar books and adding to what will undoubtedly be an ever-increasing reading list.
Users can keep their libraries and profile private, or they can have a public account whereby they can add other booklovers to their “connections” tab.
For the interactive book lover LibraryThing offers many ways to converse with other booklovers. Every book entry has links for user reviews, recommendations and conversations. Under the groups tab is a listing of hundreds of book-, literature-, author-related discussion groups. A couple of samples are Le Salon Litteraire du Peuple pour le Peuple, many Harry Potter-related groups, mystery, fantasy and historical fiction. Users can play word games, talk about the best books of the year, or get into more specific topics such as music performance books, art books…and the list goes on and on. There is truly something for everyone here. Put in a search term, and more than likely at least one group with a similar interest will appear. If not, you can always start your own.
Another really interesting feature of this site is LibraryThing Local. By entering in your town, local events such as book signing, author readings and the like will appear, with locations identified on a Google map on the right.
Libraries and librarians make up the largest percentage of LibraryThing members. My library recently created an account and I am very interested in seeing how this progresses as patrons become more aware and involved. Due to massive budget cuts, our book groups have become inactive and LibraryThing might be a great way to offer patrons the ability to still engage with others in their love of reading and books.
The above is just a peek at what LibraryThing offers. If you’re not convinced, go to LibraryThing.com, and take the short tour. You’ll be signed up before you leave.
Check out my books at: http://www.librarything.com/home/drummergirl37.
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