Week 8, Thing 19

LibraryThing is a great concept.  I especially like the idea of librarians using the site to recommend books to students and patrons.  It was mentioned in the Classroom Learning 2.0, that LibraryThing has become a tool in cataloging collections for small libraries.  Perhaps I am old fashion, I believe cataloging should be done by a librarian with a specific cataloging program.  There are too many exceptions and special cases of items that make cataloging an intense ongoing task.  To put this in the hands of a website is frightening.   What if the Internet connection is down? However,  it does offer a great platform for anyone to contribute to book discussions.  Sometimes it is nice to hear outside opinions regarding book choices.  LibraryThing also gives the option of customizing how your books and their details are displayed.  I love customizing!  I chose a simple format, book cover, author, title, and ISBN #.  Overall it is a fantastic website for librarians and patrons alike.

I have used LibraryThing in past projects.  It is easy to navigate and offers different ways for your library to be viewed.  Click here for 5 books appropriate for my WebQuest focusing on Genealogy.  A few of the books I chose seemed to be popular, some titles more so than others.  I'm sure publication date plays a factor in popularity.