LibraryThing

=[|LibraryThing.com] =  Pros/Cons and Classroom Uses 

Review:
LibraryThing is a site for book lovers. It helps you create a library-quality catalog of up to 200 books for free, whether they be the books in your personal collection, books you’re reading now, and/or the books in your classroom. For $10 a year or $25 for a lifetime, you can catalog an unlimited amount of books. Setting up an account merely requires a user name and password and your virtual bookshelves can be accessed from any internet connection including your [|cell phone browser].

Adding books to your catalog is as easy as typing in the title, or the author, or the ISBN. LibraryThing then gets all the book data, searching the Library of Congress, all six national Amazon sites, and more than 690 libraries around the world. A click on the book title you want adds it to your catalog. You can even buy a [|CueCat] for $15 that enters your books by scanning the barcode.

Once your books are added, you can:
 * edit your information
 * rate the book
 * write a review
 * see other users who have catalogued the same book
 * view your collection by list or cover picture
 * search and sort your collection
 * “tag” books with your own categories
 * or use the Library of Congress and Dewey systems to organize your collection
 * record the date you got the book, started reading it, and finished it.

Each book page shows you the typical details about the book, who else has the book, what they think about it, tags, reviews, conversations, where to buy it, and if you can swap for it.  LibraryThing is also full of social information, connecting people based on the books they share. You can simply view who has similar libraries to your own, or you can create and join groups on LibraryThing, such as a group for a club, a place, a private group for your friends, or in our case, our class. You can discuss a book in a group forum, search all group members’ libraries at once, or find just the topics that mention your books.

One of the greatest features of LibraryThing, in my opinion, is that it generates recommendations from the books you add to your profile. There is also a box on your homepage that gives a listing of interesting book events in your area, such as library/book festivals, author readings/signings, book discussions, etc. Every author automatically has an author page on LibraryThing as soon as someone adds a book written by them to their library. Authors use their pages to connect on a personal level with their readers.

(I cannot neglect to mention that the [|LibraryThing’s help page] is a wiki! ) 

**Classroom Uses: **

 * The “tag” feature or “collections” features could be used to create a check-out system for books in your classroom.
 * Students and teachers can read the reviews before selecting a book to read.
 * Interacting with other teachers about books can help curriculum choices.
 * Students can keep online logs of their reading in/out of the classroom
 * Student can learn to write summaries of what they’ve read (electronic book report)
 * Students have relevant opportunities to dialogue and write about the books, opinions, summaries, and recommendations for an audience and to receive feedback.
 * Teachers can create a list of books for the class to choose from for specific purposes
 * Students can choose books to read based on category
 * Users can view the libraries of famous people, like Thomas Jefferson’s 4,889 books.
 * Students may get the opportunity to connect with the author of a book they read.
 * Students and collegues can search your library from a classroom blog or wiki.

**Pros and Cons: **
||=  ||
 * ~ === Pros === ||~ === Cons === ||
 * = 
 * 1) Quick and easy to enter/catalogue books
 * 2) Fills in much information for each book
 * 3) Accessible from an internet connection or cell phone (may be helpful in the bookstore)
 * 4) RSS capability
 * 5) Early Reviewers gives out free pre-publication copies of books in exchange for reviews
 * 6) You can allow people to link and/or search your library from your blog or website incl Facebook
 * 7) You can “tag” a book anyway you like.
 * 8) Writing practice (relevance)
 * 9) Literary discussion practice (relevance)
 * 10) Help remembering which books you own
 * 11) Documentation for insurance companies
 * 12) Technology integration into reading/writing content
 * 13) Provides incentive to read a non-preferred genre
 * 14) Student pages could provide info for the teacher on the amount, genre, and reading level of books read by each student.
 * 15) Customized search options
 * 16) Advanced book statistic viewing
 * 17) Access to community of readers, reviewers, and authors.
 * 18) Multi-lingual
 * 19) Free up to 200 books; reasonable fee for unlimited usage
 * 20) Great personalized recommendations
 * 21) Lots of buying links
 * 22) Swapping options
 * 1) Home page is chaotic and not very visually appealing
 * 2) If you want a specific edition to represent your library, it may take longer to find
 * 3) Payment necessary for more than 200 books
 * 4) Privacy setting is either all private or all public. (No selective-public ability for groups))
 * 5) It would take time to enter in a large collection of books (parent assistants?)

Video Explanation:
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===**LibraryThing Links: **=== Visit [| My Library] Visit our [|Class Library]

Visit my Wiki -- Lisa Dupuis

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