QULOC Seminar: Social Software in Libraries, 10 October 2007 LibraryThing demonstration

1. QULOC Seminar: Social Software in Libraries, 10 October 2007LibraryThing demonstration Kurt Vollmerhause Library Systems Officer

2. What is LibraryThing? • Social networking site for bibliophiles • Hub for “social cataloguing” activities • Union catalogue of member libraries (individuals, organizations) • Over 250,000 registered members • Over 18 million books added • Over 23 million tags applied • Web 2.0 service in evolution since August 2005

3. Membership categories • Basic personal account: free; limited to 200 books • Paid personal (unlimited) • Annual: USD $10pa • Lifetime: $25 one-off cost • Not-for profit organisations: free to 200 books, USD$15 pa for collections of up to 5,000 items • For-profit organisations: free to 100 books, $30/year to 500 books, $50/year for up to 5,000 items Correct as at 6 October 2007 – see current LibraryThing documentation

4. Social networking features Boyd’s three basic characteristics of social networking sites • Profile • Traversable, publicly articulated social network • Semi-persistent public comments Cited in Mason and Rennie 2007, 198 Notable features in LibraryThing • RSS feeds: subscribe to recently added books, reviews, others’ reviews • Connections news: displays changes faceted by network type (e.g. friends) • “Also on” listings – membership of other social networking services

5. LibraryThing basics • Live demo - adding a book - 1, 2 • Assigning tags • Catalog view • Book information pages • Social information pages • Author cloud (aggregate, individual) • Tag mashes (new feature) - example Used with permission of John C. Ralston, under CC license

6. Replacement for the OPAC? • Not intended as replacement for OPAC • Support for non-monographic formats is limited • Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MoCCA) NY - profile • Noble Neighbourhood Library –“visual browsing catalogue” for promotion of genre fiction collections, e.g. Horror - profile • Nabokov Museum, St. Petersburg - profile, tag mirror • Church libraries in general are active among LT groups (Church Libraries example - shared library searching, forums available)

7. Libraries using LibraryThing: widgets • Widget tool: generates pre-set JavaScript based code for display of dynamic content from LT - doco • Used by libraries to promote new titles, featured lists, etc.,on blogs or other web spaces • Search box code also available (for searching across group libraries, etc.) Library homepage element Examples • Pesky Library Blog - homepage, profile • FTPL Teen Corner - homepage, profile • Southwestern Community College Library - homepage, profile As used in 3rd party Facebook app. (individual account)

8. LibraryThing for Libraries (LTFL) • Web OPAC enhancement service • Commercial product, with some free elements (vendor info.) • Non-proprietary (cross-system) • Widgets - JavaScript code added to bib display or equivalent template • Features - Other editions and translations (free); Similar books; Tags and tag browser • To date: 12 libraries purchased or in testing, 23 million tags,18 million items Picture by moqub, under CC license

9. LTFL sites • Danbury Public Library • Bedford Public Library • Deschutes Public Library • Waterford Institute of Technology (Ireland) • Claremont Colleges • Bowdoin College • Randolph County Public Library (Horizon – SirsiDynix site) • Richland County Public Library • Cal State University Channel Islands • San Francisco State University • Los Gatos Public Library

10. Selected LTFL implementations • Other edns and translations – e.g. King Leopold's ghost(Danbury) • Similar books – e.g. A walk in the woods (Deschutes) • Tags and tag browser:Cities of tomorrow (WIT) ; The first way of war (Bowdoin) Planned enhancements • User reviews • User tagging • User ratings

11. Questions? k.vollmerhause@qut.edu.au http://www.library.qut.edu.au/contacts/staff/k_vollmerhause.jsp …or just visit LibraryThing and give it a go - http://www.librarything.com/quickstart.php