LibraryThing, Take Two

I'm guessing my last post, errrr...poem, will not truly suffice for finishing my Project Play Week 7 assignment so here goes - a second stab at LibraryThing. I'm fairly certain the first I heard of LibraryThing was at either a WLA or WAPL conference a few years back and I was instantly intrigued. Then again, I could have just dreamed of a conference session and really LibraryThing insinuated itself into my subcontious via something I ingested or some mysterious futuristic surgery-type-thing. Somehow, I think option #2 may have been the dream due to my finishing Extras late, late last night. No matter the origin of LibraryThing catching my attention, I have found it useful both personally and at the reference desk.

I began adding titles read to my librarything library in January of 2007. My goal has been to add any books I enjoyed during the year so I have a complete list (or rather link to an online list) to send out for family and friends along with my winter solstice cards. In previous years, I tried to keep a journal style list of titles only to find soggy, inky fibrous blobs mixed in with my just-washed skirts as I transfer them to the dryer. All-in-all I am having better luck with adding to my LibraryThing list but it still requires me remembering to login and add the titles...so I am certain there are some that I've left out. Especially while on vacation and far, far, far away from a computer. Which is where I wish I were right now...but, I diverge.

I've recommended LibraryThing to a few patrons as a way to keep track of their reading and was "friended" by a YA patron who took me up on the suggestion. (Note to self: consider doing something related to LibraryThing as part of an upcoming Teen SLP.) I've also used librarything a couple of times when working with a well-read patron on readers advisory suggestions and when compiling suggestion lists for BookAlikes. Overall, I can see using LibraryThing sort of like using Wikipedia - as a jumping off point of ideas for Readers Advisory in combination with print RA lists and guides, Novelist, and my own little grey cells - but not as an end-all resource.