LibraryThing – Just the Thing for You!

By Theresa Schaefer, Library Associate

Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat had Thing One and Thing Two hidden under his hat to help him organize and have fun. Now anyone can have LibraryThing to organize their personal library and have more fun with their reading.

The Rapid City Public Library is using LibraryThing.com to make it easy for readers to find new books that suit their individual reading tastes, provide reviews of books, and connect readers with others with similar tastes. On our website (www.rapidcitylibrary.org) you will find lists of new books at the Rapid City Public Library. Tags that identify authors and subjects make it simple to get lists of new books written by favorite authors, or lists of books in specific categories. There are lists of new non-fiction, graphic novels, mysteries, religious fiction, and science fiction.

Better yet, there are many more tags to help you make lists of new RCPL books on even more specific subjects. Just click on “Tag Cloud” to see all the tags for Rapid City Public Library, and then you can click on any tag to get a list of books. A few examples are alternative history, friendship, London, manga, Minnesota, romance, space colonies, and vampires.

LibraryThing is for all kinds of readers. There are features for people who read privately, just for the pleasure of reading, and other features to suit sociable readers who enjoy sharing and discussing books with others.

LibraryThing can be used to widen your reading horizon. Whether you want completely new authors to read or authors who are a lot like the ones you already love, LibraryThing has recommendations for you. Just search for a title you enjoyed, then scroll down to “recommendations” for lists of similar books.

LibraryThing can help solve the “so many books, so little time” problem. If you’ve heard about a new book, but you are not sure whether you want to read it, LibraryThing has reviews written by other readers. And you can identify those with similar tastes to seek out their reviews for reading advice.

Getting a LibraryThing account opens up a number of other ways to organize and enhance the reading experience. The account holder can build a list of books called a “library”. This library is the account holder’s very own private library, and can be organized in many different ways. The user isn’t limited to one organization scheme – the library can be arranged and rearranged through the use of tags.

Readers of series need never again fear that they will miss one of the series, or that they will start to reread one, because the LibraryThing library will keep a list by series. Would you like a list of all the Kinsey Milhone mysteries you’ve read? All the werewolf love stories? All the biographies of dead English royalty? LibraryThing will help you make a list, and you won’t need a degree or any complicated database software! It will guide you through making a list even if you don’t have the vaguest idea what a database is.

LibraryThing is a joy for people who like to share their reading experiences. Book discussions abound in the LibraryThing world. Users can also comment on other users’ libraries, write reviews, and make reading suggestions. There are also other kinds of groups involved in discussions, such as “Book Talk” that discusses reading in general, and “What are You Reading Now,” where you are invited to “dish” about your current read. There are groups for those with specific tastes in reading, from science fiction to political conservatism to Jane Austen. Click the tab labeled “Talk,” and find out which discussions mention books in your personal library.

Whether you are an avid reader or just a browser, LibraryThing and the Rapid City Public Library can help you organize your books and connect with other readers. If you have any affinity for books, we are sure that LibraryThing will be just the thing for you!