Library Thing for Libraries

LibraryThing for Libraries (LTFL) has the capability of providing a catalogue with the power and fun of Web 2.0.  With LTFL customers can browse, search and discover library holdings in a new powerful, fun and engaging way.  Library customers get exciting features and libraries get all the credit for providing this fun, creative inclusive technology.

Subject to ILS/LMS compatibility there are three (3) packages currently available:

            1. Catalogue Enhancements

            2. Reviews Enhancement

            3. Both

1. Catalogue Enhancements

Recommendations – Recommended or similar books that can be found at the    library.  If a customer likes title X, then they may enjoy title Y.  These      recommendations are based on those provided by LibraryThing's 500,000           members.

Tags – Tags, drawing on LibraryThing's 40 million tag resource are presented in tag clouds    allowing library customers to search the library catalogue via these tags.  Library customers may create tags; however these are vetted by librarians for overall quality.

Other editions & translations - See what other versions of the same book are   available at your library.

2. Reviews Enhancement*

Reviews at My Library - This package lets your library customers read reviews from around the world and contribute their own reviews on anything in the libraries catalogue.  Reviews come from within the libraries customer base and also from other libraries around the world with a further 216,000 vetted reviews added by the LibraryThing.com community.  Part of this enhancement, allows library customers to give items they are reviewing a star rating e.g. 3 stars.  Libraries can set terms of use and moderate reviews through a simple interface; however they cannot edit or change user reviews.

Widgets - Library Customers get a first-of-its-kind library-branded "blog widget" and Facebook application, allowing them to show their friends what they're reading at the library they love.

* Currently only available for III Webpac, Webpac Pro, Koha, Sirsi Dynix : Horizon 2.x + 3.x, iBistro,

Ex Libris – Voyager webVoyage

Installation
Both the catalogue and review enhancements are easy to install, by pasting lines of HTML into a libraries OPAC templates.  The catalogue enhancements also require a simple, periodic upload of bibliographic data; whilst the reviews enhancement involves nothing beyond the HTML line information placement in the OPAC templates.

What are the minimum requirements for LTFL?

Catalogue Enhancement

1. A Library Management System (LMS) system that allows a portion of the HTML (even just the footer) of the OPAC to be edited

2. The ability to export a libraries records in either tab delimited or MARC format. Read more in the Exporting and Uploading section of the technical FAQ

        http://www.librarything.com/forlibraries/about/technical#Exporting_and_Uploading

3. The LMS can link to an item based upon ISBN

More Questions ?
Visit LibraryThing for Libraries FAQ for more information

http://www.librarything.com/forlibraries/about

Site Reference
To view a library currently using both the Catalogue and Review Enhancements please visit Los Gatos Public Library in California , USA

http://64.204.128.44/ipac20/ipac.jsp?index=ISBNEX&term=1573222453

To view how Library Thing for Libraries appears within different ILS/LMS OPACs please visit one of the libraries listed at LibraryThings wiki.
http://www.librarything.com/wiki/index.php/LTFL:Libraries_using_LibraryThing_for_Libraries


Would you like a subscription quote?
To subscribe to Library Thing for Libraries please send the following information to Thorpe-Bowker who holds the subscription rights for the product in your region.

• Academic Libraries – please supply collection size (holdings)

 

• Public Libraries – please supply Circulation figures for a 12 month period

A free trial of the LTFL product can also be arranged subject to terms and conditions.

Additional Information

For additional information or to arrange a subscription quote to Library Thing for Libraries or for any other Thorpe-Bowker products or services please contact

Matthew Hunter, Email: Click Here or Tel: + 61 (3) 8517 8360.