2/21/2008

Thing 14: The Library Thing



The Library Thing has been around now for a few years. I set up an account with it about two years ago. I think it offers a number of advantages: It has kept me accountable for my reading; it provides nifty ways of categorizing my types of reading; the book covers provide a nice visual display; and like many of the other applications, it has a welcome social/sharing component, allowing interaction with other readers, i.e., reading their reviews, joining their groups, creating a group that they can join, and so forth. The options are varied and extensive. That it has a link to Amazon.com is tolerable, considering that it has to survive some way. My LibraryThing (already outdated, unfortunately).

In terms of promoting this product to teachers, I think its value for classrooms lies in its ability to create a fairly personalized resource for finding and responding to books; I would open the process up for student input (perhaps with supervision or control over the login) to reinforce its ability to appeal to students.


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1 comment:

Cindy said...

I too have looked at this before and realized that would have to have a good reason to use it. That said it is a product worth consideration for some small libraries.

Cindy Gruwell
CMLE 23 Things Coach