It's a Library Thing!

I have been exploring a couple of new (at least to me) websites at work this week, and it occurred to me that you all might be interested in them, too.

The first one is called Library Thing, and it is a site for cataloging your own personal library. (Apparently, libraries are starting to use it for cataloging as well, but I think it started for personal use.) You sign up and list your books for the world to see, and then you can find other people with similar reading interests. There are also discussion groups for various topics and genres. I found a large group for people who read mysteries and thrillers. I also found a fairly active group of knitters and a smaller group of crocheters. (The crochet group was started by Kim Werker over at Crochet Me - I love how the Internet is huge, but I keep running into the same people over and over!) If I get the time, maybe over the summer, I would like to sign up and at least list my knitting and crochet books.

The second site I have been exploring is called Library Elf. I can't tie it into knitting and crocheting at all, but if you are a library user, you might want to check it out. If your library is on their list, you can sign up and Library Elf will send you emails to let you know when your books are overdue. Actually, each email lists your overdue books, all other books you have checked out in order of due date, and any holds you might have pending or ready for pick up. It looks to be a powerful organizational tool. And amazingly enough, it is completely free! I think we are going to start advertising it to our patrons, because it sends the overdue notices much sooner than we can from the library.