Lucky Library Thing

Library Thing is completely new to me.  I believe I'm a cataloger at heart, and a tool like this is great at allowing its users a quick overview of their book collection (as well as records of books read, to be read, etc.).  A great aspect of it is the social connectivity it allows.  Unlike our typical social networking sites previously discussed here, LT is a very specific forum to connect people with similar tastes.  (I'm a big music nerd, so I'm tempted to see if there's something similar out there beyond the likes of personal streaming sites like Pandora and Last.FM.  Of course, there I could run into the danger of "sharing" my music library, even though I'd be just sharing a list of what I have, as opposed to sharing actual mp3s.)  I imagine that Library Thing is viewed as a bit more of a high-brow way to connect with other readers -- and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

When adding titles to my library, I began with stuff I've most recently read, and progressed into old favorites and other titles that just came to mind.  The most recent book I finished (Dave Eggers' Zeitoun) showed that around a thousand other users also had the title in their library.  It was interesting to compare that with a graphic novel (Batman: Hush) with very low numbers and a popular fiction title (each of Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy books) with numbers upwards of ten thousand.  These numbers are predictable enough, based on book selling trends and knowing what is new and hot, but even so, still telling.  Not everyone who reads popular fiction will feel compelled to share that they do so on a site like Library Thing, much like graphic novel fans probably choose to share their reading habits elsewhere.  But I like seeing the potential connections that can be made with other readers, as well as the potential for recommendations of things I may enjoy.  It's fun to come across a user who read and loved Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl (like me) who is also interested in reading the newly published Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. One.  What title have they read that might also be my next new favorite book (and vice versa)?

I can see how libraries could really extend the connection to their patrons (and among patrons) by using Library Thing.  Already, many larger public libraries like the Columbus (OH) Metropolitan Library allow users to review, tag, and rate titles -- finding a way to integrate links to librarians' and users' Library Thing pages would be an even greater advancement.  I think that public and school libraries could most benefit from something like this, but many academic libraries are already exploring the potential in this type of communication with interactive LibGuides and the like.  If one student finds a particular resource helpful, they can comment on it allowing a fellow student to see that a particular resource may be the exact one they need to explore in finding their desired information.