Library Thing

Library Thing


LibraryThing is a social cataloging web application for storing and sharing personal library catalogs and book lists.


LibraryThing was developed by Tim Spalding and went live on August 29, 2005. As of September 2009 it has 850,000 users and nearly 44 million books cataloged.[1]

Users (informally known as thingamabrarians, a term coined by contributor RJO) can catalog personal collections, keep reading lists, post book reviews, and chat to other users who have the same books. While it is possible to keep a library catalog private, most people choose to make their catalogs public, which makes it possible to find others with similar tastes. Thingamabrarians can browse the entire database by searching titles, authors, or tags generated by users as they enter books into their libraries.

The primary feature of LibraryThing is the automatic cataloging of books by importing data from booksellers and libraries through Z39.50 connections. Six Amazon.com stores supply a ready (if sometimes inaccurate) source of data. Library sources supply MARC and Dublin Core records to LT; users can import information from over 680 libraries, including the Library of Congress, National Library of Australia, the Canadian National Catalogue, the British Library, and Yale University.[2] Once the correct book and edition has been located, a click adds it to the user's catalog. If the correct book or edition is not available, it can be manually added or the record can be edited later. Furthermore, books can be added from another member's catalog or by searching on LibraryThing itself. A list of ISBNs can also be imported.

A "Suggester" feature, introduced in April 2006, provides book recommendations based on catalogs with similar books. The comical "Unsuggester" lists books that are rarely owned by the same people as the books in your library. Both these features can also be applied to a specific book.