LibraryThing Catalog

Reading this post from the Cataloguing Librarian has gotten me thinking again about how the Friends library can use LibraryThing for their library. I had lunch with Mary a few weeks ago, and she told me she was still adding new books to their LibraryThing account. We were just exploring the options when I got my new job and couldn’t go the Meeting House on a regular basis anymore. They do use Surpass to catalog, but they’re not interested in spending the money for an OPAC based on that catalog at this point. (We both agreed, however, that it was important to have the quality full cataloging somewhere, even if it wasn’t being overtly used at this point.) Most of the patrons are in the Meeting House every week for Meeting for Worship, so they can browse the catalog locally on a laptop in the library. LibraryThing might encourage more people to take a look at the collection, though, and would also let members know when new books are added. I guess I’m just not sure whether they need to incorporate LibraryThing into a website, like Palmerston North City Library, or just promote their LibraryThing account more. I would venture to say the latter, since, as I said, they are fortunate in having a membership that is in physical proximity to the library every week.