Thing #35: Books 2.0

I'm observing that students seem to go to the Internet first for research -- usually to Google, unless they've had a library orientation. But when they want books, it's hard-copy books they're looking for. We have a collection of e-books through NetLibrary, and we tout them as being great for 24/7 access from home. But students are usually reluctant to use them.

I think the Books 2.0 tools generally enhance the reading experience. In fact, the new version of our catalog, MnPals Plus, is a 2.0 product, allowing for reviews and comments. I think they allow for a social experience and also allow people to find other suggested reading they probably wouldn't have run across otherwise.

I looked at most of the links that were posted with this Thing. In our library, we use LibraryThing to highlight certain subject areas that we feature on our home page. It makes a nice attractive rotating display. We've also just put up a Facebook page. There are a lot of good Books applications for Facebook, as listed in this Thing. It took us a while to locate a good Books application that would work with a Page rather than a personal profile. By asking another library, I located one called Bookshare. Hoping to generate some visits to the library and some discussion with it!