Shelfari is a web site that allows you to create a virtual bookshelf. It is easy to search by author, title or ISBN #. You can browse other users' shelves, share your own bookshelf, read and write reviews and find information on your favorite author. People who share similar interests can create groups dedicated to a certain topic. Shelfari is a great way to meet people who share your tastes in reading. It also allows you to create lists of what books you own, what books you want to read, what books you've read but don't own and so on. There are many ways to organize your lists of books. Shelfari can help you keep track of things what books you already own (for though of us who can't remember if we bought that book or only though about buying it) and what books you are planning to read (in your infinite spare time).
The coolest feature is that graphical interface. Your bookshelf really looks like a bookshelf with the cover images of the books you selected displayed on the shelf. Shelfari can easily be added to a blog or web page so you can show your friends what your currently reading. In a library setting, Shelfari is a great way to promote the new books purchased by the library.
About Me
- Heather N
- I'm working as a library assistant/librarian in training at a college library and at a public library while going for my MILS. This blog is for my Social Software in Libraries class.
4 comments:
Do you use the other services, Library Thing or Good Reads? Do you see any differences? They all seem the same. I may be a reductionist when it comes to these sort of things...It seems that Shelfari has similar traits to the other two...again it comes down to aesthetics or preferences.
The visual library aspect sounds cool. Ravelry, a knitting/crochet web community that I'm a part of, also shows book and magazine covers in it's "library" section. I like being able to see the cover of the book.
I have a very underused Goodreads account, and Shelfari seems very similar. I don't think I'd sign up for it, especially when I barely use Goodreads.
Shelfari sounds really cool, I would just never have the time to add all my books. Could see the value in using it as a library site feature though, maybe to keep new releases front and center.
Like Amy mentioned, I especially like your idea of using Shelfari in your library (on a homepage or blog or something) to showcase new books (or even other kind of book displays). The visual appeal of it really lends itself to something like that. (I could see teens really liking it on their library pages.)
Did you try importing your "shelf" into your blog? I thought about it, but was afraid it would take too much room and that I wouldn't be able to delete it!!!
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