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{{Short description|Social cataloging web application}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox website
| name = LibraryThing
| logo = LibraryThing Logo medium.png
| url = {{URL|https://www.librarything.com/}}
| type = Catalog and community
| registration = Free
| owner = {{Plainlist|
* Tim Spalding (majority)
* [[AbeBooks]]/[[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] (40%)
* [[Cambridge Information Group|CIG]] (minority)
}}
| author = Tim Spalding
| launch_date = {{start date and age|2005|08|29}}
| current_status = Active
}}

'''LibraryThing''' is a [[Social cataloging application|social cataloging]] [[web application]] for storing and sharing book catalogs and various types of book [[metadata]]. It is used by authors, individuals, libraries, and publishers.

Based in [[Portland, Maine]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.librarything.com/snailmail.php|title=LibraryThing – Send us money}}</ref> LibraryThing was developed by Tim Spalding and went live on August 29, 2005, on a [[freemium]] subscriber business model, because "it was important to have customers, not an 'audience' we sell to advertisers." They focused instead on making a series of products for academic libraries. Motivated by the cataloguing opportunities and financial challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the service went "free to all" on March 8, 2020, while maintaining a promise never to use advertising on registered users.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LibraryThing Is Now Free to All « The LibraryThing Blog |url=https://blog.librarything.com/2020/03/librarything-goes-free/ |access-date=2022-03-30 |website=blog.librarything.com}}</ref> {{As of|February 2021|post=,}} it has 2,600,000 users and more than 155 million books catalogued,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.librarything.com/zeitgeist| title=Zeitgeist Overview| publisher=LibraryThing| access-date=2021-02-08}}</ref> drawing data from Amazon and from thousands of libraries that use the [[Z39.50]] cataloguing protocol.

==Features==
The primary feature of LibraryThing (LT) is the cataloging of books, movies, music and other media by importing data from libraries through [[Z39.50]] connections and from six [[Amazon.com]] stores. Library sources supply [[Dublin Core]] and [[MARC standards|MARC]] records to LT; users can import information from over 2000 libraries, including the [[British Library]], [[Library and Archives Canada|Canadian National Catalogue]], [[Library of Congress]], [[National Library of Australia]], and [[Yale University]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.librarything.com/addbooks| title=Add books to your library| access-date=2008-06-03}}</ref> Should a record not be available from any of these sources, it is also possible to input the book information manually via a blank form.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.librarything.com/addnew.php| title=Manual Entry| access-date=2010-10-13}}</ref>

Each work may comprise different editions, translations, printings, audio versions, etc. Members are encouraged to add publicly visible reviews, descriptions, Common Knowledge and other information about a work; ratings, collections, and tags help categorization. Discussion in the forums is also encouraged.

Items are classified using the Melvil Decimal System, based on the out-of-copyright 1922 edition of the [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] with modifications for standard spelling of division names (as opposed to the original names, which were spelled in accordance with Dewey's [[English-language spelling reform#Historical and contemporary advocates of reform|advocated spelling reforms]]), and modernised terminology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.librarything.com/main/2010/08/introducing-the-melvil-decimal-system/ |title=Introducing the "Melvil Decimal System" |last1=Spalding |first1=Tim |date=19 August 2010 |website=LibraryThing |access-date=23 July 2016}}</ref>

=== Social features ===
LibraryThing's social features have been compared to bookmark manager [[Del.icio.us]]<ref>{{cite news| first=Jim| last=Regan| url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/1109/p25s01-stct.html| title=Do your own LibraryThing| work=Christian Science Monitor| date=2005-11-09| access-date=2007-03-13}}</ref> and the collaborative music service [[Last.fm]].<ref>{{cite news| first=Alistair| last=Bain| url=http://www.desertofzin.org/2007/04/28/librarything/| title=LibraryThing| work=Desert of Zin| date=2007-04-28| access-date=2007-06-20| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111103042436/http://www.desertofzin.org/2007/04/28/librarything/| archive-date=2011-11-03| url-status=dead}}</ref> Similar book cataloging sites include [[aNobii]], [[BookLikes]], [[Goodreads]], [[Libib]], [[Shelfari]] (now merged with Goodreads), and weRead.<ref>{{cite news| first=Martha| last=Woodroof| url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88514715| title= Web Sites Let Bibliophiles Share Books Virtually| work= NPR| date=2008-03-20| access-date=2009-05-14}}</ref>

===TinyCat===
In 2016, LibraryThing launched TinyCat, an [[Online public access catalog|OPAC]] designed for the cataloging and circulation of libraries of up to 20,000 items.<ref name="LTBlog2016">{{cite web|title=Introducing TinyCat: The OPAC for Tiny Libraries|url=http://blog.librarything.com/main/2016/04/introducing-tinycat-the-opac-for-tiny-libraries/|website=LibraryThing Blog|access-date=26 June 2016|date=5 April 2016}}</ref> TinyCat is marketed towards small independent libraries, such as schools, community centers, religious institutions, and academic departments, as well as individuals.<ref name="Klein2015">{{cite web|last1=Klein|first1=Loren|title=New LibraryThing OPAC, TinyCat, Announced|url=http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2015/08/new-librarything-opac-tinycat-announced/|website=Public Libraries Online|access-date=26 June 2016|date=19 August 2015}}</ref>

==Ownership==
LibraryThing is majority owned by founder Tim Spalding.<ref name="Library Journal">{{cite web|title=CIG Acquires Minority Stake in LibraryThing; Bowker to Distribute to Libraries|url=http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6631420.html|access-date=3 April 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090805092742/http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6631420.html|archive-date=5 August 2009}}</ref> Online bookseller [[AbeBooks]] bought a 40% share in LibraryThing in May 2006 for an undisclosed sum. AbeBooks became a subsidiary of Amazon in 2008.<ref>{{cite news| first=Richard| last=Davies| url=http://www.abebooks.com/docs/CompanyInformation/PressRoom/library-thing.shtml |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160826084415/https://www.abebooks.com/docs/CompanyInformation/PressRoom/library-thing.shtml |archivedate= 2016-08-26 | title=Abebooks.com Acquires Major Stake In Librarything.com – A Social Networking Site For Bibliophiles| work=AbeBooks.com| date=2006-05-16}}</ref> In January 2009, [[Cambridge Information Group]] acquired a minority stake in LibraryThing, and their subsidiary [[R. R. Bowker|Bowker]] became the official distributor to libraries.<ref name="Library Journal"/>

==Publicity==
At the end of June 2006, LibraryThing was subject to the [[Slashdot effect]] from a ''[[The Wall Street Journal|Wall Street Journal]]'' article.<ref>{{cite news| first=Aaron| last=Rutkoff| url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB115109622468789252 | title=Social Networking for Bookworms| work=Wall Street Journal| date=2006-06-27| access-date=2006-12-15}}</ref> The site's developers added servers to compensate for the increased traffic. In December of the same year, the site received yet more attention from [[Slashdot]] over its UnSuggester feature, which draws suggestions from books least likely to appear in the same catalog as a given book.<ref>{{cite web| title=Unsuggester: Finding the Book You'll Never Want| url=http://slashdot.org/articles/06/12/04/125217.shtml| work=Slashdot| date=2006-12-04| access-date=2006-12-15}}</ref>

== See also==
* [[Bibliographic database]]
* [[Collective intelligence]]
* [[Crowdsourcing]]
* [[Enterprise bookmarking]]
* [[Folksonomy]]
* [[List of social networking services]]
* [[Online public access catalog|OPAC]] (Online Public Access Catalog)
* [[Tag (metadata)|Tags]]
* [[Virtual community]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
* Wenzler, J. "[https://carl-acrl.org/ig/carlitn/9.07.2007/LTFL.pdf LibraryThing and the library catalog: adding collective intelligence to the OPAC]". A Workshop on Next Generation Libraries. San Francisco State University CARL NITIG; September 7, 2007.
* Hvass, Anna (2008). "[http://oro.open.ac.uk/17233/2/79D8C636.pdf Cataloging with LibraryThing: as easy as 1,2,3!]" ''Library Hi Tech News'', 25 (10), pp. 5–7.

== External links ==
{{Wikidata property |1=P1085}}
* {{Official website}}
* [https://www.librarycat.org TinyCat]
{{amazon}}

[[Category:2005 establishments in Maine]]
[[Category:Amazon (company)]]
[[Category:American book websites]]
[[Category:American companies established in 2005]]
[[Category:Companies based in Maine]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2005]]
[[Category:Library 2.0]]
[[Category:Multilingual websites]]
[[Category:Social cataloging applications]]

LibraryThing - Revision history

imported>Verichora at 02:07, 23 July 2024