Many popular programs allow anyone to organize and catgorize their book collections, by creating online catalogues.

EndNotes and RefWorks are just two of many bibliographic/database programs extremely useful for students involved in extended research projects. Each of these programs allow you to make entries and format them in different citation styles, which can be particularly useful when revising writings for various journals. EndNotes is a program maintained on one's computer, while RefWorks can be accessed through the library and references are maintained on their server.

Library Thing <http://www.librarything.com/ > allows people to not only list their books, but only provide tags which identify them.

Google Book Search is designed to locate books using a full-text approach to the WWW.

What are the implications of these various books catalogs and searches? For the researcher, there are some definite advantages to creating a searchable database of references. For the avid reader, there is such joy in sharing a passion with others with similar interests. But how does this translate for educational purposes? Can librarians find ways to take advantage of these programs?

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Alice Oppenheimer - MLIS Student Use of on-line ca IP:69.253.163.115 | 2007-09-19 15:31:37 I started using Bookpedia, an on-line service that I believe is Mac-only, when I entered the MLIS program last fall. I am in the Ed Media track, and as one with no kids of my own, need to invent excuses such as going to graduate school again, to read children's literature. I found keeping a log with a brief record of each book, as I read it, with pictures of the front cover popping up without my even asking helps me create discipline for use in my professional career. The task became even more exciting when I could add comments of classmates to my own comments in certain non-structured areas of the database. This allows me to remember with the greatest recall what I've read, if it's a thumbs up or down, or if so, for whom would it be so, or not, and why. What's good for my niece wasn't a best pick for my classmate's daughter and why was the kind of detail that is interesting to note. I've yet to take the Cataloging Class. We'll see if my thoughts on this change afterwards. For now, I like the fact that this database program allows you to export your data in many different formats, and found myself actually saying "aha!" "This is why I suffered through that Access section of the Intro to Computers/Tech course". I've shared both the bald link and my own limited picks on a collection I created on "librarything" with people and must say that for one who is to be a librarian, I'm shy about sharing everything that I read. I'm just not comfy with the notion of freely opening up my library for the world to see what's on my shelf. I'm not of the Facebook generation, where my diary is on the Internet -- perhaps that's part of it. But, I am aiming to work with tweens, and for them, perhaps this is another potential hook to keep young readers reading past the series books stage when life seems to interfere with soccer and band practice and friends and Wii and everything but books. I'm keeping up my children's and youth catalog (of books I've actually read) with the hope of using it in the schools someday as a resource for referrals if nothing else. And maybe will think of a way to have an interactive version of this software available at the classroom level so that kids can share book picks and pans with each other in a medium that’s familiar to them – the modern book report? As for me personally, I won't be sharing my virtual bookshelf in its entirety anytime soon. What is it about my bookshelf? What does my reading say about me, that I don't want the cyberworld to see? (No, it's not "objectionable" material, for the most part ;-).) More like, "I read, therefore I am". And what will the Smiths say? It is so personal. It exposes me. "Not intellectual enough", my college classmates will say. "Too intellectual", my knitting group friends will say. "I don't want to know about the *History* of yarns..., I want to know about knitting..." I hope to afford my future library customers/patrons privacy, and wouldn't expose their "collections" to the world, and can find some very good reasons not to share mine in its entirety as well. So, for me the idea of cataloging and uploading the catalog of my own collection for the world to view on line hasn't yet been a big hit. I share some of my faves, and will note my dislikes. I won't reveal what lurks beneath the dust of my Real Bookshelves. Not to just anyone. For that I need 2cu. FTF.

Mike - Site Visitor IP:99.250.67.19 | 2008-04-27 09:36:27 Hi Lydia: I agree with Alice in that posting your personal bookshelf can feel a little too revealing to some degree. I do, however, believe that when a person has finished reading a book that has impacted them or moved them in some way, they have a natural desire to share that with others. I think some readers prefer to offer their opinion on a book, while remaining somewhat anonymous. One site I have come across that allows you to do this is . I think the advantage that reader-generated book recommendation sites like this can provide librarians with is, not only do they provide a consensus of what people are reading out there, but they also provide commentary and insight to support why a particular book was appreciated.

Mike - Site Visitor IP:99.250.67.19 | 2008-04-27 09:40:27 My apologies. In my previous reply post I inadvertently omitted the url for the site I was referencing to as an example. The site was www.juicespot.ca.

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