Just last week, I was about 30 minutes into an audiobook when I paused it to look the series up on Fantastic Fiction. It just seemed so familiar and for a very good reason. I had read not only the first book but they first several.
Then there are those times that I’m standing in front of a bookstore shelf wondering. Have I bought that one yet or did I just think about it? If only I had a list.
My husband has attempted creating lists on his phone. Unfortunately he has trouble finding it when he’s at the library or bookstore. Yes, we have that many books.
The thought of keying everything in to a database just did not appeal to me. If only there was an easier way.
Fortunately there is and I’m equally fortunate that I fussed about this to my son. “Mom, if you scan the ISBN, the rest of the information should be able to auto-populate.”
“You mean gathering the data online?”
“Yes, Mom.”
I Googled how to set up a library catalogue and found Library Thing. The site’s instructions are iffy at best but in about 45 minutes I had set up an account and discovered that no I do not need to buy a scanner (pfft! instructions!). There is an app which I quickly downloaded from Google Aps. It took my about 30 minutes to figure out how to use the app and then scan 35 books.
My biggest complaint is that they have misplaced faith in my ability to use a scanner. More than once I accidentally scanned a book two or three times. Fortunately they’re ready for that. I got a message to the effect of “we can find this ISBN.” At one point, it also scanned the ISBN and decided that it was a book by another author on Cesar Chavez. I started with the shelf of my books, so I know this was some sort of goofball error since I haven’t a book on Cesar Chavez let alone that book on Cesar Chavez. It only took me a minute to figure out how to delete the erroneous title.
I spent a few minutes on the site trying to figure out how to share my catalogue. Then an obvious answer came to me and I popped over to Google and searched for the info. The search directed me to the information on Library Thing.
So if you would like to check out a tiny portion of my catalog you can click through here. I’ll be adding to this here and there, going far beyond the books that I’ve written to include the various books we own.
If you have a Library Thing catalogue, share your info below. The form should be: http://www.librarything.com/catalog/YourUserName .
–SueBE
One Writer's Journey 