FAQs: General

Basics

What is LibraryThing for Libraries (LTFL)?

LibraryThing for Libraries enriches your library's online catalog with the power and fun of Library 2.0.
With LTFL in your catalog, your patrons can browse, search and discover your libraries' holdings in a new, powerful and engaging way.

What's the difference between LibraryThing and LibraryThing for Libraries?

LibraryThing is the main site, meant for all people to come and share their books. Learn more about LibraryThing here.

LibraryThing for Libraries is a product, built by us at LibraryThing, for public, academic and special libraries with existing library systems (ILS/OPACs).

What does LibraryThing for Libraries do?

LibraryThing for Libraries enhances your catalog in three ways:

• Book recommendations. High-quality "recommended" or "similar" books, like reader's advisory that points to books available in your library.
• Tag-based discovery. LibraryThing for Libraries provides tag clouds for books, and tab-based search and discovery, drawing on the over 31 million tags added by LibraryThing members. Read more about how LTFL tags work.
• Other editions and translations. Links to other editions and translations of a work. (This works much like the FRBR model.)

All of the search information - recommended titles, similar editions, tag search results - relate back to what can be found in your OPAC.

This provides more valuable data for each book, and more points of searching.

How does LibraryThing for Libraries work with my OPAC?

LibraryThing for Libraries adds information to your catalog with a few lines of HTML. Installation is extremely easy to add to your OPAC/ILS.

Will LTFL work with my OPAC?

LTFL will work with every major OPAC/ILS, and most of the minor ones too. See the list of libraries using LTFL here.

What are the minimum requirements?

The requirements for LTFL are:

1. A system that allows you to edit a portion of the HTML (even just the footer) of your OPAC
2. The ability to export your records in either tab delimited or MARC format. Read more in the technical FAQ
3. The system can link to an item based upon ISBN

Where does LibraryThing for Libraries get its data?

LibraryThing for Libraries builds off the world's largest personal- and social-cataloging site, LibraryThing. Since 2005 LibraryThing members have added over 26 million books and 34 million tags.

What does LibraryThing for Libraries look like?

LibraryThing for Libraries adds information wherever you'd like it, and is designed to look just like the rest of the OPAC page. Visually seamless, patrons will just see the added data from the enhancements. Patrons are never taken outside of your site.

How much of our collection will LTFL enhance?

Total number of ISBNs. At present, all LTFL enhancements are based on ISBN association, although we're working to include all books. For now, overlap is related to how many ISBNs are in your library's OPAC and also in LibraryThing.
Overlap. Overlap is the percentage of books that your library and LibraryThing have in common. When LibraryThing for Libraries started in the late spring of 2007, it was common for a public library to have 50% overlap. As of March 2008, the average is around 65%.

• Public Libraries - overlap is extremely good for public libraries because of the common popular titles. Read more about how LTFL works in public libraries here.
• Academic, special, and foreign libraries - tend to have a lower overlap, because of things like the nature of the subjects, or editions of their books. Read more about how research-based libraries and libraries outside the U.S. work with LTFL.
  

The future. As Tim says, "a rising tide raises all boats", and as LibraryThing members continue to add tags, the overlap will continue to increase for all libraries.

Does LTFL work with other media in my OPAC?

At present, LTFL primarily enhances books, and coverage for CDs and DVDs is not good.

What other enhancements are you working on?

We're currently working on other enhancements, which will be available soon. These include:

• User tagging. Let your patrons contribute tags to your catalog.
• Reviews. Access hundreds of thousands of reviews and let your patrons add their own.
• User ratings. Add our ratings and give patrons the ability to rate books.

Can I see a live example of LibraryThing for Libraries in an OPAC?

The Danbury library in Danbury CT has become the first library in the world to put LibraryThing for Libraries on its live catalog. Play with their catalog (complete with LibraryThing for Libraries's other editions and translations, similar books, and tags and tag browser), and read our blog post.

Other libraries that have gone live with LibraryThing for Libraries:

The Bedford Public Library (catalog) in Bedford TX (blog post).

Waterford Institute of Technology (catalog) in Waterford in south east Ireland (blog post).

Deschutes Public Library (catalog) of Deschutes County in Oregon (blog post).

Is there a list of all the libraries participating in LibraryThing for Libraries?

Yes! Go check it out.

Editing the Enhancements in General

Can I change the titles of "Similar books" or any of the enhancements?

Yes! You can edit the words you see in the catalog (that describe the enhancement) by logging into your account, choosing the 'Configure' tab, and opening each enhancement's custom code. In the "HTML if success" box, change <div class="LT_label">Similar books:</div><div class="LT_widget_container">[[WIDGET]]</div> to your preferred term, for example <div class="LT_label">Recommended reads</div><div class="LT_widget_container">[[WIDGET]]</div>

Recommendations

How are recommendations made?

Recommendations are based on data collected from the over 27 million books on LibraryThing -- what books members of the site own, how they rate them, and how they tag them. Library cataloging data, including subject headings and call numbers, is also used to improve the recommendations.

Tag-based Discovery

What are tags?

Tags are key words and labels used by regular people to describe a book. Read more about tags.

Does LibraryThing for Libraries use all the tags in LibraryThing?

Preselected LTFL tags have been approved for usefulness and appropriateness by LibraryThing librarians. Highly personal tags (to read, gift from mom) have been excluded. As for risque words as tags, we have a rating system with three levels - each library can choose to include them or not. Thus far, most libraries have not chosen to limit their tags.

Why do I sometimes see weird tags?

The tags here come from LibraryThing.com. LibraryThing members have applied over 31 million tags to their books. Because people are different, and can make anything they want a tag, you will occasionally run across a tag that's irrelevant, wrong, or just plain strange.

How does the "Tag Browser" work?

When in the catalog of a LTFL-member library, you can use the Tag Browser as another way to find books in this library. Click on a tag. This pulls up the tag browser. The space on the right shows you the items that match the tag. The items are not sorted alphabetically, but by its relevance to the tag.

Can I add my own tags?

At present, you cannot, but we are currently working on an enhancement that will allow patrons to add their own tags (and review and ratings) to your catalog.

Other Editions

Where does the 'other editions' data come from?

All 'other editions' information come from LibraryThing, a book cataloging website. Recommendations come from LibraryThing members.

Pricing and Accounts

What does LTFL cost?

LibraryThing for Libraries is free to try for 60 days - that's 60 days of live use, not including in-house testing, which you can do for as long as you need. There is no fee for setting up LTFL and testing it in your OPAC. We charge a yearly subscription fee based on book circulation and other factors relating to OPAC use.

There is a $1000 minimum for all libraries. Consortia generally receive a 20% discount.

For pricing information contact us.

We don't charge for servicing. The only money you give us is the subscription price of the enhancements.

How do I add LibraryThing for Libraries to my OPAC?

To start, use the LibraryThing for Libraries form or email sonya@librarything.com.

Once we've contacted you with your account information, you'll need to export a file with ISBNs in it. Read here how to export your data.

Once you've uploaded your ISBNs, you'll cut and paste a few lines of HTML into your catalog. That's it. Once you've added the HTML, your catalog will automatically connect to our servers to display all the LibraryThing goodness. You can use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to change the enhancements to look like your site, or we can help you with that.

Can I test out the widgets before I commit to putting them on my OPAC?

Absolutely. You can test out LibraryThing for Libraries without your patrons noticing any changes, even if you don't have a separate testing server. You can turn it on or off at anytime, as well.

Public Libraries

Why should my public library buy LTFL?

The added value is incredible - data from the #1 book site means powerful results, making you like Amazon Easy to implement, even for non-tech folks

• Recommended reads - like in-catalog readers advisory
• Other editions - know what your options are without having to jump back to the search screen
• Tags - full tag browser brought into your OPAC, complete with the creme-de-la-creme tags from LibraryThing.

Academic Libraries

Why should academic libraries buy LTFL?

The application of the LTFL enhancements is inherently different for an academic or special library.

• Recommended reads - the items suggested are generally connected in deeply meaningful ways, and can provide research suggestions otherwise untapped
• Other editions - know what other versions of the text are in your collection
• Tags - describes each item in ways

LTFL gives you a lot of additional ways of searching your existing collection in an inexpensive way, considering how much data you're getting.

Consortial Libraries

Will LibraryThing for Libraries work with a library consortium?

Yes - in fact, we offer a 20%-or-better discount to consortia, because it makes implementing LTFL easier (than it naturally is).

My library is part of a consortium, but no one else is interested - can I still use LTFL?

It depends on how your consortium is implemented and whether you share an OPAC. You must have access to the HTML of your OPAC, or a consortial Head Being who is willing to put the code in for you (which they need to do once, and it's done). You also need the ability to export your records in either tab delimited or MARC format. This action is something that needs to happen on a continual basis - generally libraries update their records once a month.

Pricing would be based on your library's size alone.

What if my library buys LTFL, and then the consortium decides to join?

We'll graciously prorate a refund from when the consortium goes live.

Several libraries in my consortium are interested, but not everyone - how does that affect pricing?

Pricing will be based on each individual library, for them alone.

What if our consortium doesn't share information within our OPAC?

Depending on your preference, each individual library can keep its data separate, or together, within the consortium.

Non-American Libraries

My library is outside the U.S. - can I use LTFL?

Yes - many libraries outside the U.S. are using LTFL - see the list (of all libraries) using LTFL here.

My library's catalog isn't in English - will LTFL still work?

Yes. The enhancements may work differently:

• Other Editions and Recommends always returns items that are in your library, so any items (in any language) that LibraryThing has data for will show up.
• Tags also work, but the words will be in English.

The best thing to do if you're interested is email sonya@librarything.com for an account. You can apply the enhancements to your OPAC and see what comes up. One of the first indicators you'll have is on the main LTFL account page - your overlap with the LibraryThing data. Since you can test LTFL for as long as you need, setting up an account is the easiest way to see how the enhancements will work with your data.

Can I change the words that appear in the catalog to my preferred language?

The tags will be in English.

You can edit the words you see in the catalog (that describe the enhancement) to your language by logging into your account, choosing the 'Configure' tab, and opening each enhancement's custom code. In the "HTML if success" box, change <div class="LT_label">Similar books:</div><div class="LT_widget_container">[[WIDGET]]</div> to your preferred term, for example <div class="LT_label">Samspeca libro:</div><div class="LT_widget_container">[[WIDGET]]</div>

Questions that don't neatly fit elsewhere

Can LibraryThing for Libraries be my online catalog?

No. If you're interested in using LibraryThing to catalog your small library's books, check out our organizational accounts. These accounts are general LibraryThing accounts, and do not support item circulation or patron accounts. If you're looking for a complete online library system, consider using the search terms "open source ILS" with your favorite search engine, for freely available options.

Do the LibraryThing for Libraries widgets work for non-ISBN books?

Not yet, though we're working on it.

I'm not part of a library, so can I use LibraryThing for Libraries?

At present, no. If you're interested in licensing LibraryThing data for bookselling, write tim@librarything.com.

Are there any free LibraryThing widgets I can use for my library?

Yes, we have a book cover widget popular with libraries for use as a promotional tool. Read more about it here.

What about accessibility?

LibraryThing for Libraries widgets are designed to work with screen readers, screen magnifiers, and other assistive technologies, and are coded to meet or exceed government accessibility guidelines.

Are there any privacy issues?

We respect the privacy of individual LibraryThing members, LibraryThing for Libraries libraries, and library patrons. When a patron browses your OPAC, their browser's JavaScript interpreter sends the LibraryThing server the ISBN they are looking at and (depending on circumstance) the tag. But LibraryThing is completely de-coupled from your OPAC's patron data. No library patron data is transfered, and no other personal information is sent to or received by LibraryThing. The data included in our enhancements are based on anonymous, aggregated user content. For more information, please refer to our privacy policy.