Thing #19--Library Thing

I've used LibraryThing before in the past to read reviews on various library materials, but I never knew the capabilities of the site and the social networking aspect of it. I really enjoyed using LibraryThing, especially the ability to essentially create "lists" (Reader's Advisory at it's best, if you ask me), and pull categorical information directly from sites like the Library of Congress (LOC) and Amazon (the LOC is a more credible cataloging source in my opinion, I was actually interested to see Amazon as a possible cataloging option). I really got a lot out of reading the LibraryThing blog, where librarians provided information on just how exactly they used the site for practical library purposes. I think that the social aspect in being able to connect with other users that have selected a book for the same or similar reasons really goes a long way in keeping librarians connected, and on common ground. I also could see using LibraryThing for personalized lists, appealing to specific readers, such as "YA Summer Reads--Mystery" or "In's and Out's of Healthcare--Non-fiction". With this tool, it really seems like librarians can anticipate the needs/wants of readers and then compile lists (using other LibraryThing users as well) to come up with electronic reading lists (very similar to Reader's Advisory). I like it!

For the LibraryThing assignment to accompany our Rollyo lists and Sandbox lesson plans, I came up with a list of 5 books related to my lesson topic of endangered species. Because I am not currently in a school library situation, I went to the good 'ole fashioned public library and checked out some books that I thought would go well with this assignment. Because this assignment is aimed at high school students, I opted to include mature or adult reading level reference and non-fiction books. Much of the juvenile and young adult books on this subject matter seemed much too simple for advanced high school readers. Thus, these books are mature in language and content. I was concerned that some of the books I selected seemed out-of-date (one book was published in the early 1990's), however, the scope and nature of the content fit perfectly with the research students would be required to do. Also, I really thought about what books would supplement the webquest and work to enhance/compliment the knowledge of the students. On a side note, with the wealth of information I found at the library, I thought of additional ways to expand upon my webquest to meet the needs of more advanced, independent learners (such as future research topics, independent work, etc).

Here is my list (it was hard to narrow it to 5 as I had more than enough for a lengthy list):

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/erin.anderson52