What is WorldCat? [WorldCat.org]

You can search for popular books, music CDs and videos—all of the physical items you’re used to getting from libraries. You can also discover many new kinds of digital content, such as downloadable audiobooks. You may also find article citations with links to their full text; authoritative research materials, such as documents and photos of local or historic significance; and digital versions of rare items that aren’t available to the public. Because WorldCat libraries serve diverse communities in dozens of countries, resources are available in many languages.

 

Source: What is WorldCat? [WorldCat.org]

Little Libraries (via One Writer’s Journey)

I don’t know about you, but I think this is a great idea. I donate books all the time to kids I see on the streets. I also donate tons of books to shelters around my city.

What are you doing with your books?

Their goal is threefold: To promote literacy and the love of reading  by building free book exchanges worldwide.  Specifically, they want to build more than 2,510 libraries around the world.  Why that number?  Because that would put them ahead of the great Andrew Carnegie! To build a sense of community as they share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations. Who are we talking about?  Little Free Library.   This organization is the brainch … Read More

via One Writer's Journey

Seth Godin’s Take On The Library

Image via CrunchBase

Seth Godin posted a very interesting take on the future of our libraries. The way technology has changed has put pressure on librarians to step up and do more to invite avid readers and kids in.

The future of the library

What is a public library for?

First, how we got here:

Before Gutenberg, a book cost about as much as a small house. As a result, only kings and bishops could afford to own a book of their own.

This naturally led to the creation of shared books, of libraries where scholars (everyone else was too busy not starving) could come to read books that they didn’t have to own. The library as warehouse for books worth sharing.

Only after that did we invent the librarian.

The librarian isn’t a clerk who happens to work at a library. A librarian is a data hound, a guide, a sherpa and a teacher. The librarian is the interface between reams of data and the untrained but motivated user. Read more here.

You Have A Book Idea. Now What?

Image via Wikipedia

When I’m writing I often wonder if the book idea I have in my head has been done already. Well, we all know that everything has been done. What we have to do as writer’s is put our own individual spin on it. Easier said than done. Or is it?

A few ways to ease your mind is to do some research for your book idea. Perhaps some reading would be good. So where to start? One place I start is with the library. The library website in your area will have a catalog method in which you can search by title and subject. This is a quick and easy way to see what has already been done.

If you are interested in checking to see what’s happening around the world then you could search the World Catalog site. This site lists all of the library catalogs and you can find so much interesting information here that could help enhance your book idea. If you haven’t checked it out you really should.

The old faithfuls will be Amazon, Google, Good Reads and Shelfari to name a few. Get online. Do some searching and researching. Have fun and you will learn a lot. Good luck!