Cataloguing your library

[Adr.]

Sorry if this has been asked before, but can anyone recommend a good website and/or software for cataloguing books? I know about library thing and alibirs etc. but what do you use and what would you recommend?

[kirsty]

LibraryThing all the way!! I am quite obsessed with it to be honest. I tried using Shelfari once, but didn't like it at all.

[Stewart]

I use GoodReads, just because it looks good. LibraryThing certainly has more functionality, a larger userbase, and plenty more, but it looks like a pig's arse.

[kirsty]

Pig's arse. Well, now that you mention it, I suppose it does. But, hey, I can tell you I share 38 books with Sylvia Plath!

[Russell]

Library Thing, definitely, (650 books so far) although I use both Library Thing and Good Reads for mutual redundancy to protect against catastrophic loss. As a secondary consideration, Good Reads provides book discussion as the main feature of the site.

[Lizzy Siddal]

I'm a thingamabrian too! 1494 in my librarything. Too many for redundancy in goodreads or shelfari. Disaster recovery via csv download for me!

P.S I share 206 books with Kirsty and 344 with dovegreyreader. (I obviously keep good company!)

[Stewart]

I'm on Librarything too. I once tried importing from GoodReads and only got about 90 of my books transferred. Obviously LT needs to perfect that importer.

[Russell]

I'm on Librarything too. I once tried importing from GoodReads and only got about 90 of my books transferred. Obviously LT needs to perfect that importer.
I've had attrition going in the other direction also. It's a nuisance either way.

[Paradox]

I use both Library Thing and Good Reads, preferring Library Thing by a mile. I transferred my library at the time from LT to GR and only a thousand or so made it, and to figure out which ones didn't make it was just too irritating for me, so while I've kept my LT shelf going, I don't bother that much in updating GR shelves. GR does have some interesting book discussions as well.

[kirsty]

Aha Lizzy, today's updates must have only just filtered through because by my profile I have a whole 210 books in common with you (but a mere 311 in common with DGR!)

[gil]

Out of curiosity, I just visited http://www.librarything.com/ to be greeted with a fatal error.
Fatal error: Can't use function return value in write context in /var/www/html/inc_geolocate.php on line 58

Is it me?

[John Self]

No, I just got it too. (Mac with Firefox, if that's relevant.)

[gil]

It's gone OK now.

[Ang]

Just trying both and finding Library Thing much more useful for looking up recommendations and people with similar tastes. Not as easy to add books though.

[Daveybot]

A good chum of mine (and I think onetime Palimpsestarian) has posted on his blog about Library Thing here (http://scribleruslives.blogspot.com/2008/08/librarys-thing.html).

[Ang]

I'm using Library Thing for a rating system rather than a list of owned books as I borrow quite a few from the library. It appears to have a much better recommendation system than amazon.