Technology and Libraries: LibraryThing at UMDNJ at Stratford
Jenny Pierce, MS
Public Services Librarian
UMDNJ-Health Science Library
Like many libraries the UMDNJ Health Sciences Library at Stratford has a board review collection. These books circulate for 7 days and are the most heavily used of our collection.
Formal cataloging isn’t always useful for this collection. Students refer to books by series or remember the covers. Previously all information regarding board review books was in an html file that listed them by subject. Updating that file was time consuming.
As part of the library’s effort to make information about board review books easier to find we are using the social networking site, LibraryThing.org, as an additional way to organize the Board Review Collection. Librarything uses tagging and other social bookmarking technology. Tagging creates a more intuitive way to both capture information and use it to search.
Part of our collection by title
We joined LibraryThing as a library. Any member can tag up to 200 books. We paid the membership fee so we can tag more. At $15 a year it’s a bargain!
One staff person tagged our entire board review collection and we have been adding books since.
Our tag cloud
Books are added using the ISBN code and a scanner. Tags are added using call numbers, series name and subjects. All information is based on the book’s cover.
Most books have a pre-existing cover image. If not a blank is created by the system.
In addition we have created a review bookmark for students, interns and residents to evaluate the books as learning resources. Once the review is returned the review is added by a staff member.
You can look at our Board Review Collection from our home page or at http://www.librarything.com/catalog/somboardreview.
Please contact me if you have any questions.
