LibraryThing
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Social cataloging, Bibliographic database |
| Founded | August 29, 2005 |
| Founder | Tim Spalding |
| Headquarters | Portland , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Tim Spalding (Founder, Majority owner) |
| Products | LibraryThing platform, TinyCat |
| Owner | Tim Spalding (majority), AbeBooks (40% until acquisition by Amazon), Cambridge Information Group (minority) |
| Website | librarything |
LibraryThing is an online social cataloging platform designed for managing and sharing bibliographic records and metadata, catering to authors, private users, libraries, and publishers alike.
Based in Portland, Maine, LibraryThing was created by its founder Tim Spalding and officially launched on August 29, 2005. Employing a freemium revenue approach, the service focused on user satisfaction rather than advertising income. Over time, the company broadened its offerings to include academic library services. In reaction to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, LibraryThing opened its platform to all users free of charge in March 2020 while continuing to operate without ads. By February 2021, the site reported a user base of 2.6 million and a catalog exceeding 155 million books, drawing bibliographic information from Amazon and thousands of libraries through the Z39.50 protocol.
Features
At its core, LibraryThing provides a cataloging tool that accommodates books, films, music, and other media formats. It integrates bibliographic data from over 2,000 libraries—including institutions such as the British Library, Library of Congress, and National Library of Australia—via Z39.50 connections alongside data from six distinct Amazon.com marketplaces. The platform adheres to recognized standards like Dublin Core and MARC formats. Users also have the option to enter records manually when automated data is unavailable.
The system classifies works by various editions, translations, print runs, and media types. Community members enrich the database by contributing reviews, summaries, ratings, tags, and curated collections that improve categorization and enhance engagement. Interactive discussion boards support user communication.
Items are organized using the Melvil Decimal System—a contemporary adaptation of the Dewey Decimal Classification—offering a consistent taxonomy optimized for digital catalog management.
Social features
LibraryThing incorporates social networking functionalities similar to those found in bookmark manager Del.icio.us and music platform Last.fm. It competes with other book cataloging services such as aNobii, BookLikes, Goodreads, Libib, and Shelfari (which has since merged with Goodreads).
TinyCat
Introduced in 2016, TinyCat serves as an OPAC solution designed specifically for small-scale libraries housing up to 20,000 items. It targets independent institutions including schools, community organizations, religious groups, academic units, and individual collectors—broadening LibraryThing’s product suite for specialized library markets.
Ownership
Founder Tim Spalding retains majority ownership of LibraryThing. In May 2006, online bookseller AbeBooks purchased a 40% share; AbeBooks was subsequently acquired by Amazon in 2008. Cambridge Information Group joined as a minority investor in January 2009, with its subsidiary Bowker appointed as LibraryThing’s official distributor to library clients. This ownership configuration supports strategic collaborations and market growth initiatives.
Publicity
LibraryThing saw a significant increase in visitors following coverage by the Wall Street Journal in June 2006, leading to an expansion of server infrastructure. Later that year, the site attracted additional publicity from Slashdot for its UnSuggester feature, which highlights books that are rarely found together in catalogs.
See also
- Bibliographic database
- Collective intelligence
- Crowdsourcing
- Enterprise bookmarking
- Folksonomy
- List of social networking services
- OPAC (Online Public Access Catalog)
- Tags
- Virtual community
Further reading
- Wenzler, J. "LibraryThing and the library catalog: incorporating collective intelligence into the OPAC". Presented at A Workshop on Next Generation Libraries, San Francisco State University CARL NITIG; September 7, 2007.
- Hvass, Anna (2008). "Cataloging with LibraryThing: as easy as 1,2,3!" Library Hi Tech News, 25 (10), pp. 5–7.