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BOOKLOVERS' TOUR OF THE INTERNET

CONTENTS
Finding Book Titles
Finding Book Reviews
Finding Similar Titles
Finding Series
Reading Lists
Finding Award Winners
Free Books Online		 Free Audio Books Online
Finding Other Bibliophiles
Resources for Writers
Searching Online
Search Tools - Directories
Search Tools - Search Engines
Libraries and Interlibrary Loans

FINDING BOOK TITLES

FINDING BOOK REVIEWS

One of the subscriptions offered by the Coos County libraries' is the Book Index With Reviews, which is found from going to the main page at www.cooslibraries.org and selecting "search other databases". The next screen provides the link to this tool.

In addition, there are many Web sites that either provide book reviews, enable you to submit book reviews, or have created lists of sites that provide book reviews. Another way to get book reviews is to sign up for RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds. For further explanation see our newletter. Examples include:

FINDING SIMILAR BOOKS

Novelist is a tool provided by the Coos Bay Public Library and can be found the same way as the Book Index with Reviews listed above. This tool is a great help in finding novels similar to ones you've already read. While it is not able to analyze and compare writing styles, it will help you find authors who have written novels covering the same topics, cultures, time periods, and geographic regions. So, for example, if you are partial to mysteries set in the South after the 1940s, this would be the tool for finding them.

Many libraries have produced brochures providing guidance to readers. To find them on the Internet try searching phrases such as "if you like..., you might like..." or "Readers advisory". The Coos Bay library has produced several lists which have been added to the Web site.

FINDING SERIES INFORMATION

Novelist is also very useful in finding the books in a particular fiction series. If you don't find the complete series list there, you can try looking for the author's or publisher's Web site. In addition, the Kent District Library (Michigan) offers What's Next? - www.kdl.org/libcat/WhatsNextNEW.asp - from the Kent District Library in Michigan.

Internet Resources for Bibliophiles - fspl.lib.ar.us/irbooks.html. Produced by the Fort Smith Public Library in Arkansas provides a list of useful Internet sites.

RECOMMENDED READING LISTS, BEST SELLER LISTS, BOOK CLUBS, and LITERARY EZINES

Note: The term "book club" can refer to either a discussion group or a commercial "book of the month" membership where a book is mailed automatically unless you notify the company. You pay for both the book and the shipping and handling costs.
Bookview software

There are numerous online book viewers or book readers available, some can let you view books produced in a number of formats while others are limited to a particular proprietary format. The source providing the online book will usually inform you which you need or provide an online interface so you do not need to download special software. New Google Book Viewer (software) Google has designed a new interface for reading books via 'Google Book.' You can scroll through pages, view them two-pages at a time just like a real book. It allows a zoom feature, lets you switch to full screen, or skip directly to chapters that interest you. Books that are in the public domain can be read online or downloaded. Those still copyrighted provide information for you to purchase the item or find ask for it at your local library. Best part is you don't need to download the interface to use it, automatically runs online.

Audio versions

In addition one can find audio recordings of author interviews available on the Internet.

Where Are the Rest?

Why haven't all the books in the world been put on the Internet already? Some, as you discovered above, have been. Others cannot be because they are protected by copyright law, meaning someone still owns the commercial rights to those publications. In addition, there is the sheer cost of such a monumental task. Per Charley Seavey, a professor at the Missouri-Columbia School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, it would take over $1 billion dollars to digitize just the books at the Library of Congress (17 million of them). But keep in mind this doesn't include all of even that library's materials, (excluded are microfilm, newspapers, maps, etc.) or more importantly the cost of storing and making accessible digitial copies of all those books.

But there is hope, 15% of the world's 32 million cataloged books have fallen into public domain (i.e. are no longer copyrighted) and there are several groups and businesses that are busily working to digitize them. The Million Book Project (see the Internet Archive at http://www.archive.org/details/millionbooks), Google, and numerous other groups (both nonprofit and commerical), are working to provide these books online.

Amazon, an online book seller, along with several large American publishers, are working to scan books into digital format. Publishers who own the copyright can then save money by eliminating the need to maintain large stockpiles of their backlist books. When a book sells, a copy is printed and shipped (or downloaded to the customer's computer). Another commerical advantage of this activity is that online bookstores and publisher Websites can offer customers sample pages to entice sales.

FINDING OTHER BIBLIOPHILES (that's booklovers!) - Literary Social Networking

Social Networking, in the Internet context, results when people from separate locations utilize the Internet as a method to "meet" and communicate. Generally, they are formed by persons who share the same interest whether it be age, culture, or subject matter. In the case of bibliophiles it is a chance for people to share impressions and discuss opinions about books they found interesting.
More Book Clubs or Groups Other Related Sites

RESOURCES FOR WRITERS

FAN FICTION

Fan Fiction (also called fanfiction or fanfic) is fiction written by the fans of a particular author, often focused on particular characters or settings. Fans can write anything, poems, short stories, essays or some web sites allow fans to take turns contributing portions of writing helping to create an ever evolving story. An excellent way of getting practice writing and gaining an audience to critic one's work.

SPECIFIC SEARCH TOOLS

What Are You Really Searching?

(or just link to "Seaching the Web handout?")

I. DIRECTORIES

     Directories are lists of site addresses found and approved by individuals. So rather then automatically created by computer software, a human being has gone to the trouble of finding, reviewing, and compiling lists of sites that cover a particular topic well.

Subject Directories:

Specialized Subject Directories for Book Lovers

II. SEARCH ENGINES

Search engines are probably the most popular tool for finding information on the Internet. However, for a number of reasons, no one search engine (including Google) searches the entire Web. In fact, even the most successful actually retrieve only 20-30% of the Web. But again you should be cautious in the tools you use just as you will be of the information you find. "Search tools that appear useful may in fact be partnering with advertisers to deliver paid-for information and promotions to unsuspecting users." 1 - www.workingfaster.com/trainingreport.html

There are hundreds of search engines, some are specialized for a specific topic or need. Most of us only need a couple of favorites.

Specialized Search Engines for Book Lovers:

III. META-SEARCH ENGINES

Metasearch engines allow you to search using several search engines at one time. The search structure and commands allowed will differ in each search engine and using a metasearch engine may not allow for this. This means that your search will not be evenly effective in each. That said, here are both some common meta-search engines and ones that are designed for book lovers.

Recommended keywords for Internet searches:

bibliophiles, book lovers, book people, readers, (reader, reader's or readers') advisory, guidance, or guides, If You Like, full text books, electronic books, online books, digital books, electronic audio books, literature, literary, online literary magazines, literary ezines (or e-zines), writers, writers' resources.

LIBRARY COLLECTIONS AND INTERLIBRARY LOAN

While you can of course purchase books through bookstores, both local and online, you have other options. One is to request that the local library consider purchasing the books you are interested in for the collection. If the book or books are too specialized or duplicate other similar titles already in the collection and the library cannot buy the books, there is a third option.

That option is to request the library perform a Interlibrary Loan request on your behalf. Interlibrary Loan is a method by which libraries borrow and loan materials to each other. The majority of libraries in the country, whether public, academic, government, or specialized, participate in this cooperative effort. As long as a single library in the country has the book and is willing to loan it, your local library should be able to attain the book(s). Keep in mind that most will not loan books that are brand new and therefore you may have to wait until they are 6 months to a year old. The Coos County libraries charge $2.00 per item, and this money is used to pay the shipping back to the lending library. You are only charged if the library succeeds in borrowing the material.

See the Extended Service Office, www.cooslibraries.org/screens/libs/eso/ill.html, website or check at the reference desk at your favorite library to make a request.