On 6/21/06, Sue Woodson <woodson_at_jhu.edu> wrote:
> I have the same question. There are lots of better ways to get and
> manage metadata about books. If I were trying to catalog my books I'd go
> to WorldCat for metada and if I were an unafilliated scholar I'd use
> RedLightGreen, Open WorldCat or the Library of Congress catalog. If you
> are serious about keeping a catalog there's software like RefWorks and
> EndNote.
>
EndNote: $240
RefWorks: $100/year
Both single-user, both, um, boring? Stuffy? AFAICS, LT isn't for
people that would find that sort of thing particularly appealing.
It's for people that have a stack of books and a few minutes to see
how far they can get.
Also, isolated. Both market-y. Both "we're important, you're a
customer" and self-important. Off-putting. And as a special perk,
RefWorks FAQ is yet another marketing opportunity, highlighting the
revolutionary feature that upgrades to the website don't require
installs.
> Who keeps catalogs of their books anyway? Are these people who loan
> their books out and keep track of who has them?
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/kenolsen.asp
The catalog isn't for possession, inventory control, or copyright
compliance. It's for actual use by readers.
I was just saying today that about the first thing I do with a new
machine is get its network card working. I'm telling you, this
knowledge, communication, society thing, which is to say, this web
thing, is catching on.
Received on Thu Jun 22 2006 - 11:00:05 EDT