Find Bookstores with LibraryThing Local
Last week (or so) I wrote about sites that had good bookstore maps. A kind reader noted that I’d missed LibraryThing Local. I use LibraryThing, fairly regularly, and missed this completely. So much for tab UI huh?
In general I find LibraryThing to be the best social reading website. Sure enough, they’ve implemented an extremely nice local section that lets users see bookstores, libraries and fairs/festivals in both text and map form based on an address or postal code radius search.
In addition, they provide event listings for these venues. These listings are dependent on users and/or venues uploading their events, so the information is less than comprehensive. It’s better than nothing and I’m hoping more and more bookstores and libraries will begin to use the service.
Features also include an individual listing for each venue where you can comment, edit or favorite the venue. I find it a bit humorous that in the edit area they ask whether it is a ‘Real place’ or ‘Online’.
As you might expect, LibraryThing Local has more libraries listed (>21,000) than bookstores (nearly 10,000). Also, there just isn’t a lot of user generated information here yet (event/venue ratio is below 5%), but it is ready and waiting … so stop by and help build what could be the best resource for finding used bookstores online.
