I have recently joined Goodreads ( http://www.goodreads.com/ ). At the moment this "social cataloging" site seems to be largely ignored by magicians. Yet it could become a fantastic resource, not only for ratings and reviews, but also for creating a truly comprehensive historical database of publications, including books, pamphlets, lecture notes and ebooks (though not DVDs or tricks, which are outside the remit of Goodreads). It can also be a great way for authors to promote their books.

It would need some dedicated efforts, especially by authors, publishers and collectors, in adding magical works to the catalogue (and you have to apply for "librarian" status to be able to do this) but the benefits to the magical community could be tremendous.

Incidentally, it can also be used as a very convenient way to catalogue your own collection - I am working through mine right now!

Any thoughts?

Mike

Interesting idea and I think it could be worthwhile in some ways. I have Librarian status at Goodreads. Maybe I'll look into this a bit more.

Great idea. A perfect job for Vlad.

Thanks for supporting this idea!

I now also have Librarian status on Goodreads and have made a start creating records for books in my collection which were not previously catalogued. It's pretty easy to do.

Mike