If you’re interested in Library 2.0 and library technology generally, you might want to pre-order Library mashups : exploring new ways to deliver library data (website), a collection of articles on innovative ways to use (and abuse) library data.

I haven’t read it yet, except for the chapter I wrote, “Breaking into the OPAC.” I’m looking forward to many, including one on John Blyberg/Darien Library’s SOPAC and something on “Zack Bookmaps,” an effort to show local library copies of a book, without using OCLC. There’s also a chapter on the LibraryThing API and libraries, written by Robin Hastings. Nicole Engard (a LibraryThing author), shepherded the whole thing to completion.

I found the book-process frustrating at times. At their fastest—and multi-author collaborations aren’t that—books are slow things. This one took about a year. But the articles still look timely to me, and it’s going to be good to hold “my” book in my hands.

Labels: books