Week 5, Thing 11

I decided to look at the Biblio.com: booksearch and marketplace site that placed second in the books category of the Web 2.0 Awards. It sells new and used books, connecting many bookstores from around the world to people interested in finding certain books.

I searched for a book that I knew was out of print, Jack Frost by David Melling. First I just search for Melling, David but it came up with over 300 results. I used the advance search and added the title. It narrowed it down to 15 results. These results were from the United Kingdom and the United States. The results for the UK included the price in pounds and US dollars. I was also able to see how much shipping would be and how long it would take to arrive.

Other useful features allow browsing of books, based on genres, authors, and subjects; connecting to bookstores that are part of the Biblio.com network -there are some in Alaska; a section of rare books with images, including signed books; and a textbook section for new and used books.

This would be an excellent source for a library to use for those out-of-print books that still have value. I was thinking about books that have been lost or highly loved (worn out) and should be replaced, but they are no longer available from a publisher. This site would be the first place I would look to replace the book.

After I played with the site, I read the “Our Story” section. I like that the owners are not just about making a profit. They have built several libraries in Bolivia from monies earned from books sold and sought additional items to be donated to the libraries. They have donated books to improvised children and to inmates. They are also investing in renewable energies on small farms across the country. The site even has a blog: http://for.theloveofbooks.com.

I looked at the Ning site and saw many of the different Nings that were created. It seems if there is something you are interested in, you can find a Ning related to it. I joined the TeacherLibrarian Ning.

TravelIQ could be very addicting. I will be playing it again once I get caught up (finished) with the class.