LibraryThing Thing - A Firefox Extension for LibraryThing.com

LibraryThingThing
This Firefox browser extension adds the value of live library holdings lookup using Talis Platform APIs to your, or anyone else's, catalogue page in LibraryThing.com.

LibraryThing is the personal online library catalogue that so far [as of July 5th 2006] contains 3.5 million books catalogued by 51,000 users which has attracted much praise over the last few months. If it is new to you, go take a look - it is impressive.

So what does LibraryThingThing do? Well most of the time not much. It only leaps in to action when it detects that it is on the catalogue page on the LibraryThing site. If it identifies one or more libraries which hold a copy of the book being displayed, or a related edition, it adds a ‘Found in X Libraries’ option to the LibraryThing ‘Find AT…’ navigation panel. Clicking on that link opens a panel displaying a list of the holding libraries; clicking on a library name opens a new window displaying that Library’s OPAC with the book selected.

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To get your hands on this useful extension, click on the link below from within Firefox.

librarythingthing.xpi

If you have not downloaded a Firefox Extension from Talis before, you may have to follow the Firefox instructions to allow a download from our site and then click on the link again.

Click on the ‘Install’ button that Firefox displays, restart the browser and you are away – it is that simple. Next time you display a book in LibraryThing, LibraryThingThing will display any holding libraries that it finds.

For the technically minded, it works by identifying the ISBN of the book that is being displayed from the source of the web page. That ISBN is then used to query two Web Services, ThingISBN and xISBN provided by LibraryThing and OCLC respectively. Both services return a list of ISBNs related to the original ISBN by using FRBR techniques. The resultant set of ISBNs is used as input to the Talis Platform Holdings Lookup Web Service. When the Holdings Lookup service returns a list of Libraries, the ‘Found in X Libraries' link is displayed.

This extension is another example of mashing together Web Services to add value to the user experience. In this case Web Services from the Talis Platform, LibraryThing, and OCLC are used to add value when viewing the LibraryThing site.

For those interested in how it was developed, it is also available as a Greasemonkey plug-in, from which the source code can be viewed, here:

librarythingthing.user.js

LibraryThingThing FAQ:

• Who can use LibraryThingThing?
  Anyone. This Firefox extension, and the associated Greasemonkey script are free to distribute with, or without, modification.
  
  
• Will it work in Internet Explorer?
  No, the extension only works in Firefox.
  
  
• Can it be modified to work on other sites?
  Yes, LibraryThingThing is provided as an example for others to use and copy to help them use the power of the Talis Platform and other Web Service APIs.
  
  
• Why do some libraries link to a Silkworm Directory site instead of the library OPAC?
  This is because Talis Platform Directory entry for those libraries have not been fully completed. Anyone can update entries in the Directory, as soon as there is sufficient information about the target library, its collection, and the service used to access its OPAC, the links will work.
  
  
• Where do I find out more about the Talis Platform APIs?
  User and Reference Guides for the Platform APIs are available in the pages of the Talis Developer Network.
  
  
• How do I get my Library’s holdings to become available via this service?
  By having your library contribute (free of charge!) its holdings information to the Talis Platform. For further information please contact holdings@talis.com.
  
  
• I have comments and/or ideas about this extension an/or Talis Platform Services, who do I tell?
  Join the discussion in TDN.
  
  
• What if you update LibraryThingThing?
  The LibraryThingThing extension uses the Firefox update system. Firefox automatically will notify you of updated versions and will give you the option to download them.
  
  
• Can I remove LibraryThingThing from my browser?
  Yes, select Extensions from the Firefox Tools menu, select librarythingthing and click Uninstall.