Keep lists, share lists

Occasionally library patrons ask for a reading list feature, to keep track of items they have used or want to check out in the future. Although we cannot soon add this feature to the software that provides our website, we have paid for a subscription to WorldCat which you can use for this purpose. WorldCat includes not only our library catalog, but the catalog of thousands of other member libraries. So, in making your reading lists, you're not limited to just items that Knox County Public Library owns; you can add to your list anything in the database that we can attempt to get for you through Interlibrary Loan.

(This service is on our list of Reference Databases as "Open WorldCat for KCPL" because another version of the same service, WorldCat on FirstSearch, doesn't include the personalized account features but does give you access to published reviews for some items. I almost always use the Open WorldCat instead of the FirstSearch version.)

You start by going to http://kcp.worldcat.org and registering for your account there. Then you can search for an item, and when you find the one you want, add it to a list.

You'll find that the list feature is handy for many purposes. You can create a "to read" list, a "have read it" list, and any other lists. You can make your lists public or private, and you can add your own comments and reviews. You can also subscribe to someone else's public list if you find another user who has tastes similar to your own.

From any item in your list, if we own it, you can click the link that is our library's name and be taken to our website where you can reserve the item. Interlibrary Loan can try to get items for you that we don't own.

Your WorldCat account also allows you to post your stuff on social networking sites, install a WorldCat browser tool, or even a mobile phone application if you're super high-tech.

Please call Melissa at 215-8723 if you have any questions about this service.