On a "Group Library".

Dear group, I have already run my thoughs across my favourite Cat group .

My suggestion. Each Group have the option to set up a Group Library which can be added to and persued by its members (or everyone?). A bit like adding a picture to the Group gallery.
Thus books of specific interest to a particular group could be added and inspected. Perhaps using something like the touchstone mechanism?

I do realize that large groups, like the SF groups/Librarians etc. might have difficulties. Thus I also suggest that these group specific lists (easily accessible from the Group page) be able to be sorted.
Title/Author at least.

As I mentioned in my group post, I often get great suggestions from members who share similar interests.

Guido.

You could use lists for that usage.

It's not quite the same. You could use wiki pages for it, too. But GR has group shelves and it's one of the pretty useful features over there, for those who spend a lot of time in groups that do group reads.

I like the idea of group libraries, and I don't think lists would feel the same.

bahaha. But even still, they're more of a stand-alone thing, I really couldn't see them being used for that kind of purpose.

Just had another idea. Probably totally impractical...

Perhaps the group library could be like a pseudo-member. ie. we could then look at 'this Groups library' using different styles etc.

Obviously there are some practical things which need to worked out, like who can add & how, who can edit & why. Does each Group created (sometimes with just 1 member) get this option? If not, what is the cut off mark? Perhaps by application then decided by TPTB.

I guess that's why we pay Tim & co. squillions of dollars a year :-)

Oh wait, I haven't paid anything since I got my 'lifetime' membership. :-(

ETA. I did once buy a LT stamp. Though I doubt that will let Tim retire to Bermuda.

> 7 Probably not, but I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who loves those stamps.

I also like the idea of group libraries. In the meantime, lists might be a viable option, and I really like lists, but there's currently no way to restrict adding to lists to a specific group of users.

I think there used to be group libraries, long long ago, and that they got dropped for performance reasons; it just became untenable for large groups, or even modest groups with members with large libraries.

This is for books entered for the group library. That was just a composite of all the books all the members have. Certainly a textile group is not going to be interested in my theology books, a theology group in my cookbooks, ...

This would be a lot more useful, if the interface was easy to use.

10>

That's a good point; even if every one of the 75 Book Challenge folks entered 75 books the resulting library size would still be pretty reasonable.

11> If everyone there entered 75 books it would be one of the biggest libraries on LT, but of course the would be a lot of overlap, which would be the point of it.

But now imagine if every member entered one of their favourite textile books to a group library for http://www.librarything.com/groups/fiberarts every week for ten weeks. We'd have a list of over 2 000 really great textile books. (I'd do it that way so that the really common books would go up in the first week, but towards the end we would be looking for rarer books to suggest.)

12>

One of the biggest, yeah, but not "the biggest by a factor of 100", which is the sort of territory that auto-group-libraries for very large groups would get into. I'm agreeing with you that this is doable in this form.

I did think that in the early days Groups had a library, but it was just an amalgam of all the members books, as lorax mentioned in #9. Obviously unmanagable. No, what I would like is a controlled library, specific to a group. Thus if I want references to Cats or Textiles or even string theory, I can find suggestions from Group Members (who I know are interested in that topic)
Yes control would be an issue. Guess that's why I threw it into the ring.

Yes, I can see how this might be tricky to control. (Sort of like lists, but so that only group members can add stuff, perhaps?)

Anyway, good idea.

You can create your own group account, and give selected members the password. Or have people suggest works and then add those yourself.

What about using TAGS?

Members of the group could add a tag, such as CatGroupLibrary or BookCareRepairGroupBooks or BookShelvesGroupBooks, to their books and then the tag would show in the group description.

> 17

That's elegant! It's not "secure," but short of vandalism, you just don't expect people to add the MartianElevatorGroupBooks tag unless they are contributing constructively. Then the tag page opens onto the group's "library."

Although a tag page isn't the same as a library page. You can't see any of the book or work data except title and author.

Just Confused/refined/elaborated my wish/pony/unicorn?

I understand your idea of "TAGS". #19 & #20. I still feel they are clumsy, and when I look at any groups tags, they are random and generic.

My idea (more about the ease of use by a member is this) No not about the dinosaurs ah la Python...

1) A Group has a pseudo-member library. Then members can use the full power of a library. ie. sorting, different views...

2) Adding a book is like using the "Add Book". ie. duplicates are noted immediately.

3) Unclear thought at the moment, but something like the "touchstone" mechanism throws you into the 'add a book to this group'. I envisage a box which says "add/suggest" a book for this group.
Then you can enter it as either a usual "add a book" or use something like a touchstone.

Sorry my ideas are vague here.

I guess I suggested these ideas 'cos the mechanisms might already be in place.
Not sure how much work might be required.

Again, non frivously this time, I do see some problems. eg. Would Tim allow >200 books on a
pseudo-member. I can already see ways in which this might be abused.

Welll, just some ideas.

Guido.

We made a group library with the @Hogwarts_Express group account. It's not an ideal solution, because only @Kerian and I have access to the account to add books -- but we did solicit suggestions from the group when we started adding books to the account.

Thanks @foggidawn. Exactly what I would like to see!
Although automating/simplifying any interface would be great.

I assume you paid for a 'lifetime' membership? And how onerous is the administration/adding/editing of books? I guess a member suggest a book (how?) and an administrator adds/edits it.

It's a start, although I suspect a group about Cats, might just refuse to contribe, hunger strike, ignore you, until everything was as it Should be. Which in 100 members would be 101+ views.

#22-- That's actually just a free account at present, though if we were to get near the 200 book mark we'd probably upgrade. We solicited book recommendations in a thread when we decided to start cataloging them in that account, and we also put a note in the profile of that account saying that people with book recommendations should leave them as profile comments. Then, either of us administrators can go into that account and add the books. We haven't had a lot of recommendations lately; perhaps I will revive that thread or start a new one and see if group members have any new suggestions.