Click to give books January 26, 2008

I ask your attention for this great initiative I have recently come across. You can give books to children who really need them by just clicking a button. Every click is registered and sponsors pay for your click. This money is used to buy books for the children. You can find out more via this website.

If you have a website, you can help too. You can put a (small) banner on your website. This redirects your visitors to the website, where they only have to click the orange button. Every time someone clicks on it, money will be paid by sponsors. Click here to download a banner.

The Library Bar and Grill December 15, 2007

I got a picture of an establishment with the same name recently. (See previous post, or click here.) I Googled the name to find out more about it. I was quite amazed when I discovered their are several businesses with the same name. It seems quite unusual to name a bar and grill restaurant ‘The Library’. As said, there are quite a view people who feel differently. At least five entrepreneurs in the VS and one in GB. Here is a summary of places with this name, just for the fun of it, starting with the place I wrote about in my last post. If you live near to one of these places, send me a photo of them!

    Establishments called: “The Library Bar and Grill”

• 312 Central Ave SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States.
  • Click here for more information.

• 1301 4th st. SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
  • Click here for more information.

• 120 South 11th Street, Oxford, Mississippi, United States.
  • Click here for more information.

• 501 S. Mill Ave, # 101, Tempe, Arizona, United States.
  • Click here and here for more information.

• 607 West Boyd Street, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
  • Click here and here for more information.

• 2a Guildhall Hill, Norwich, United Kingdom.
  • Click here for more information.

  

What your library says about you… December 9, 2007

As you probably know, I collect pictures of libraries of ordinary people. People who love to read - and collect - books from all over the world. Every time I get a new ‘library’ I am amazed at how book lover’s keep their possessions. The fun part is; all the libraries have something in common. It is impossible to say who owns which library. All the shelves are loved. And most of the time there is too little space.

Gender, country, religion, color. It is said that ones books say a lot about a person. But all the libraries on Your Shelves! just scream one thing at me. Passion for books. The rest does not matter. It is really about the things in what we are alike. Books.

A bibliophile will never judge a fellow book lover for its taste. The fact that you love books is enough. The fact that you adore the same thing. That you respect and even admire the differences. If every book was the same, it would be boring. Every book tells a different story. I wish we could feel the same about people as well…

And this is why I started Your Shelves! To snoop into other peoples libraries. And to understand that love - for something - is the same everywhere. There are some new shelves for you to admire. Please feel free to e-mail yours…

Catalog your books online! (Including Test) October 18, 2007

You might have wondered why I did not post a lot recently. It is because of this post. I have put a lot of time and effort in the research and test drive of book cataloging websites. Why? Because I think it is very important to keep a list of your books online. Let me tell you why.

When you are as much attached to your books as I am, the worst thing that could happen is losing them. In case of a fire or some other disaster, I would not be able to save all my precious books. This is why I have all of our books safely stored online now. For insurance purposes.

If our house burns down, I will always have a list of the books we owned. This is why I urge you to catalog your books online if you own a lot of them or if are a serious collector. Cataloging your books is not only very important and reassuring; it is also a lot of fun!

Of course you do not have to use the websites dedicated to book cataloging to keep a list of your treasures. You can also make a Word or Excel document and send it to your online e-mail address and save it there. Please make sure you keep your list, or a copy of it, in a place where you can access it no matter what.

Below you will find a list of websites that enable you to catalog your books online. Most of them are free. I have tested the services of the four book cataloging websites that are around at this moment. If you disagree with my opinion, have different experiences or know of another online book cataloging service, please let me know. Click ‘more’ to see my online catalog test.

New Shelfari Widget October 10, 2007

Shelfari, one of the websites on which you can catalog your books, has a new widget. The new application enables you to display your books on your blog. So if you do not show of your library my means of a photo via ‘Your Shelves!’, you can do it on your blog via the Shelfari Widget. You can choose whether you want to show your books on a shelf or in a list. You can see the widget in action via this link.

A tree for every book September 20, 2007

I got this link recently for my Bookish Blog Links A-Z. Since I found it quite different and interesting, I decided to inform you about it. The link is to a blog called Eco Libris. According to them; “About 20 million trees are being cut down every year to produce paper for books sold in the U.S. alone.” 20 million?!

I find the claim quite interesting. I never really think about the trees that have to be cut down to make paper. Quite strange, since I am not only a book lover, but a huge fan of nature as well. And I do know paper comes from trees! I (almost) feel guilty… If you have come to the same revelation and you want to do something about your nagging guilt…

“Eco-Libris is offering book lovers an easy and affordable way to do something about it - plant one tree for every book they read.” According to their website you can “Balance out your books”, by planting 10 trees for 10 dollars. You receive a sticker (made from recycled paper, of course) for every tree you plant. You can learn more about it by clicking the links below, or read their news release here.

Click here to go to the Eco Libris blog. Or click here to go directly to the website that helps you “make up” for your reading.

Bookish wedding September 12, 2007

Allison has sent me some pictures of her bookish themed wedding. She got married in July to the man she met at the library they worked at. I only had the bookish cake, but they took it one step further. It looks great! See the pictures below to get inspired for your own (future) wedding.

The cake

 

The center pieces

 

The seating cards

Thanks to Allison for her permission to post the pictures.

Library Thing August 17, 2007

I must have posted about LibraryThing in the past. It is an online program that enables you to catalogue your books online. Until recently, it did not support Dutch users. Now it has, I have joined and started to feed my library to it.

I’ve ordered a CueCat and off I was. Or better: we were. My husband and I spend all night scanning our books. It was so much fun! We have not finished yet, though. As from now, I have a small Library Thing thinghy in my sidebar, so everybody can see our library. You can also click here to see it.

One word… July 26, 2007

…sexy!

(Click here to find out more about this poster, which also comes in a bookmark and a mini-poster.)

Rock for reading July 24, 2007

“The mission of Rock For Reading is to fight the rising trend of illiteracy and renew interest in reading”, is to be read on the website. Rock for Reading is a great initiative to spread the word about reading. There are all sorts of events linked to this foundation. If you like what they do, you can volunteer or donate. Learn more about Rock for Reading here.