Great news for book lovers from the Library Thing blog:
Local Books resembles popular dining apps like LocalEats or UrbanSpoon—but for book lovers. It shows you local bookstores, libraries and bookish events wherever you are or plan to be.
Here are a few features: (full list here)
- Search for venues (bookstores and libraries) as well as events near your current location using the iPhone’s built-in location features.
- Venues can be sorted by distance, name, or type.
- Each venue has a detail page with a map. Tap it to jump to the iPhone Maps application.
- Venues often sport a description, clickable website and phone number links, events, and a photo.
- You can favorite locations and events…
This is a totally awesome application – specifically for book lovers! Library Thing put in the time, effort, and money to bring an app to life that can boost the industry in terrific new ways.
As a voracious reader and an author, you can imagine my favorite place to be is around books – library or bookstore – no matter if I’m traveling for business or pleasure.
This is an app that brings it all together – independent bookstores, libraries and chain stores.
This is an app that can only help authors better connect to readers – by making better connections with librarians and booksellers.
Years ago, traveling with my friend and critique partner, she introduced me to a lovely little bookstore in a small town we were passing through. The Local Books app not only means I can find this store again, but now I can find my book fix even without a personal introduction.
Library Thing even lets you, the book lover, help other book lovers:
Even with 51,000 venues, not every bookstore and library is in LibraryThing. If you know of one that’s not in there, go ahead and add it. If you represent the bookstore or library in question, you can “claim” your venue page, and start using LibraryThing to connect to your customers or patrons.
Thanks Library Thing for this wonderful effort to keep physical book outlets open to serve both the local book lover and those just passing through.
Live the adventure!
