Today’s question is about tags- do you tag? How do you tag? How do you feel about tagging- do you think it would be better to have standardized tags, like libraries have standardized subject headings, or do you like the individualized nature of tagging? What are your top 5 tags and what do they say about your collection or your reading habits?
Let’s compare tags in our LT accounts to the way our kitchens are organized … most of us have a drawer for flatware; some will put forks on the left, some on the right, some will keep tools like wooden spoons and spatulas in that same drawer, others have a crock to store these near the stove. The same for the rest of the dishes … plates, bowls and glasses are generally kept in upper cabinets, with pots and pans in lower cabinets. There are exceptions to these generalizations, but for the most part, you’d be able to make yourself a sandwich in my kitchen, and I in yours, without too much duress! And, of course, anything you’d need to find in the spice cabinet would be a breeze!
So, back to Marie’s question … I tag! Tagging is an integral part of my LT library; not all my books are catalogued yet, but most of my catalogued books have at least one tag. I tag for genre, subject, setting (time period and location), type of book – if it’s a collection of poetry, the book would get “poetry” and “anthology” as well as “2008″, and perhaps a subject tag (“spring”). I put a few more details in the “private comments” section if applicable; for example, a book with the tag “author reading” might have a line about where and when I heard the author and what he read, to a listing with the ”book group” tag I add a note about which book group and when we read it.
I think tagging can be personalized for each user, but there is a lot of overlap with other LTers that naturally occurs. I’m sure there are some obscure tags out there, and others that are relevant only to the user who listed them (TBR, 2007, borrowed, etc.). It might be nice to have a drop-down list of the top 50 (100?) occurring tags to choose from, then a nice blank line for “other”; this would make tag names more consistent, although assignment would still be individual.
Currently my top 5 tags are: fiction (61), history (26), memoir (25), book group (23), and 2008 (18). I think this is an accurate reflection of my library, since I started cataloguing only this year.
Oh yes, I’d love a drop down box! Maybe LT will do something like this.
A drop down box isn’t a bad idea at all! I am a minimalist when it comes to tagging right now. I just haven’t settled into just how I want to tag. I figure reading everyone’s responses to this question will help inspire me.
A drop-down box would be extremely handy. I am the opposite of a minimalist. I have, for ex., books tagged both fiction and historical fiction. It’s nice to be able to look at 2 tags and see the ratio of fiction to non-fiction, but I also want to know which ones are historical fiction and which are travel/adventure fiction.
very helpful post for me, I will use your insights:) tracy
i like your kitchen analogy- very apt.
there’s a great message in the Blog-Book-Ring thread in the ER group on LT about formatting your html text, written by BookImp, if you still need help on that.
Yes, thank you, Marie! I knew I had seen it *somewhere*! I’ll go back and print out that code; I’m sure it’s quite straightforward once I learn the pattern.
It’s interesting to see the types of tage we used, and how we use them. There is quite a bit of “common ground.”
LisaLynne, I use the “historical fiction” theme too, and have other tags (“time travel” for _Time and Again_ … clearly fiction!) that also more clearly define my fiction collection.
That got me curious, only 1 book tagged “time travel” … I have 30 single-use tags at the moment.
I was about to mention the html code but Marie beat me to it! I think I might do a thread in the Tuesday Thingers group on LT for helpful html. So anyone else with ideas can post there too.
I like the way you use your private comments, I use them for when and where I bought the book and how much it cost me and if it is used or new. If I ever get around to an author reading or signing then I know where I’ll be posting that info now.
This is such an interesting and timely topic. Academic libraries are considering allowing students tags to the catalog. I think it is a great idea because I am a front-line person and I want the person to find books based on their own understanding or words. Our catalogers are not so much on board – all they can see is frivilous and often what they might see as irrelevant subjects attached! Do any of you know of a library already doing this?
LibrarysCat
I don’t know of any libraries doing this, but, especially for an academic library it does seem to make sense.
There are a number of librarians on the LT boards; try posting your question to the LT Tuesday Thingers group, I imagine you’ll get some feedback from other librarians. I’ll look forward to reading the “yeas” and “nays”
(a friendly debate, I hope!)
Wow that’s an awesome idea. I’d love a drop-down box
I created a separate index page because iweb doesn’t do tags.
I love the comparison to kitchen organization, even though my kitchen’s organization would baffle some people (and does – frequently; my fiance’s mother just can’t figure out where we put our cups… every time she comes over).
I think it would be good to somehow get suggestions as to what to tag it. Seeing what others have tagged the books most has sometimes altered how I tag books. It has also helped me decide whether I want to read a book or not. Book summaries are not always helpful in discerning genre.
Laura, it was interesting to see that you use tags to help decide whether or not you want to read it. I tested this with two books in my LT library, and found that it does give a good overview, if there are enough tags to get a fair cross-section.
The first book was The Wishing Year; most of the tags were along the lines of “early reviewer”, “arc”, “tbr” and weren’t that helpful. This book hasn’t yet been released; I chose it intentionally.
The second book has been out for a while, Abundance by Sena Jeter Naslund. The big tags on that include “French Revolution”, “Marie Antionette”, “Versailles”, “historical fiction” and “Louis XVI”. We had more books in LT across the board, more tags, and a more *true* sampling.
Experiments with book tags, not nearly as dangerous as chemistry class!