LibraryThing for Libraries (w00t!)

The revolution has begun, and its name is LibraryThing.

Tim Spalding, the creator of LibraryThing, has given a sneak preview of a version of LibraryThing just for libraries.  I can't wait to see this puppy in action, real-time.  From the explanation of how it works:

LibraryThing for Libraries is composed of a series of widgets, designed to enhance library catalogs with LibraryThing data and functionality. The achievement is that the widgets require NO back-end integration.

We're serious. Just add a single Javascript tag, and one tag for every widget you want to display and we do the rest.

You can view a demo page (an overlay on NYPL's catalog), and here's what the page looks like without the LibraryThing addition.  The additions are the nice entries for similar books and related editions.  Sweet useful goodness!  Over the next few months, various widgets will be released, some free and some on a for-pay basis.

I am very interested to see this implemented in a library, and my guess is that several will snap these widgets up as soon as they can.  If I had control over the catalog our library uses (which I don't because it's a consortium), I would be all over LibraryThing for Libraries like a cheap suit.  Every library should check this out and take a look at it at the library's committee or group meeting for whoever's in charge of the OPAC.  This is a serious addition to the ILS fray, and one that we all need to pay attention to.  Even if you don't like it, you have to realize that independent groups and individuals are going to be creating things like this for free or at the very least as separate entities from our regular ILSs.