Online Book Communities

The way we read books is evolving everyday.  More and more people are exploring options like, ebooks, audiobooks, podcasts, online book clubs, etc.  It is easy to see why the growth of online book communities has exploded.  Online book communities can be used for both personal and professional reading.  It's a great way to explore, research and reach out to the masses of readers.  I explored the following online book communities.  Each one is different and offers a variety of options.

GoodReads

https://www.goodreads.com

goodreads is a very popular online book community that offers many options to the users.  An app can be downloaded to your device.  You can share your information with your social media sites.  goodreads is visually appealing and easy to navigate through.  You can connect with your friends, explore new books to read, and add to your virtual book shelves.  I think the students would enjoy a goodreads account for this library book clubs.  Overall, I feel goodreads is a great resource to get recommendations on great new books or what to read next.  The screen shot below is of my own goodreads account.

librarything

https://www.librarything.com

LibrayThing is another option for online book communities.  You can create a free account and create your online virtual book shelves.  You can connect with your friends and share thoughts on books.  You can join groups and search for what to read next.  It is somewhat visually appealing.  It seems very busy and wordy for my taste.  The following screenshot is my account with LibraryThing.

Shelfari

http://www.shelfari.com

Shelfari is a great online book community.  As it states in its logo, readers can read, share and explore the world of books.  It is part of the amazon web.  With a free account, you can upload and create your virtual book shelf.  You can find friends, explore new books, read what others are saying about books and join groups.  It's visually appealing and easy to navigate through.  Overall, I feel comfortable with this online book community and would encourage students to create an account.

Booklikes

http://booklikes.com

booklikes is a very user friendly online book community.  It is visually appealing and gives the user many options to explore with books.  You create a free account and can search for new books, share your thoughts on a book, find your friends or join a discussion.  I feel this would be a great tool for teachers and librarians to incorporate with reading clubs.  The students can create their virtual book shelves and discuss their books.  I really enjoyed creating my own book shelf.

biblionasium

https://www.biblionasium.com

A great online book community for elementary students is biblionasium.  It's a safe secure online book community geared towards children K through 8.  The teacher creates the account and sets the options for the students.  It is very visually appealing and will encourage the elementary student to participate.  Click on the following link to take a tour of this amazing online book community.

http://vimeo.com/68918813

In conclusion, I feel that the options for the online book communities are endless.  Each community offers different features and options.  It is really up to the teachers/librarians to pick an online book community that will benefit all the students.  Personally, I'm very excited about biblionasium.  I can't wait to explore more features, options to help my students get excited about books!