Today's questions are about tags.
Do you tag?
Absolutely. I find it is essential in keeping me organized (my library, that is - outside of that I'm a complete and utter mess organizationally speaking).
How do you tag?
I don't have a set-in-stone system. I basically do it on a book by book basis. If I've not read it, I rarely tag it as anything other than TBR (that's To Be Read - in case you were scratching your head in wonder). After I've read a book, I'll tag based on genre, geography, content, whether I own it or it's a loaner, and whatever else strikes me at the moment. I try to be as thourough as possible because I figure it'll help me when I'm searching later on.
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?
I am absolutely opposed to standardized subject headings. Say I want to tag the first edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone my husband bought me for Christmas one year. Ok, so perhaps you might find 'first edition' as a standard tag, and it's likely that 'gift' would probably be on the list, but I seriously doubt that 'Stan' is going to be among a list of standard tags or 'Read Aloud to Brandon' or 'Emma's Favorite'. I like being able to personalize my tags, and I'd hate for that option to be taken away. (Ok, so it's silly to be so sentimental about tagging, but I don't think I'd like LibraryThing nearly as much if that aspect was changed).
What are your top 5 tags and what do they say about your collection or your reading habits?
Of my catalogued library of 409 books, my top tags are as follows:
- TBR - 200
- Kid Lit - 70
- 888 - 63
- 2008 - 40
- Mystery - 39
What does that say about my reading habits? Well, that I will have to quit my job if I want to make a dent in my TBR pile for sure, that I adore children's liturature, that I'm progressing quite nicely on my 888 challenge, I've read 40 books in 2008 so far (back to the quitting of the job issue), and I have far more mysteries in my collection than I'd have thought.
So how do you feel about tagging??
3 comments:
So in fact the amount of mysteries in your collection was a bit of a mystery!
I tag a lot and like you I'd prefer that the tags weren't standardized. As there isn't likely to be a Stan tag for you there's not likely to be a Carole, or Zoe, or unexpected gift from workmate tag for me.
I am pro-standardized, but with the option of creating your own as well.
I never thought about tagging like "Emma's favorite". I suspect if I had kids I'd be right there with you about it. As it is, I favor the personalized method too :)
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