University of Szeged Klebelsberg Library
When the e-book service of Amazon was launched in the United States, coupled with the introduction of the relevant technology, and the Kindle e-book format became universal, a new type of book forum was also born. Unprecedented in its scale, this forum evolved from all the reader reviews posted under the official information available on each book on Amazon’s website. At the same time, and not entirely independently of the Amazon phenomenon, book review and book criticism forums also emerged on the scene. Connected to book catalogs, but also linked to specific books, these forums eventually became extremely popular among readers, especially those who use e-books.
Although these book communities are not library-based, the content they create can be complementary to library services.
Look at one of the most popular online book communities, Goodreads.
As the most prominent online book community, Goodreads is an American platform based on social cataloging. This means that members of the community create the catalogue of books collectively, by uploading books, writing reviews, creating lists, etc.
Features:
Organized annually by Goodreads, the Goodreads Choice Awards have become highly influential over the years, with books nominated in several categories based on readers’ most popular choices among books released in a given year. The significance of these awards comes from the fact that voting is done by readers, not critics. These awards also come with the additional advantage that each win draws the attention of the reading public to the award-winning books and also results in a significant increase in the sales and the readership of such books.