“Read any good books this year?”
That’s one of my family’s favorite questions around the holiday table. But if the past is any indication, my answer will be something like: “Yes! … If I could only remember them.”
I have long wanted an easy, reliable method of keeping track of books I’ve read. I’ve tried Good Reads, a bullet journal, a spreadsheet and just keeping a simple list on the fridge. In all cases, after a few entries, my efforts tapered off.
At the end of the day, I’d rather read than keep a log of what I’ve read.
Lucky for me, The Seattle Public Library offers several Library tools that can help, with minimal effort required. I recently experimented with a few, with the goal of making 2022 my Year of Finally Remembering What I’ve Read.
First, an important note about Library confidentiality
The default setting in the Library’s catalog is to not track your checkouts. This is in keeping with our confidentiality policy, which you can review on our website.
Here’s the important sentence: “The Seattle Public Library protects the confidentiality of patron information as part of its commitment to intellectual freedom. Confidentiality and privacy are essential to free speech, free thought and free association.”
In other words, once you return an item, the Library doesn’t keep track of what you’ve borrowed. It also doesn’t track the web pages you navigate to or other Library activity. If you’ve wondered why you never get auto-generated “recommended reads” links while browsing the online catalog, this is why. Continue reading ““Read any Good Books?” Library Tools for Remembering”