Understand Tags

What are tags?  Tagging is the process of assigning personal keywords ("tags") to items.  Tags are used to describe the item, input either dynamically or by borrowers or by LibraryThing.  These tags help assist you in locating relevant material.  Depending on your library's setup, if Tags is not shown as an option, you will not be able to view or add tags.

What are dynamic tags?  Dynamic tags are automatically entered by the system as a "tag" based on the search term.  This happens when you click a result, and then go to the Details page.   The keyword you entered is automatically displayed in the tag section, located beneath the book jacket.  For example, a search is performed using the search term flowers.  The title To have and to hold : magical wedding bouquets, as shown below, is one of the search results.  

Clicking the title redirects you to the Details page, shown below.  Notice under the book jacket, the word flowers was automatically entered by the system as a tag.  If a tag was not entered, then this option is not currently configured for your library.

Note:  Dynamic tags will not be added if you perform an Advanced Search and then go to the Details page.  It is possible that you might come across tags from different languages.

What are borrower tags?  Borrower tags are entered by borrowers.  These tags are helpful to other borrowers as well as yourself.  The benefits of using tags are discussed below.

How do tags work and why are they beneficial?  Consider this scenario:  You perform a broad search and in the results list you come across an item that grabs your interest.  This item does not include the search term you used in the title or author's name.  Someone added a tag with the search term causing a record to display in your results list.  For example, you searched for mystery and the title The Riddles of Epsilon displayed in the list of results.  Since the borrower added mystery as a Tag, you have a book in your search results, which you might not have found otherwise.  

Here is another example of how tags are beneficial.  You wrote a review for a funny book you just read, and added funny as a tag.  When a future borrower performs a search on funny, this title would display in the list of results.

What else can you do with tags?  Selecting a word from the Tags section from either the Titles or Details page will generate new search results with that specific term.  The search results affect the entire library database and not just the search term used.  In the example below, hiking displays 56 titles found.  Click the tag adventurous to initiate a new search to include results with this tag only.

By clicking the adventurous tag shown on The ultimate hiking skills manual title in the example above, your results are modified accordingly.  Now your search term appears as tag:"adventurous", and displays the search results generated by this tag.  The results reflect only six titles tagged adventurous, as shown below.  Notice that not all of the six titles apply to hiking.  

Are you interested in adding tags?   By adding your own tags, you have the option to search only the tags you entered.  To perform a quick search on the tags you entered, type Tag:"[your tag title]" in the Search entry box using all lowercase letters.  Be sure to include the quotation marks around the tag title.  An example using tlc as the tag title is shown below.  For specific instructions, see Add a Tag.

Click the Search button.  Your search results retrieve tags with only this specific term, as shown in the example below.  

Are the tags listed in any particular order?  The tags are displayed as to when they were entered with the latest date showing first.

Cannot see all of the tags listed?  The more link indicates additional results for that tag.  When you click the more link, additional tags appear in the Details page.  An example of the more link is shown below.

All of the more tags are displayed, as shown below.

What are LibraryThing tags?  LibraryThing is a cataloging Web site, where their members have applied more than forty-one million tags to titles.  LibraryThing tags can be found under the Tags heading.  Depending on your library's setup, if these tags are not shown, you will not be able to use this option.  

By placing your mouse over the tag, a pop-up displays the number of times the tag has been used, as shown in the example below.  The higher the number of the used tag, the larger the font size displays.  

Select a tag from the list.  By using the example above, if you were to select picture book, a Tag Browser window opens.  An example of the Tag Browser is shown below.  

From the Tag Browser window, under This book's tags displays all of the tags that were shown on the Details page, which pertain specifically to your tag.  The Related to the tag "[tag name]", displays tags that are similar to your tag.  Selecting a new tag from This book's tags or Related to the tag "[tag name]" will generate a new list of tagged books.  In the right column, Books tagged "[tag name]" displays all of the titles related to the tag.  The items listed are sorted by its relevance to the tag.    

Select a book from the list to retrieve more information on that particular title.  By selecting The very hungry caterpillar in the example above, you would retrieve the following result below.  Special note to those libraries using Internet Explorer:  You will receive a pop-up window asking, Are you sure you want to navigate away from this page?  Click OK and then you will be directed to the search result.

Note:  To go back to the same Details page, you will need to re-enter the title in the Search box, click Search and then select the title.