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Angel
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 8:52am | IP Logged
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How do you keep track of all your book lists? Books you do want to use, but that you might want to check out of the library or buy in the future? Books that look interesting to add in case you need more books on a subject? Books that have been recommended and you want to keep them in mind for the future? Books from many different sources -- online, hard copy bibliographies, etc. etc.?
I'm pretty sure questions like this have been asked before. I may have even asked them myself.  Could we link any threads about keeping track of book lists to this thread so they'd be all in one place?
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Angela
Mom to 9, 7 boys and 2 girls
Three Plus Two
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pumpkinmom
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 9:30am | IP Logged
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Well, I have random pieces of scrap paper and post it notes all over the house, in books, in notebooks with list of books I want to buy, need to get from the library, recommended by friends . . . . . wait . . . . . I guess you are looking for an organized system . . . . .  . . . . . I don't have that. 
Perhaps I should pay attention to this thread!
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Cassie
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JennGM
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 9:37am | IP Logged
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My problem is keeping track of books read. But here are a few haphazard ways I keep track.
I make tables and files in Word. I have one file that I just pile in authors and titles, book lists from all sorts of sites for the age levels we have. I then have files for all the series I want to get and collect. It's still rough and in progress. What is missing is the list of picture books. But I try to add authors and books that I read on blogs or on 4Real. But I print these out and bind them, and keep with me to float around for library and used book shopping.
If I read it somewhere, like your latest blog post, I immediately check my online library to see if they have any, and request the books. If they don't have it, I put it in my cart at Amazon. Doesn't mean I'll buy it, but I find it the easiest way to keep track of books I want to consider.
I also make a draft emails, cutting and pasting from various places, especially if it's an area we're going to have a binge read...er, I mean rabbit trail or spontaneous unit study.
So I have tons of drafts,
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Mackfam
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 9:45am | IP Logged
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I use a combination of paper and online resources to keep track of books in the way you describe, Angela.
I think you'll find a number of ideas shared on the Scope and Sequence thread.
From that thread, this is my description of how I use Amazon wishlists to keep up with potential books, books I like, books I might want to consider in various reading for a various year....etc:
Mackfam wrote:
CrunchyMom wrote:
| I think I will try to use Evernote or One Note in addition to Amazon lists, something that is quick to use online. I like notebooks, but I do not see myself actually writing stuff down, and often, links are more helpful than just titles, anyway. |
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Well, in that case, I really recommend spending some time and really beefing up your Amazon wishlists and how you organize them. And if you don't have the universal Add to Amazon wishlist button, try to get it because then you can add ANYTHING you find online to your Amazon wishlists. I like keeping track of resources in this way, too, and I almost mentioned it in my first post but wasn't sure if you were looking for more paper records or an online way of organizing. I make use of both paper and online, using Amazon wishlists almost exclusively for organizing online, and have LOADS of Amazon wishlists (all private and built only as a way for me to keep resource ideas organized).
I keep mine organized by subject and further broken down into four categories: general, elementary, middle, high school. So, for example, I have:
GENERAL Natural History
ELEMENTARY Natural History
MIDDLE Natural History
HIGH SCHOOL Natural History
And then I add notes to each item that might say who recommended, or add a link back to the article recommending so I know why I added an obscure geography book when I'm looking at my wishlists years down the road. I also like to add known caveats or concerns to the notes of a particular book if I've read a review.
I also find it handy to keep one wishlist set up titled: PURCHASE FOR NEXT TERM. I can move books around and into this wishlist if I know I'm going to be looking for that book/resource the upcoming term. This lets me really space my purchases across the year, too, rather than having to make one big, staggering purchase in the summer.
Amazon wishlists are a great way of keeping track of resource ideas!  |
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Then, for the paper side of things, I like using the year-at-a-glance charts that I made that follow the Years Considered - Big Picture Chart. Each year reflects what we plan to study for that year and leaves me a little space to jot down books I'd like to remember or seriously look into for a particular subject for a particular year. Though the chart is uploaded to the Scope and Sequence thread, I thought I'd add it here, too, in case you might be interested.
2012-06-27_093358_Big_Picture_Chart.pdf
Lindsay mentioned Evernote, and I've long thought that this would be an ideal way to organize collections of book ideas. I've just got my Amazon wishlists so full and organized now though that I'm not really looking to invest time with another organizing method. Pinterest can be another way to build book ideas. I've seen how some organize their book ideas that way, and the nice thing about Pinterest is if you see a book mentioned or a blog or somewhere, pinning it from that source will allow you to stay linked to the place you found it reviewed.
Hope that's a start Angela. 
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Jen Mackintosh
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MaryM
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 11:26am | IP Logged
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A couple I found:
Book lists on iPhone
Keeping up with/compiling booklists
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Mary M. in Denver
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Marcia
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 12:16pm | IP Logged
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I use an app on my phone called Goodreads. It allows me to make list for books "to read", as well as read. I'm keeping a list of books read aloud for 2012 on it right now. It allows you to scan a bar code which makes it very easy to use. :)
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Marcia
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Angel
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| Posted: June 27 2012 at 12:42pm | IP Logged
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Marcia wrote:
I use an app on my phone called Goodreads. It allows me to make list for books "to read", as well as read. I'm keeping a list of books read aloud for 2012 on it right now. It allows you to scan a bar code which makes it very easy to use. :)
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I didn't know there was a Goodreads app for iPhone! I'm on Goodreads, too, but sporadically. I've just used it to keep track of books for *me*, not the kids. But this is a good reminder. If you can scan a barcode, that's massively useful.
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Angela
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Angel
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| Posted: June 28 2012 at 12:44pm | IP Logged
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I tried to post a reply about Amazon wishlists 4 times yesterday, but my 2 yo deleted every single one. Oh well.
How do you save booklists that you've used for future kids?
For instance, I'm working on a multi-level astronomy list right now. I'll probably gather more titles than I can use. I have books that I already own, books that I'll get out of the library, and books that I'll buy on amazon. And then titles that I won't use, but of course may revisit in the future.
So I may not want some books moved off the wishlist because the books I'm using now with the 9 yo I may want to revisit with the currently 4 and 2 yos. Do you just keep all the titles on your wishlists stable, Jen? Or do you eventually make big long list of titles on paper?
I'm thinking of loading this all into my blog somehow so it will stay somewhere I can find it. I do like Pinterest for saving links to ideas I'm working on, but then -- you can't link to anything with no image. And for some reason I couldn't get going with Evernote.
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Angela
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 02 2012 at 8:51am | IP Logged
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Angel wrote:
| How do you save booklists that you've used for future kids? |
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I build a booklist on paper and just make notes all over it as I use it. Sometimes, if I have a lengthy booklist, I shelve it with the appropriate genre of books. For instance, if I'm building a multi-level astronomy booklist, I might keep it WITH my astronomy books because that's where I'm likely to look first when I revisit this and build an updated booklist with younger children in the future. Most of the time though, I just keep my files on my laptop pretty organized by subject, genre, topic and keep booklists as files on my laptop.
I suppose it bears mentioning that I also keep my books and bookshelves organized either by genre (science: astronomy, physics, earth science, botany, etc...) and history books are organized chronologically.
This would have to be tailored somewhat for individual situations, Angela. Our local library is pretty useless for us, therefore, we've really invested in our home library. That means that...YES...I take items off my Amazon wishlists that I have organized if we end up purchasing a book. As I build booklists or even revisit science themes (like Astronomy in a few years), I always go to my shelves first and plan first from what I already have, and THEN I go to my Amazon wishlists for ideas to fill in. **IF** I had a very functional library full of titles that we used I might leave books on my wishlist as a holding zone for organizing titles...but in thinking about it, I'd probably be more likely to just check out the book, make a few notes on that paper booklist, and then place/store the booklist intuitively (either as a file on my laptop, or printed and kept somewhere with the books that make the most sense) so that in the future I can see easily the list of books I used, any notes about what we thought, and whether the book lives on my home library shelves or we checked it out from the library. The Amazon wishlists function mostly as a holding place for books I have heard about and really want to consider at some point in the future.
I think a blog could be really useful, especially for keeping track of notes, explorations and rabbit trails related to the study.
Since I tend to think in tables and want to just get to the meat-of-the-thing when I'm planning (this is to keep me from losing focus and possibly getting distracted as I plan), my intuitive preference is to just compile my booklists in some kind of table containing all the info that I'd be looking for when doing that planning so that I can easily reference and build or even freshen/update an older booklist....but that's just me! If a blog is more intuitive for you, I'd go for it! In the end, with a booklist, it's about building it and keeping it where it makes most sense for you....where you won't lose it, where it's most functional, and where you're most likely to look when you need to find it again.
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Jen Mackintosh
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: July 02 2012 at 2:44pm | IP Logged
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I've been pondering this as well. I've started organizing some Amazon lists. I like how easy it is to use the button to add things, and I can even come through and organize later if I'm not sure what list to add them to.
But, I'm not sure it is a stand alone system, and unfortunately, I'm not sure there IS one. I mean, if Jen hasn't discovered or created one... 
It strikes me that the key to all this could be deciding on the titles for the lists. This way, you can keep your master list (things you own and perhaps key titles you are certain you want to use but don't own yet or know the library has), your Amazon wish lists, and your library lists (my library allows multiple lists, but it isn't easy to switch up lists, so I haven't mastered using it), and you can easily toggle between the three when planning because of those consistent titles.
Now that Jen has described her master list with notes, I can imagine keeping that on paper so that I can reference it simultaneously alongside the online Amazon and library lists.
I wonder if Evernote pinning would work with a library system for those whose library catalog doesn't allow them to have multiple online lists just so you can keep track of what your library has.
I can't decide if, once I've determined that the library has a book if I should move it off the Amazon list? I suppose you could also add a note to your Amazon listing if the library has it and not keep a separate library list, though keeping that library list makes it faster to request a lot of books from the same list at once.
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Lindsay
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Topic: Keeping track of books
