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Alexandria Digital Literature: Site Review

© Karen James

There are quite a few huge databases of Fantasy and Science Fiction works on the Internet. A few have been compiled by publishers, a few by magazines, and many by fans of the genres. All can be considered works in progress as none are complete. Alexandria Digital Literature is one such site that is still in the beta phase of its construction.

The librarian will admit it's not the "Oracle at Delphi, yet..." but will take all your rated books and compile a list of recommendations. I was only slightly daunted by the warning that the analysis process could take up to 15 minutes. I was pleasantly surprised, that in this case the estimate was exaggerated, actual processing time was 6 minutes. (Just the right amount of time for a trip to the kitchen for a small snack and a moment to read some overdue e-mail.) When I asked for the recommendation I had rated almost 700 books, finding over 1700 that I hadn't read, and was rewarded with 20 books that I was advised I might find anywhere from excellent to dreadfully low. I'll keep you posted on the outcome as I will attempt to read a few of these recommendations! Sign up for your very own library card so you can rate books, get recommendations, and search the stacks.

Patrons of the site are encouraged to take conversation outside the library to a newsgroup hosted by SFF Net. Recent Alexlit Newsgroup discussions include choosing a name for the librarian, the competition at Amazon, queries and comments on the accuracy of the recommendations, and dealing with series recommendations.

Be sure to check the "Browser Buggaboos" page before you start rating books. I can substantiate the statement that Microsoft's Internet Explorer does not work well with the forms for rating the books; however, Netscape performed admirably.

There are plans for upgrades to the database. New features will include adding different genres and allowing for multiple authors for the same title. Reports at the site indicate that close to 75% of the existing authors in the database were entered by patrons. I know I've added a few, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that even new authors had already been added by other patrons. Obviously this site will only be as valuable as its "library card" holding patrons can make it with their ratings and additions.

This is one site I plan on checking in on regularly. The potential is there, its success will balance on the ability to build a solid database of authors and titles while remaining fast enough to keep the attention of the surfer.

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