Okay, I finally started putting my books into Library Thing. Since I've got a "book blog," I figured that was the least I could do. Now, you all will realize that I'm not much into the whole social tagging phenomenon (although I am not antisocial!) so I have not availed myself of those provisions. They quote the Christian Science Monitor on their homepage: ""LibraryThing appears poised to turn the cataloging of books into a form of communal recreation." I like the idea of cataloging one's own books. In the old days, they had so few there was probably not much of a need. But nowadays, we can accumulate books pretty darn fast, and you gotta keep a handle on your inventory, know what I'm sayin'?
Here's an article from the UK's Design Council talking about how information design is important in public-sector efforts. Of course, it's helpful to everyone, but this is a good example of the universal need for better presentation of information--and more design.