www.BestBooks-Database.com
The Best Books on the 50 United States Series
Build the Best Books Collection on Your State
Best Books Database is a platform that allows librarians to easily add the bibliographic data for your books on and about your state to create your comprehensive selective bibliography on the Best Books on Your State. Utilizing the Library of Congress MARC 21 database, we can collect the bibliographic information necessary to build a comprehensive custom database and union catalog for your state’s-related books.
Adding your local and regional bibliographic information helps organically build the foundation of knowledge about your state. This is how knowledge is shared to improve the full spectrum of information on your state.
Libraries and research institutions are invited to participate in the development of the Best Books Database that is available in multiple formats: printed, web, and apps.
Selection Process Based on Core Collection Bibliographies
Our platform utilizes the database on the Library of Congress Collection MARC format stored on our SQL Server. It serves as a master database, to organize and control our Best Books Database platform.
Books are primary source records from specific periods that reflect details, opinions, and insights of the authors from that time. We have chosen to reflect this with three basic time periods from best available core collection bibliographies in their period. Each of the following bibliographies and reference books with bibliographies are core collections for their periods.
Preeminent Bibliographies & Reference books from the last 125 years
– Core Collections
1. Best Books Pre-1900 Selected from:
The Best Books: A Reader’s Guide and Literary Reference Book being a contribution towards systematic bibliography by William Swan Sonnenschein, Third Edition.
Publisher: George Routledge and Sons, Limited, London, 1910.
2. Best Books 1900-1999 Selected from:
Federal Writers Project - American Guide Series - Compiled by Writers’ Program of the Works Project Administration.
1935-1943 (1,200 books & Pamphlets)
Dictionary of US History – 16 Volumes
Encyclopedia of United States – 50 Volumes
The States and the Nations Series - Published by WW Norton & Company 1975-1984 - 51 Volumes
3. Best Books in the Library of Congress* 2000+ Selected from:
State Resource Guide, Library of Congress Research Guides, online resource LibraryofCongress.gov
Participating libraries and institutions may submit titles in MARC format for the database along
with their cataloging information (call number/institution).
Each title after submission will be reviewed by our editorial board and coded for appropriate classification
by their audience and academic level.
Published by American Data Processing and its Affiliates:
The Best Books by William Swan Sonnenschein –
1910, 5 volumes – 150,000 pre-1910 books
The Best Books for University Libraries – 2001
12 Volumes – 250,000 books 1900-2001
Dictionary of United States History – 2008 - 14 Volumes
14 Volume Set with Website Access
FEDERAL WRITERS PROJECT
American Guide Series
Compiled by Writers’ Program of the Works Project Administration.
1935-1943 (64 State & City Volumes)
Best Books in The Library of Congress
2025+ Database & 290 Printed Volumes
Definitive Source for Books on Your States’ Past, Present and Future
The Best Books Collection platform offers an inclusive resource for libraries seeking to enhance their state-related offerings. By participating in this innovative project, your library gains access to a curated database that spans the entire spectrum of your state’s subjects including literature, history, government, and culture. This powerful tool increases access and streamlines the research process for you and your patrons.
All readers and researchers from casual readers to serious academics can benefit from this easy-to-use tool to locate books on their topics and closely related subjects.
Embrace the future of library services with a platform that grows and evolves alongside your state itself. The Best Books Collection ensures that your library remains at the forefront of information delivery, providing up-to-date, relevant, and diverse resources that cater to the varied interests of your patrons. By joining this collaborative effort, you're opening a gateway to the wealth of knowledge about the best books on your state.
Best Books Database Platform include:
- Patrons from local Public Interest to Academic Research Selection
- Open Access (OPAC) with your catalog for Easy Online Access
- Location Assistance, Union Catalogs Integration and Sharing
- New Books as Catalogued by Library of Congress and Participating Libraries
- Combined Collection includes Rare and Obscure Books and Publications
- Full Range of Subject Headings, LC and Dewey Classifications
Best 250,000 Books in the Library of Congress
Why Choose a Large Knowledge Model Over a Large Language Model? A Large Knowledge Model (LKM) offers distinct advantages over a Large Language Model (LLM), making it a superior choice for State Libraries and State Governments.
1 - Precision and Accuracy
2 - Contextual Relevance
3 - Cross-Module Data Integration
4 - Enhanced Decision-Making
5 - Resource Efficiency
6 - Scalability
7 - Flexibility
Large Language Models (LLM) for your State Library and Government are clearly NOT the best choice for managing your state’s valuable knowledge.
The first step in participating in our Large Knowledge Model platform customized for your state is to build your state’s best books collection which will act as the first module, the Meta Data/Knowledge Controller Module. The Meta Data/Knowledge Controller Module contains bibliographic data (meta data) and is preloaded with 250,000 Best Books in the Library of Congress bibliographic records in MARC format This module serves as the database and foundation of the entire knowledge model. It manages the flow of data, coordinates interactions between different modules, and plays a crucial role in maintaining a high-level understanding of the system's knowledge structure.