Internet Archive's Library Explorer makes it fun to search for books online

If you're a book nerd who misses spending hours at the local library, thumbing through thousands of titles and roaming the shelves, then Library Explorer might help ease the sadness. Currently in beta, the interface allows you to virtually navigate a "physical" library.

The project comes from Internet Archive — a non-profit website that gives you access to free music, books, websites, software, and more. But as part of its Open Library platform (which offers access to a catalogue of millions of ebooks), Library Explorer is meant to elevate the experience of simply searching for books by scrolling through a web browser.

When you're on the Library Explorer page, you'll see tall bookshelves that you can click on. As with any local library, it leverages the Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress classification systems. So, it allows you to easily search for a specific book you're looking for, while also potentially discovering something new.

At the same time, you can also use smart filters based on your interests. So, you can do things like personalize single rows of books, expand shelves, or curate the experience based solely on your interests. For example, when clicking on the "juvenile" filter, the entire library will transform into books for children. If you click on the "biography" filter, you'll strictly see titles of biographies.

You also have the ability to customize the look and feel of the library via the Settings menu. When you click on the tab, you can opt to see the books in 3D and choose between the classification systems you want the books organized in.

But one thing Library Explorer doesn't do is feed you an algorithm. Unlike Netflix and YouTube, which show you recommendations based on past content you've watched and searched for, this portal pushes you to find things on your own. That way, you have more opportunities to stumble upon books outside of your bubble.

While I've only quickly skimmed through Open Library and all its features, I can confirm it's a lot more fun than scrolling through something like the Amazon app for books. It's also the closest I'll get to a public library for a very, very long time.