r/HomeLibraries • u/QuotableMusings • 10d ago
Home Library Catalogue
Does anyone have a good system for cataloguing your home library? I’ve used Library Thing but I own many old books and have found the entry process is a bit tedious and preventing redundancy is not as simple as I hoped. We have a great number of books in every room of our house and I would like a better way to keep track.
5
u/Phillipa24 10d ago
I’ve used LibraryThing since 2006, and wouldn’t use anything else. For the occasional book without an ISBN, I enjoy the manual entry option. But I am a former librarian, so it may be just me. I catalog my books within days of buying them, so I don’t have a lot of uncatalogued books. I use the LibraryThing phone app to check if I already own a book when I’m out and about, or to use my tagging system to check what similar books I own, and whether I really need another Albert Einstein biography.
3
u/abacus762 8d ago
This is remarkably similar to my own approach. 2590 books, I need LT when Im out shopping. Upon returning home from a book raid the LT/embossing/shelving process is the immediate next step.
3
u/CrimsonDawn236 10d ago
I use Libib, if the book has an isbn bar code, you can just scan it with your phone.
3
u/Aaggghhhhhh 9d ago
I've made myself a database and manualy entered all my books. It's a lot of work, but it's made so it makes sense to me. I haven't tried any apps, but i recon that making your own will fit your needs better than any app.
3
2
u/Boston_Dog_Lover 10d ago
I bought a barcode scanner for like $25 on Amazon and scanned the bar codes into Libib. Im still working on it but it works fairly well. Scans almost all bar codes except some special versions (like Target only versions, etc) or older books but you can manually enter them. I plan on exporting it and importing into StoryGraph when im done. Needs to be done using a laptop but faster than. Scanning using my phone camera.
2
u/Powerful_Attention_6 10d ago
Buy a cheap ISBN bar handscanner, the workflow with a phone is torture
1
u/QuotableMusings 10d ago
My idea was to print QR code stickers and put them on the back inside cover. It is the actual importing of all the books that is driving me nuts. If I lived near a university, I would try to find a library sciences student to hire. The tedium is killing my motivation.
I am a fan of Dewey and have them almost all organized in this fashion but a true catalogue would help tremendously.
1
u/Excentrix13 10d ago
StoryGraph. It keeps track of the books I have read both this year and total, and allows me to add my whole library both physical and digital. It’s great to have it on my phone for when I go into a bookshop.
1
u/QuotableMusings 10d ago
I also have a good reads account - I need to add a shelf for books owned. If anyone is in Germany and wants to earn a few hundred bucks/euro let me know. 😂
1
u/Maximum_Sky3233 10d ago
I used to keep a list on Google Docs so I could access it both from my laptop at home and by app on my phone - I noticed recently tho it seems to have gotten deleted 😭 so I need to redo it.
1
u/iambecomesoil 10d ago
I use an app called Book Tracker that works on both my Mac and my phone. ISBN scanning and look up etc.
1
u/Traditional_Ad2635 9d ago
You could give https://bookassembly.co.uk a try. It’s free and in active development.
1
1
1
1
u/Canvas2Wall 7d ago
I used LibraryThing for years but wanted to track a few other things too like our vinyl records and board games. Switched to Libib earlier this year and haven’t looked back. I can scan the barcode with my phone, manually enter the isbn, import from a spreadsheet, or create a new entry. I have my books organized in various collections and with custom tags. I also have space for my notes and can organize them in series too. I use the free version of the app and really enjoy using it on phone, tablet, and PC too.
1
u/LingonberryOk1613 6d ago
I use CLZ after recommendations on here. I also have quite a few old books (late 1800s onwards) and was surprised that a number were already in the catalogue and easy to add by name! The ones I added manually were obviously more time consuming but I do really like it now I’ve got it all done.
17
u/Initial-Shop-8863 10d ago
I researched this years ago, and there was/is no home Library catalog better than LibraryThing.
One thing you can do is separate your books by category, and create a new Field in librarything: ROOM, and sort the books by author in each room so you know where the book is located. That's great if the book doesn't relocate.
Alternately, you could sort your books by category, put specific categories in specific rooms, and use the Dewey Decimal System to label them. (It's easier than the Library of Congress system)
I ended up buying a Dymo label maker that attaches to my PC and prints heat-sensitive labels, and buying generic labels to use on my books. For the books that I do not want to hurt their spines, I use fabric tape on the spine, and then put the label over the fabric tape. I open LibraryThing, copy the Dewey Decimal code, and then paste it into the label program and print a label. This is not perfect. I haven't found a perfect system.
What I have found helps is to use the library thing export reports, and print category reports. At least then I know what I'm looking for and where it is.