plain jane Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 There are a couple used curriculum sales coming up in my area in the next couple of weeks and while I always go with a shopping list, I do like to browse through books and pick up any good deals I can find. Problem is, as of late, I've had a nasty habit of purchasing books I already own. :glare: It's been so bad that I've gotten as far as purchasing 4 copies of the same book. :001_huh: Anyways, obviously I need some sort of way to keep track of all the titles we own. My initial thought was to type out the titles and have them in Excel (which will sort them alphabetically for me, right??) but then I thought there may well be a better way. I don't have a lot of OOP books or anything complicated. What do you use or what do you suggest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ester Maria Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 A list in Excel and/or a "physical" system (with cards and lists, etc.) + organize your books, physically, in a very systematic fashion (e.g. fiction - by languages - within each language alphabetically or chronologically, etc.). It helps. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 A list in Excel and/or a "physical" system (with cards and lists, etc.) + organize your books, physically, in a very systematic fashion (e.g. fiction - by languages - within each language alphabetically or chronologically, etc.). It helps. :) I used to have mine on the bookshelves in a very organized fashion, but my kids pull them off and read them and then put them back in weird places. I used to get upset (not mad though) about this but realized it was more important that they're reading them. I've had to give up on the idea of beautifully organized bookshelves though. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I just embrace the duplicate copies. :-) or use them as gifts [cuz we only buy GREAT titles 4 times, right?!]. yeah, I know... that can get expensive, lol. have you checked out Library Thing? there are lots of neat library catalog software programs that you can invest in [or are FREE!] that you can use w/ a laptop. Or leave a kid at home and call to check on titles. ;) some keep your titles online--you can check them from anywhere [phone!]. good luck! eta: a barcode scanner at radio shack is Very Helpful.. if you get a cuecat, google about neutering the cuecat. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I used to have mine on the bookshelves in a very organized fashion, but my kids pull them off and read them and then put them back in weird places. I used to get upset (not mad though) about this but realized it was more important that they're reading them. I've had to give up on the idea of beautifully organized bookshelves though. :tongue_smilie: This describes my house, my dc...:bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justamouse Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 Keep track of them? that's a little much. I can't even remember my anniversary, let alone keep track of my books. I DO shelve them according to subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 have you checked out Library Thing? there are lots of neat library catalog software programs that you can invest in [or are FREE!] that you can use w/ a laptop. Or leave a kid at home and call to check on titles. ;) some keep your titles online--you can check them from anywhere [phone!]. good luck! I do this all the time. :lol: My dd is starting to think I have issues with my memory. :tongue_smilie: I must not admit weakness!! LOL I haven't heard of Library Thing (well heard of it but no idea what it does). Thanks, I'm off to check it out. I do have an iPhone... is that good for anything? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted March 12, 2011 Author Share Posted March 12, 2011 I do this all the time. :lol: My dd is starting to think I have issues with my memory. :tongue_smilie: I must not admit weakness!! LOL I haven't heard of Library Thing (well heard of it but no idea what it does). Thanks, I'm off to check it out. I do have an iPhone... is that good for anything? :tongue_smilie: I see Library Thing is free up to the first 200 books. That's not going to help me much. Drat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessdmommy Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I see Library Thing is free up to the first 200 books. That's not going to help me much. Drat! Yip, that's why I broke down and purchased a lifetime membership. I do love LibraryThing and would recommend it if it's in your budget to do so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 12, 2011 Share Posted March 12, 2011 I've always had them in Excel and either printed it (back before Smartphones) or had it on my phone. That way when we hit a random used booksale, I am prepared. :001_smile: When I don't have my list, my dd with the mega-memory helps me, too. I'm really wanting to get some sort of program that allows me to use my phone to scan books and sort them, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I do have an iPhone... is that good for anything? :tongue_smilie: Check out the app iBookshelf. I haven't used it extensively yet, but it appears to be similar to Library Thing. There is also an app called My Library that might also be of help to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Yip, that's why I broke down and purchased a lifetime membership.I do love LibraryThing and would recommend it if it's in your budget to do so. :iagree: Love Library Thing and a cuecat. I spent one summer putting everything in and now I just put them in as I buy them. Works great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamee Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I see Library Thing is free up to the first 200 books. That's not going to help me much. Drat! I had no idea there were restrictions. Guess I better check my account. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I too buy duplicate book copies. Hate when I do that! I mostly buy from Amazon and it tells me when I already purchased something. It's saved me a quite a few times! It has a database feature that you can browse through all your books, but it's a bit slow. I have this in my TO BUY list. You can use a barcode scanner to scan in all your books. I'm hoping someday they'll make an online version and that I can use my iPhone as a scanner... http://www.readerware.com/index.php Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I had no idea there were restrictions. Guess I better check my account. yeah... I haven't used it, but my thousands of books would cost me. ;) I *really* like the idea of using an iphone... gotta get me one of those now that Verizon is on the ball.... hope they get a scanner app, lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I am having the same problem AND, I've lost some books that dh is convinced I must have loaned out but I KNOW I didn't.:glare: We also moved into an Apt so storage is at a premium. Here's what my newest solution is. I went to Target yesterday and purchased 4 under the bed storage containers. I'm going to separate the "Grades" or years into separate storage containers and label them accordingly. That way, I won't have to go on a book hunt every year and risk buying two of the same copy. Only after my youngest is done with the curriculum will I put the books on shelves for the general public (AKA the family:001_smile:). I kind of hate to do that, but I am missing so many books right now, I feel like I have to. As for keeping track of books I own versus if I borrowed them, Homeschool Tracker does that for me. When you enter resources you're using, it has fields that ask whether you bought the book, or borrowed it and who from. It also has a field to put in when and to whom you loaned a book out, but I've never used it :blushing: (obviously). HTH! Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RahRah Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I use Book Collector - program resides on my computer (the database and program), is online for book look-up and cover art, and synchs with my phone, so I can look up what I have when I'm out and about, or look up on my computer if I'm shopping online. Best feature - I purchased the hand-held scanner, so entering books into the database takes about 2-seconds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I had this same problem, so one afternoon when I had nothing better to do, I had dd10 help me and she read me the titles of all of the books on our shelves while I typed them up in alphabetical order. I then emailed the list to myself. And now I can access it from my iphone whenever I want to check and see "do I already have this particular title?" :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plain jane Posted March 13, 2011 Author Share Posted March 13, 2011 I too buy duplicate book copies. Hate when I do that! I mostly buy from Amazon and it tells me when I already purchased something. It's saved me a quite a few times! It has a database feature that you can browse through all your books, but it's a bit slow. I have this in my TO BUY list. You can use a barcode scanner to scan in all your books. I'm hoping someday they'll make an online version and that I can use my iPhone as a scanner... http://www.readerware.com/index.php I usually buy from amazon too but I found a few books cheaper on BookDepository so I went ahead and purchased them since I was not in a hurry. Well, what did I do?? I bought the same book twice :glare: (two separate orders) in the span of about 10 days. :glare: Wow did I feel silly when the book came the second time. Thank goodness it was only $8. I'm back to only shopping on amazon for a while. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 I tried forever to get them organized and listed. Did not work. So, finally I said if i have so many books I cannot remember what I have time to unload them. I took 3/4 of my books to the library and dropped them off. Wow did it feel good to lighten the load, but scary at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodle Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 Check out the app iBookshelf. I haven't used it extensively yet, but it appears to be similar to Library Thing. There is also an app called My Library that might also be of help to you. I've been looking more at the above two apps today, but came across another that I like better. It is called Book Crawler. There is a free version that will allow you to see how it works. The full version is only $1.99. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted March 13, 2011 Share Posted March 13, 2011 There was a thread on the logic board the other day. Usually I just ask you, Jane. ;) But I'm looking into library thing. It's only 25.00 minimum for a lifetime membership. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyboys Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 :iagree: Love Library Thing and a cuecat. I spent one summer putting everything in and now I just put them in as I buy them. Works great. Do you think that would work with readerware? I couldn't quite get it up and running. Maybe a good summer project. Any hints for how you tackled the ones that wouldn't register, etc.? What's library thing cost? Is it a subscription or flat fee? Thanks. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anissarobert Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I have over 10,000 books, so I gave up on listing them. If I am buying new, I check to see if I have it, as most books are where they belong. (usually :glare:) If I am at a yard sale or a used sale, I just get it if I'm not sure and then I put duplicates on Paperbackswap or I resell them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tranquility7 Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I second the recommendations for LibraryThing. Love that program! And at $25 for a lifetime unlimited membership, I personally think it is a good deal. Also, keep in mind you can export your list from LibraryThing to excel and do whatever you want with it. Though I like to fiddle with it in LibraryThing rather than in Excel. But if you needed to print it to take to a sale or something, that is an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I have over 10,000 books, so I gave up on listing them. If I am buying new, I check to see if I have it, as most books are where they belong. (usually :glare:) If I am at a yard sale or a used sale, I just get it if I'm not sure and then I put duplicates on Paperbackswap or I resell them. I want to be like you when I grow up. :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted March 14, 2011 Share Posted March 14, 2011 I use Readerware with a cuecat scanner. Super-duper fast, easy to keep up with. Has an option to go on your iphone thing too, though I don't have one to have ever tried it. There are other library software options out there too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peek a Boo Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I have over 10,000 books, so I gave up on listing them. If I am buying new, I check to see if I have it, as most books are where they belong. (usually :glare:) If I am at a yard sale or a used sale, I just get it if I'm not sure and then I put duplicates on Paperbackswap or I resell them. i quit counting at about 7K several years ago, but the librarian in me still wants to organize and categorize, lol.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annabel Lee Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Just the title of the post made me LOL. Keep track? AHhhahahahhaha I do try... but the shelves are bowing & threaten to break. Library Thing looks neat, but I don't have time for that right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I've been looking more at the above two apps today, but came across another that I like better. It is called Book Crawler. There is a free version that will allow you to see how it works. The full version is only $1.99. So I can turn my phone into a scanner of sorts that will log the book automatically? If so I will gladly pay the $1.99. I don't usually pay for apps. :lurk5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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