Tress Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have noticed that there are several different book cataloging apps, e.g. iBookshelf, Book Crawler, Bibliophilia. Maybe more. Can someone recommend one? I want to catalogue my books preferably by scanning the ISBN and I want to be able to make backups. I'm not looking for something like Good Reads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Do you have a reliable scanner? I bought one a few years ago to use with software and it went badly. I startd yestrday with librarything.com; you can't scan, but adding by isbn wnt really quickly. I really like th etag fature. (sorry; my E key is sticking--looks lik a kid was ating at the laptop yesterday...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 Do you have a reliable scanner? I bought one a few years ago to use with software and it went badly. I startd yestrday with librarything.com; you can't scan, but adding by isbn wnt really quickly. I really like th etag fature. (sorry; my E key is sticking--looks lik a kid was ating at the laptop yesterday...) I was under the impression that I could scan with the app on my iphone. I do not have a seperate scanner. Hmmm. Maybe I should download some free lite versions first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have Delicious Library and I just scan using the computer camera. Or I can input manually. I can organize the shelves any way I want and I can show books being loaned out to a friend and put a reminder on my calendar to ask for it back. Love the program! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted August 20, 2014 Author Share Posted August 20, 2014 I have Delicious Library and I just scan using the computer camera. Or I can input manually. I can organize the shelves any way I want and I can show books being loaned out to a friend and put a reminder on my calendar to ask for it back. Love the program! Thanks! I hadn't heard of this one. On first glance, it looks really good and I can share my library with friends! My best friend is really going to love that, we are always swapping books :D. But...but...it costs 25$! Is that right? :huh: That's completely different than the other apps ($1.99-$3.99). Is it really so much better?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satori Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I've been using Book Collector. I normally don't use software I install on my pc for something like this, but it does the job, and I can upload our book database to an online website and to my phone/tablet. I do have a scanner I picked up on Amazon, but can also use my phone. Scanner is fastest. :) It's so customizable, I can search my own library for any topic, "checkout" a book, mark how many times we read it, rate it, add our own custom fields and so much more. Every year I print out a list sorted by author and make sure our bookshelves are organized alphabetically as well. I see Delicious Library has a free trial, it does look nice. I think I'll give that a try. I wish they had some screenshots though! Book Collector is doing the job that I need, but I don't think it's so pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tress Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 I've been using Book Collector. I normally don't use software I install on my pc for something like this, but it does the job, and I can upload our book database to an online website and to my phone/tablet. I do have a scanner I picked up on Amazon, but can also use my phone. Scanner is fastest. :) Angela, Book Collector looks nice, but is also expensive. Is there a specific reason to choose Book Collector (or Delicious Library) instead of something like Book Crawler, iBookshelf? I did download trial versions of iBookshelf and Bibliophilia, I was able to scan books with both and they also recognized Dutch books (necessary for me ;) ). I still have no idea what to choose :willy_nilly: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaffeineDiary Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 If you have a Mac, Delicious Library is best-in-breed. http://www.delicious-monster.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 So, I'm a few hundred books in with librarything.com. Supposedly you have to pay to use the site once you have added 200 books, but I haven't had an invoice pop up. I'll make a freewill donation soon if I'm not sent one, as I think this is a service with paying for. The tag feature is LOVELY. On my home screen, I can see all of my tags, how many books are in each tag. The tags are easily editable. I had started one tag named Science, and another named science. They merged instantly when I renamed Science science. Some books have seven or eight tags. Most of the time, LibraryThing has been able to snag pictures of the book covers. There have been a few exceptions--mostly k12 books or things that aren't normally sold on amazon, but that popped up in the used section and the poster didn't offer a picture. The site does not calculate a cash value on the items, but I think my information is sufficient for insurance purposes. I purposefully chose something where the data is not stored only on my own device. If my home is blown away by a tornado, I want my catalog out on the interwebs, iykwim. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauphin Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I also had a friend (with a Mac) recommend Delicious Library, and got to take a look at its usage and I was very interested but ialso choked at the price, particularly because I worry it will be just another organizational app that I don't really use because I don't stick with it (e.g., if I sell a book I forget to update the listing...) or don't use the features fully until partway in (eg don't decide on an organizational or tagging framework until I have bunches of books). BUT, I would be jazzed about any app that expedites/facilitates listing things for sale on the web...I'm still coming out of the first-year homeschooler buying binge.... A tip I heard from someone was to have your older DC scan them in... Oh and with DL I think up you can use both the computer camera and you can use your phone as a a scanner. That's with something since my Mac is a desktop not a MacBook so I can't take it to the bookshelf... Yes I'm waffling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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