Over the years, your passion for reading has led you to purchase hundreds of books, to the point that your room feels more like a library than a bedroom. You have so many books that sometimes it happened to buy one already in your library, forcing you to give it to some of your friends. You have therefore decided to draw up a list of all your books, but you would like to know a more technological solution than pen and paper and which, perhaps, will also allow you to manage the books that your friends borrow.
If this is indeed the case, let me tell you that you have come to the right place at the right time! With today’s guide, in fact, I will explain how to catalog home books and manage all the information. You must know that there are solutions of all kinds and you will be spoiled for choice: there are software to be installed on your computer that allows you to import all the books at your disposal en masse via CSV files and other programs or online services that allow you to create virtual libraries and download book information from the Internet automatically.
Furthermore, I will suggest a list of applications to manage your books from smartphones and tablets that you can consider if your library does not have a large number of books. Happy reading and, above all, have fun!
Index
- Programs for cataloging home books
- Booknizer (Windows)
- Book Track (macOS)
- Other programs for cataloging home books
- App to catalog home books
- My Library (Android)
- Book Track (iPhone/iPad)
- Other home book cataloging apps
Programs for cataloging home books
To get started, let’s see together what programs are available for cataloging home books on computers with Windows and macOS.
Booknizer (Windows)
The first software I want to tell you about is Bookinzer : it is a free program, compatible with all editions of Windows, created specifically for the management of both simple and complex libraries. The program allows you to catalog and organize paper titles, eBooks and audiobooks and, among other things, allows you to quickly keep track of paper books lent to friends and acquaintances.
The free version of Booknizer has no time limit, but does include some restrictions on the use of the various features (eg the ability to add no more than 50 books to the collection); to bypass them, you need to purchase a commercial license of the program, priced at $39.95.
If you are interested in trying Booknizer, connect to this website , click on the IT link located at the top (if necessary) and press the Download Booknizer button to obtain the program installation file; when the download is complete, start the file obtained (e.g. booknizer.exe ) and click on the Yes , OK and Next buttons ; subsequently, accept the terms of the license agreement by intervening in the dedicated box, press the Next button again 6 consecutive times and click on the Install and Finish buttons , to complete the setup.
Upon start-up, you will be asked whether to continue trying the software, whether to purchase a license immediately or whether to enter the license code in your possession; to continue with the free version, click on the Start program button and wait a few more moments for the main screen of the software to appear on the screen.
From now on, you’re ready to populate your library: to start, click on the File > New database… menu , type a name to assign to the file containing the collection and specify the folder in which to store it, using the panel that appears on the screen. Then, click on the Save button and, once again on the Booknizer home screen, click on the Add book button , located at the top left.
Now, specify how to add the book or books to your library, by selecting one of the items that appear at the top; in the case of paper books, it may be useful to select the From title item and type, one per line, the titles of the books to be imported into the library. Alternatively, put the check mark next to the wording From barcode/ISBN and type the ISBN of the book to add in the dedicated field.
If you wish to add several codes at the same time, click on the symbol representing a list with the + symbol and enter the ISBN codes of the titles of your interest, one per line.
When you’re done, click on the Next button , wait for Booknizer to download the information relating to the title (or titles) of your interest from the Internet and, if necessary, click on the most relevant one from the list that is proposed to you. Then repeat the operation for all the other books you have chosen to add.
Now, click the Next button again and, if you wish, use the panel that is proposed to you to customize or refine the details of the book (for example, information on genre , content , any comments and so on). If you have not yet read the book in question and want to add it to the list of titles to read, put the check mark next to the item Read , located in the General tab .
Finally, click on the Save button and wait patiently for the chosen book to be added to your digital library: the latter is quickly accessible from the left side of the Booknizer screen.
By clicking on the tabs at the top, you can quickly view the books based on the initial letter of the title, the author who created them, or perform a targeted search; clicking on each book’s name will display its details on the right side of the Booknizer screen.
Optionally, you can click the eye icon to quickly set the book as read, the binoculars icon to indicate that the book is not in your library but you would like to buy it, or the dollar icon to set the book as for sale.
Among other things, Booknizer integrates practical filters, which allow you to identify a book based on its location: to set the latter, access the Books list on the left by clicking on the dedicated tab, right- click on the title of the book to be catalogued, select the item Media location from the contextual menu that appears and indicate whether the book is located in a physical bookcase/shelf (shelf), on the computer , in a disc holder (CD-ROM Holder), on the computer (My computer) or if you have lent it to a friend ( Friend ).
To quickly access the list of loaned books, click on the Quick Filter menu located at the top and select the items Media placement > Friend from the further panel that opens; to restore the general view, click on the drop-down menu located at the top of the book list and select the All item from within it. To delete a book from your library, right-click on its preview and select the Delete book item from the menu that appears.
Book Track (macOS)
If, on the other hand, yours is a Mac , I would recommend the Book Track application : it is a made in Italy software for macOS that allows you to better manage and organize your virtual library, with the possibility of adding books for name, by author, by barcode/ISBN or by entering them manually.
The free version of the application allows you to add up to a maximum of 5 books; to add more, you need to activate the Pro version via in-app purchase, at a cost of €11.99 for a lifetime license.
To obtain the trial version of the program, connect to the appropriate section of the Mac App Store , click on the button to open the store (if necessary) and proceed with the installation of Book Track, pressing the Get/Install buttons and verifying your identity. Once the installation is complete, start the software by clicking on the Open button or using the icon which, in the meantime, has been added to the macOS Launchpad .
On first launch, examine the various screens of the welcome tutorial and, to continue, click on the Next button ; then, click the Try Free button , to continue with the free Book Track trial, or the Continue button , to proceed with the purchase of a license instead.
Having reached the initial screen of the program, click on the + button at the top, select the item Search online from the menu that opens and type the title , the author or the ISBN of the book of your interest in the search field at the top To the right. Once this is done, press Enter , wait a few seconds for the list of books found to appear, click on the cover of the book most consistent with your search and press the Library button to add it to the archive. Then click on Saveand, if necessary, proceed with the search for another book (or simply close the dedicated panel).
If, on the other hand, you want to manually enter the information regarding a book in your library, click on the + button , select the item Enter manually from the menu that opens and enter, in the next window, the various details regarding the book to add (for example eg title, author and so on). Finally press on the item Save , to insert it in the list.
To mark a book as read , unfinished or read , right-click on its cover and choose the most appropriate item from the menu that opens; to quickly view the list of books you’re reading, those you haven’t finished or those you’ve read, use the buttons on the left (showing, respectively, a circle , the infinity symbol and a check mark ). To categorize books by location , tag , and series, use the items located on the left side of the window; to delete a book from the list, right-click on its cover and select the Remove from library item , located in the menu that appears.
Other programs for cataloging home books
In addition to the programs I told you about a moment ago, there are several other solutions you can rely on to effectively catalog home books. Here are some.
- Caliber( Windows / macOS ): is a complete program mainly dedicated to the management of electronic books present on eBook readers and to reading those stored on the computer. However, Caliber can also handle virtual libraries populated by paper books very well. For more information on how the program works, which is free, consult this guide of mine .
- BookDB2( Windows ): is an extremely light, albeit not very recent, program that allows you to create and manage a virtual library populated by paper books in an extremely simple way. It’s free.
- LibLib( online ): is a web service that allows you to manage and catalog your books with the help of a cloud library, accessible via browser or dedicated app. The service is free if used with certain limitations (e.g. it is not possible to archive more than 5,000 books or divide them into more than 100 collections), which can be overcome by subscribing to a Pro-type subscription, with prices starting at $9/month .
App to catalog home books
Would you rather manage your books using a smartphone or tablet app ? Don’t worry, there are so many, each with its own strengths and characteristics: I’ll show you some below.
My Library (Android)
My Library is an app available for free on the Android Play Store (try to see if it is also available on alternative markets for smartphones and tablets without Google services) which allows, among other things, to insert books by scanning the code at bars and to export the titles of your library in an Excel file .
So, download the app from the store on your device, following the usual Android procedure , start it and press the (+) button at the bottom right, to immediately add a book to your library; at this point, touch the ISBN search tab and type the book’s ISBN identifier in the appropriate field; alternatively, you can scan the code in question directly from the book itself: tap on the barcode symbol , authorize the app to use the camera by replying affirmatively to the message you see on the screen and frame the book’s barcode , usually placed on the back.
Now, if you are using an Android version equal to or later than 10, you must authorize the app to access the memory: therefore touch the OK , Save , OK, Use this folder and Allow buttons and make a few taps on the screen, to skip the rest of the welcome tutorial.
At this point, check that the information about the book is correct and tap the OK button to add it to your library. To catalog a book, make a long tap on its preview and press the balloon button to add a note, the gift button to add it to your wish list, or the check mark to mark it as read. You can also remove a book from your collection by tapping the trash can symbol .
To sort the books and list them based on a given category or your status, tap the symbol of the three horizontal lines at the top right; to view the wish list, instead tap on the ☰ symbol, located at the top left.
Book Track (iPhone/iPad)
As far as iPhone and iPad are concerned , I would like to direct you to Book Track , the mobile variant of the aforementioned program for macOS; also in this case, the app is available for free with some limitations of a kind (e.g. the ability to add no more than 5 books to the list), which can be bypassed by purchasing the Pro version, at the price of 5.99 €.
After downloading the app , start it and tap the Continue button to access its main screen; subsequently, touch the + button located at the top right and choose whether to add the title of your interest by searching online for the title or the ISBN, by scanning the barcode or by manually entering the information on the book in question.
In the first case, after having entered the title or the ISBN code in the dedicated field, select the most relevant result among those proposed, tap the Library button and then touch the Save item ; in the second case, scan the barcode of the book (providing the necessary permissions to the camera) and add it to the library in an almost identical way to what we have just seen.
If you had opted instead for manual entry, you will have to manually fill in the proposed form with the book information; the latter will be automatically added to the Book Track library.
At any time, you can update a book’s reading status by tapping its preview (found in the Library tab ) and then tapping % Read ; once this is done, you can mark the book as In Reading (indicating the starting day and the number of pages read) or set it as Read ; when you’re done, press the Save button and you’re done.
Other home book cataloging apps
On the Android, iOS and iPadOS stores there are also other applications suitable for managing and cataloging the paper books in one’s possession, which are equally valid. Below I list a few.
- CLZ Books – Book Organizer( Android / iOS / iPadOS ): allows you to catalog the books in your collection, allowing you to synchronize your library with all your devices. In fact, by creating an account you can access the CLZ Cloud and make both a backup of your book collection and synchronize your library. The app costs $14.99/year but you can try it for free for a week.
- Book Catalog( Android ): allows you to manage your library with an interface completely in Italian. It also allows you to manage the list of loaned books and synchronize books with Goodreads, the social network dedicated to books.
- BookBuddy( iOS / iPadOS ): is an app that allows you to add new texts, create your favorites list and keep track of borrowed books. In its free version it allows you to manage a maximum number of 50 books, while by purchasing the Pro version (5.49 euros) there are no limitations.
- iCollect Books( iOS / iPadOS ): another application dedicated to the management of books both in paper and digital format. It allows you to add a book to your library by manually entering its information or by scanning its barcode. It also allows you to manage lent and sold books and synchronize your library across multiple devices. It is free with the possibility of in-app purchases to increase its functionality.