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I have 3,476 books cataloged at the moment on https://www.librarything.com/ https://www.librarything.com/. I bought one of their barcode scanners (https://www.l
by kgodey 5y ago
I have 3,476 books cataloged at the moment on https://www.librarything.com/ https://www.librarything.com/. I bought one of their barcode scanners (https://www.librarything.com/more/store/cuecat https://www.librarything.com/more/store/cuecat) to do my initial cataloging but you could also use the scan feature on their mobile app.
I prefer LibraryThing to Goodreads because LibraryThing focuses more on cataloging than social features. Their team also builds software for actual libraries. They source book data from almost 5,000 external sources so it's easy to map ISBN information with the correct edition and cover. You can also get your data out pretty easily, they offer exports in multiple formats.
EDIT: For most books, you can scan the barcode on the back to get the ISBN. Mass market paperbacks seem to usually have separate UPCs. The ISBN barcode is often located on the reverse side of the front cover, so you want to scan that one instead of the one on the back.
- Agathos 5y agoOh wow they still have CueCats to sell?
- Izkata 5y agoFrom the sibling links it looks more like they continued making them - it now uses USB instead of PS/2.
- kgodey 5y agoI don't think they make them anymore, according to this website[1], DigitalConvergence had an inventory of 3 million PS/2 CueCats and 1/2 million USB CueCats when they folded. I'm pretty sure LibraryThing bought some of them, they first started selling them in 2006 [2]. [1] http://www.cexx.org/cuecat.htm#usb http://www.cexx.org/cuecat.htm#usb [2] https://blog.librarything.com/2006/10/librarything-does-cuecats-were-even-selling-them/ https://blog.librarything.com/2006/10/librarything-does-cuec...
- privong 5y ago> one of their barcode scanners (https://www.librarything.com/more/store/cuecat https://www.librarything.com/more/store/cuecat) That's a blast from the past! I remember getting a CueCat in the mail (I guess in 2000, based on the timeline in the Wikipedia article[0]). Neat to see that they've found another life (many others, by the sounds of it). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CueCat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CueCat
- turtlebits 5y agoFWIW, the CueCat works but is fairly slow at scanning. If you have a large volume of books, it's worth spending a little more to get a faster scanner.
- threeio 5y agoyah faster barcode readers are surprisingly cheap these days...
- setr 5y agoI recall trying to look into barcode scanners for personal use (figured I could catalogue everything in my house) but found it surprisingly difficult to find recommendations that seemed reliable, fast and integrated with software usefully. My dream really is the Home Depot Scanner, because that thing is stupidly satisfying
- farmerstan 5y agoI think I still have a couple of cuecats as souvenirs from the dotcom days
- dmd 5y agoAnother happy user of Librarything here. It provides a beautiful public-facing catalog[0] if you want in addition to the full[1] one. Most importantly for me, Librarything lets you add books that do not have an ISBN, unlike every one of their competitors I've tried. Nearly 20% of my books are too old to have an ISBN, so that's pretty important to me. [0] https://www.librarycat.org/lib/ddrucker https://www.librarycat.org/lib/ddrucker [1] https://www.librarything.com/profile/ddrucker https://www.librarything.com/profile/ddrucker
- x0x0 5y agoI'm super curious -- do you mind sketching out what books you collect that generally don't have an isbn, if you have time? Thanks for indulging my curiosity. Cheers!
- effingwewt 5y agoHaha same, made me instantly think of 'The 9th Gate' which I always loved for the showcasing of the rare book world. I'd always wondered if that's how it really is out there. One man with a priceless collection on the floor, another with his in an air-tight high-tech vault in a high-rise.
- type0 5y agoI would like to collect some 19th century and early 20th science and technology books, those wouldn't have the ISBN. Electricity, telegraphy and radio, industrial production, that sort of things. History of technology is fascinating, and sometimes you can find those books very cheap or even get those for free from someone clearing their grandpas attic. edit: I don't own any but regret not buying one good collection recently for cheap, but it would have taken a considerable amount of space on the bookshelf. There's definitely difference in occasionally looking through physical book, the digital ones don't offer the same joy :-)
- dmd 5y agoYou can look for yourself! Go to https://www.librarything.com/catalog/ddrucker/yourlibrary https://www.librarything.com/catalog/ddrucker/yourlibrary and select style E, then sort by ISBN so all the blanks are at the top!
- Bedon292 5y agoI don't seem to see anything on their website, but does it have any features for understanding where a book is located? I have many different locations in the house (or at the office even) where it may be located, so having a "where" would be quite handy.
- kgodey 5y agoI use their "Collections" feature for this. A book can be in multiple collections, and I have a "Basement" collection for books in storage. They also have tags that you can use for a similar purpose.
- Bedon292 5y agoOk, that could work. But I was thinking about something with more of a hierarchy. Home > Bedroom 1 > Bookshelf 2 > Shelf 3, kind of thing. And then move it to Home > Bedroom 2 > Nightstand 2, or whatever it is.
- powersnail 5y agoYou could name the tags with it's path: "Home/Bedroom1/Bookshelf2/shelf3" I've seen this in some databases that store tree structures.
- BeetleB 5y agoChiming in: Another happy LT user here.
- Groxx 5y agoWould other barcode scanners work as well? I know the cuecat has a cult following and a fun history, but you can get modern handheld scanners for about the same price (up through "far far more expensive" obviously). But I have no idea if librarything integrates with them as smoothly.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- jimnotgym 5y agoAlmost certainly any barcode scanner would work. A barcode scanner is essentially a keyboard emulator. It types in the value it scans into whatever field the cursor is in. You can also program them using a set of special barcodes you can download. A nice feature is to make it hit 'enter' after scanning to activate a feature or 'tab' to jump to the next field!
- bssmith 5y agoLT has a free iOS app - that's what I use to scan in my books.
- effingwewt 5y agoIt must be amazing to have your own library. I wonder sometimes what various collections would have looked like now, had I ever been allowed to keep one. I spent a lot of time in libraries over the years, especially as a kid, and being surrounded by books just does something. Now libraries feel more like hangout places where kids vape and talk on the phone. To be surrounded by books, in your own peaceful place, sounds like pure bliss.
- 1123581321 5y agoVisit a few estate sales and library book sales. It’s quite doable and starts to feel immersive once you have two shelves.
- effingwewt 5y agoIm going to give this a go,al much appreciated!
- spaztastical 5y agoWhen you see a lot of books, ask the seller for a bulk discount. Check with recycling centers and ask really nicely. Third, local libraries get donations they then sell for money donations or they have to dispose of - especially old text books. These are ways to acquire books, but maybe not quality or good condition. Another option is Half Price Books sells "books by the foot" like old encyclopedias or law books for aesthetic value.
- effingwewt 5y agoThanks for all of these, I'm making note of all the great tips. I'd have never thought of any of these. I just feel like the older I get the more precious books and knowledge become. Like if there's anything at all worth collecting it's books. I can't believe books are sold by the foot now! I used to save money from doing odd jobs to get encyclopedia Britannica volumes as a kid, those and the Wildlife Treasury Series. When I got a bit older those damn Scholastic catalogs got me too! XD
- stevage 5y agoI did the same thing, worked fine - although I had to add a certain number manually, which was still pretty quick. I found it impossible to maintain though. From time to time I'd cull the physical books, but not update the library. Now it's just some books that I used to own.
- pwgentleman 5y agoTried to create an account to try it out. Limiting passwords to 20 characters seems like a bad sign.