Despite my constant claims that I’m going to move to an all-digital library, I still buy a ton of books. I’ve started to embrace the fact that I like having physical copies of things. Besides just loving act of holding a book while I’m reading it, it also makes things a ton easier to share with friends.
Libib is a service that makes that sharing part as well as figuring out what books you already have in your library a little easier.
The website and app allow you to create a searchable catalogue of all of your books, video games, movies and more by just scanning the barcode on the back of them. With each entry, you can create tags and leave notes as well. For instance, you might note that you put a book in storage in the garage or that you lent it to your friend Bob on July 1st.
Beyond just for personal use, that library is also shareable. So, if you have a huge collection and friends you like to trade with, you can share Libib catalogues with each other and see what your pal might have available on her bookshelf before you hit Book Depository to buy yourself a copy of a new release.
The company offers a standard option that’s free and is probably all most people will need. With it, you can create up to 100 different libraries, each with up to 5000 different items on them. You can also tag items and publish a list of your collection if you want to share it.
A paid $US99 ($133)/year or $US9 ($12)/month Pro tier expands all that to 100,000 different items and is more for the schools and educational programs out there than it really is for individuals. Although, who’s to say you don’t have 100,000 books kicking around your house (no judgement here!).
The Pro option also comes with some regular library features like patron management and lending and circulation info. You know, for real libraries.
If you’re looking for a way to organise your physical media it’s an easy place to start, and at the very least can help solve the “Did I buy this already?” question when you’re at the bookstore.
Comments
2 responses to “Catalogue Your Books, Games And More Into Your Own Searchable ‘Library’ With Libib”
Try librarything.com for serious book management.
Also: “whose to say”???
I’d be pretty reluctant to use an online tool, especially when it’s charging over $100 a year for the privilege. There are plenty of free cataloguing apps available for books, movies, music and games. While I haven’t particularly looked for one that scans barcodes to input the item I’d be surprised if that’s not a feature in at least some of them.
Datacrow (http://www.datacrow.net/) is worth checking out. Unfortunately it’s just been discontinued 🙁