via GIPHY Yup, I scanned every single one and uploaded it to my LibraryThing. You may ask yourself: are there benefits to such a task? Or was I engaging in a mix of self congratulation (look at all my books!) and obsessive behavior?
Why to catalog books in your personal library
I won’t deny that I can be both obsessive and proud when it comes to my book collection, but there are benefits to knowing exactly what books you have and where you have them. See? Eight reasons that aren’t (necessarily) about being a crazy book nerd.
How to catalog books
Alright, so you’re convinced. Here’s the steps, and then we’ll dig down into each more below:
Choose your program for cataloguing books (options below) Get a barcode scanner, handheld or app Scan your personal library shelf by shelf Upload them to your inventory program Start organizing and get into the stats
Choose your program
You’ll want to choose a program in which to store your inventoried library. There are many to choose from—there’s libib, Goodreads, booklikes, Delicious Library, and countless others (most I have not tried). But LibraryThing—whose praises I’ve sung once or twice before—is my go to book cataloger. LT is super customizable, allows for both tagging and collections, tracks multiple reading dates, lets you to note where and when you got the book, and can helps you track books you’ve lent out. But you do you: choose a program that feels and looks good, and suits your needs. Make sure it either has an app to scan books into or can upload .csv, .txt, or .xlsx files.
Get a barcode scanner
Next you’ll need a barcode scanner. You could buy one, but they can be expensive (though—not to continue fangirling—LibraryThing sells a cheap one in the shape of a cat). Fortunately there’s an app for that. Many, in fact, and some are built for your book cataloger of choice.
Start scanning
So you’ve got a cataloging program, a barcode scanner, and a bunch of books. I recommend scanning shelf by shelf to easily track what you’ve scanned and what you haven’t. You can scan straight into your cataloging program (depending on the system), or into a text or excel file. Pull the book off the shelf just enough to grab the barcode, scan, push it back. And repeat ad nauseum. If you come across a book that has no barcode or has a sticker over the barcode, learn from my mistake and don’t pull said book off the shelf. You will likely encounter many of these, leading to towering piles. Instead, just flip the book on its side and return to it later. Side note: what you’re scanning is the ISBN of the book, if the store you purchased the book from covered up the original barcode with one of their own, it may not be the book’s actual ISBN and therefore may not scan. I put books like this on their side just in case.
Upload and organize
Once you’ve scanned all your books (don’t forget the ones on their sides, which you may have to enter manually) and uploaded them to your inventory program, you’re ready to start organizing!
via GIPHY Have other methods and systems for tracking your books? Tips on doing inventory? Stats about your personal library? I’d love to hear it all! Especially stats.
