Keeping track of your home library.

I have mine set up in an excell spreadsheet too, i dont need anything fancier although i'm jelous of all you people with such extensive collections that you do!
 
I have no idea how many books I have in my house...not counting the kids' books (of which, there are probably thousands, all missing pages and colored on) I have probably 20 or 30 (not counting geek books, of which I have at least 100), but then I know there are at least 4-5 big boxes of books in storage, which hold about 20 boxes, so thats like, 100 or something.

Then again, I also have a 40 gig hard drive dedicated to e-books, of which most are really boring things that are not interesting unless you are a total project geek like me. So each book on the ebook list is probalby 5-10 mb, and the hard drive is pretty full, so that like, a bijillion.

Most of those are on economics, international economics, communications technology, marketing, business management, project management, risk management, portfolio management...the list goes on and on. Then there are the ones I have no use for in my job but they are fun anyways, like physics and chemistry, string theory, ect---not that I understand them, I just really dig the pictures.
 
I use the store in my head as well and know where every single book is on the shelves. It works. I'd go insane if I had to use a masheen to catalogue my books. I keep meaning to properly catalogue them but I'd probably use cards and a pen and then not have a place to put all those cards. So keeping them in my head works the best.
 
fancying_fantasy said:
Wow! I'm so jealous of you. You've met Elizabeth Kay! I figured she'd be a nice lady. Yes I've read Pirates! by Celia Rees and my sister has been telling me to read Witch Child.
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I must get around to asking Elizabeth to come in here for an interview. I imagine she would be willing. In the meantime, I have convinced Celia to do an interview - if you have any questions you would like to ask her, please do put them into the thread in the the YA section: http://www.chronicles-network.com/forum/36568-questions-for-celia-rees.html

Questions about specific books would be great, as well as general ones. I intend to read Pirates! Witch Child and Sorceress, as well as her new venture into pure fantasy (which is due to launch later in the summer) before conducting the interview.
 
HoopyFrood said:
This thread has spurred me to actually catalogue my books, finally. Especially as I'm getting quite protective of my books now and don't want any of them to go wandering! And also, I can't stop buying new ones recently, so my collection is starting to get quite extensive.

Nothing fancy though...just typing them all onto a sheet in Microsoft Excel. Ah, it's made me realise how many unread books stand on my shelves!
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Did you know that M$ have put templates on their support website.

One of those is for a booklist. Saves you having to decide on headings.:p
 
I have couple of separate files on my computer - one for each book language :D So far this suffices, but have though about 5 years about a database I want to make one day, to catalogue my books :eek: Have structures and everything but so far been too lazy to actually implement the d****d thing.
 
fancying_fantasy said:
How do you catalog your books at home?

I had been searching for a while for a program or system that would make it easy for me to keep track of what I own. Well some people suggested LibraryThing. Oh my gosh, I'm in love!

Check it out:

My LibraryThing
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I use bookcases. My books go in them. If I want to find a book I cross to my bookcases and have a look. I normally categorise by author then title (if I can be bothered). The only split I make is to keep the non-fiction seperate from the fiction - but that's just a habit.
There is nothing that would annoy me more than to rely on an online catalog and not have access to it for some reason. It's also one of those things that I just think is a waste of my time and effort.

Yes I am an IT professional (aka geek).
 
Gav said:
I use bookcases. My books go in them. If I want to find a book I cross to my bookcases and have a look. I normally categorise by author then title (if I can be bothered). The only split I make is to keep the non-fiction seperate from the fiction - but that's just a habit.
There is nothing that would annoy me more than to rely on an online catalog and not have access to it for some reason. It's also one of those things that I just think is a waste of my time and effort.

Yes I am an IT professional (aka geek).
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I like doing that too, but when you have as many books as I do (not all belonging to me), it's nice to have the online catalog. It still makes me uneasy to rely on it, but when I have new books coming in weekly, even daily its hard to categorise them on the shelf. Oh if only I had an actual library (one room for all books) that would be easier. I don't think your a geek though, for doing it the old fashion way.
 
I am a geek and I find the desktop software invaluable - but not the online catalog :) I can synch the desktop catalog with my Windows Mobile phone and then I have the list when I go bookshopping. With over a 1000 books in my collection and with advancing age, it's hard to remember which ones I'd bought and which ones I haven't. Besides, a good software app also lets me know where the books actually are - which shelf, which rack, which row (I have them three deep at times) instead of having to pull all the books out to see where the one I wanted is ...
 
No. the point I was trying to make was that I am a geek and I still find software pointless for books. I have tons of books. Tons and tons of the bloody things. I have no touble finding the book I am looking for. There is an exception - when I lend books out. I normally forget I've loaned it out. But if it's on loan I don't care much because I know someone else is enjoying it.

If I want a book I want a book. I don't want to go to my puter look it up and then get a book. This is wasting my reading time!
 
I've lost one of my rooms to books. They've overflown the Ikea bookcases, filled all available boxes, and are now migrating in stacks towards the door.

So, first, I must get bookcases. Then I must organize the books and put them in the bookcases. Then I can begin thinking about tracking things.

For now, when friends come over with recommendations, I just drag them into the room, look around, grab two or three likely titles, and shove them out the door with them. When they come back looking for the next book in the series, or more books by the same author, I just laugh at them, and tell them they're welcome to look for themselves, but I hope they haven't made any plans this week.

Some day, organization. Until then, entropy is happily having its way with my 'library'.
 
Gav said:
No. the point I was trying to make was that I am a geek and I still find software pointless for books. I have tons of books. Tons and tons of the bloody things. I have no touble finding the book I am looking for. There is an exception - when I lend books out. I normally forget I've loaned it out. But if it's on loan I don't care much because I know someone else is enjoying it.

If I want a book I want a book. I don't want to go to my puter look it up and then get a book. This is wasting my reading time!
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Depends what you mean by tons. If you have thousands, and you have read thousands of others, LibraryThing is very handy. With PalmThing, complete list of what I have, and have read (as far as I remember) is right with me in any bookshop, with database lookup. :)

No more getting two of anything.
 
Gav said:
No. the point I was trying to make was that I am a geek and I still find software pointless for books. I have tons of books. Tons and tons of the bloody things. I have no touble finding the book I am looking for. There is an exception - when I lend books out. I normally forget I've loaned it out. But if it's on loan I don't care much because I know someone else is enjoying it.

If I want a book I want a book. I don't want to go to my puter look it up and then get a book. This is wasting my reading time!
Click to expand...


The point of the likes of Library Thing is a place to store your collection details, Socialise with other people that have the same books, gain views/reviews on books, get recommendations on new books/authors etc

It's way more than just an excel catalogue of books.

Plus if your house burns down you have an online resource to show the insurance company what books you had. :)
 
Lucien21 said:
The point of the likes of Library Thing is a place to store your collection details, Socialise with other people that have the same books, gain views/reviews on books, get recommendations on new books/authors etc

It's way more than just an excel catalogue of books.

Plus if your house burns down you have an online resource to show the insurance company what books you had. :)
Click to expand...

Right, and your own personal file can't suggest that if you like Charlie Stross you might like Karl Schroeder, either, without doing any additional work. Very useful, that.

You also can't look up books you *don't* have in your own database, in your own database for research. That has bene really useful.
 
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