I don’t know about you, but I have a lot of books. I could practically open up a library if I wanted to. The only problem is it’s hard to keep track of the books I currently own. It always makes me nervous if I am collecting a series and don’t remember what books I have when I’m at the store (like Nancy Drew). I also wanted to have a record somewhere just in case anything ever happened to my collection. So I’ve been on the hunt for ways to keep record of my entire personal library.

I’ve been looking at different programs and websites that can store information about my book collection for quite some time. For those of you interested in keeping record of your book collections I can suggest using either Library Thing or Delicious Library 3.

Library Thing is a website that is free to join that you can use to catalogue your books. I liked this website because it places all your books in a proper library catalogue for your own personal use. I really like the different ways you can organize your books within the catalogue and it’s just simple to use. There are only two cons to using this website. The first of which is the entry of each book. There isn’t a scanner or anything you can use in conjunction with the website, so you have to manually enter the codes at the back of the book or make the book entries yourself. There is also a limit to the number of books you can keep in the free library catalogue you get when you sign up. You can catalogue 200 books on your free account, but you can get unlimited books in your catalogue if you pay $10/year or $25 for a lifetime account.

Delicious Library 3 is an application that my sister told me to check out in the App Store on my Mac. You can get a free trial of their app from their website, but the software does cost $25. However, there are many advantages to using this software over Library Thing. This program is a lot more visual than Library Thing. Where Library Thing gives you lists of your books, Delicious Library can let you view your books in a list view, or as virtual covers on a bookshelf.

Another pro that made me really happy was the scanner app they have for iOS. So instead of having to type in all the codes on the back of the books, I can use an iPod, iPhone, or iPad to scan the information on the back and put it directly into my library. You can also scan items in with your webcam on your computer if you prefer. It definitely saved time and worked really well.

Delicious Library also isn’t just for books. You can store video games, board games, tools, etc. in your library as well. You can create individual shelves for different types of items, and if it has a barcode you can record it with your scanner app.

Hopefully this is useful for any of you looking to keep a detailed record of your book collection. I honestly loved both Library Thing and Delicious Library 3. They both had pros and cons, but they are both fantastic and I would suggest testing them out to find what works best for you.