iPad The best way to carry lists of books I own with me?

tanteoma · 08-23-2012, 10:46 PM

I have thousands of books and a muddy head. In order not to buy the same book multiple times, I need to bring a large list of books I already own with me when I go book shopping.

Back in the good old days of Windows Mobile, I used a handy little app called ListPro to create a database of all the books I already own. It has been my go-to database/spreadsheet app for all these years and I still carry my small Dell X50 pocket pc with me when I go to buy books. My list is really simple. It has only 6 columns: author's last name, author's first name, the title of the book, language it is in, where it is and whether I've read it. ListPro can sort according to all six columns. It totally covers my need. The only problem of its ios version is that it's made for iphone. It looks totally weird on my retina ipad.

Now I also use calibre to manage my books. It doesn't have an ios app but can be accessed via a browser. It covers my need fairly well, only my computer has to be on, calibre has to be configured and I have to access internet whenever I want to look it up, which isn't always possible inside book stores.

Is there a simple local solution to this problem on my shiny New iPad? I looked into ipad apps and saw many "to-do" list apps. I don't need anything time related for this purpose, I already have a notebook/calendar to keep my schedule, shopping list, to-do list and so on. I just want a list making/managing apps for my little library.

Any suggestions? O, I forget, I'm still using windows PCs. So it would be great if the app has a desktop version as well, but if it doesn't, it's not tragic if I can "convert" lists made in simple spreadsheets.

david_e · 08-24-2012, 12:15 AM

Very easy, as you're using Calibre...

Open Calibre, click on the small arrow next to CONVERT BOOKS in the menu bar, select CREATE A CATALOG, this will let you choose the format you want. Use the file on your iPad with whatever app will support your file type of choice.

tanteoma · 08-24-2012, 04:15 AM

Thank you, David! You're awesome and the great Calibre is magical. I made a test sample, an epub catalogue of 200 books. The epub file is only 1.2 MB with all kinds of information in it. It's also editable in every way, I can strip it down to a tiny size. Wow. No more worries that whatever list making app or book cataloguing app won't be able to handle thousands of titles or that it'll take up too much space.

Thank you and have a nice weekend!

08-23-2012, 10:46 PM	#1
tanteoma Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 4644 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: ZH, Switzerland Device: Kindle Paperwhite	The best way to carry lists of books I own with me? I have thousands of books and a muddy head. In order not to buy the same book multiple times, I need to bring a large list of books I already own with me when I go book shopping. Back in the good old days of Windows Mobile, I used a handy little app called ListPro to create a database of all the books I already own. It has been my go-to database/spreadsheet app for all these years and I still carry my small Dell X50 pocket pc with me when I go to buy books. My list is really simple. It has only 6 columns: author's last name, author's first name, the title of the book, language it is in, where it is and whether I've read it. ListPro can sort according to all six columns. It totally covers my need. The only problem of its ios version is that it's made for iphone. It looks totally weird on my retina ipad. Now I also use calibre to manage my books. It doesn't have an ios app but can be accessed via a browser. It covers my need fairly well, only my computer has to be on, calibre has to be configured and I have to access internet whenever I want to look it up, which isn't always possible inside book stores. Is there a simple local solution to this problem on my shiny New iPad? I looked into ipad apps and saw many "to-do" list apps. I don't need anything time related for this purpose, I already have a notebook/calendar to keep my schedule, shopping list, to-do list and so on. I just want a list making/managing apps for my little library. Any suggestions? O, I forget, I'm still using windows PCs. So it would be great if the app has a desktop version as well, but if it doesn't, it's not tragic if I can "convert" lists made in simple spreadsheets. Last edited by tanteoma; 08-23-2012 at 10:55 PM.

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08-24-2012, 12:15 AM	#2
david_e Seriously? Posts: 529 Karma: 3347562 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Mini, iWhatever	Very easy, as you're using Calibre... Open Calibre, click on the small arrow next to CONVERT BOOKS in the menu bar, select CREATE A CATALOG, this will let you choose the format you want. Use the file on your iPad with whatever app will support your file type of choice.

08-24-2012, 04:15 AM	#3
tanteoma Enthusiast Posts: 39 Karma: 4644 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: ZH, Switzerland Device: Kindle Paperwhite	Thank you, David! You're awesome and the great Calibre is magical. I made a test sample, an epub catalogue of 200 books. The epub file is only 1.2 MB with all kinds of information in it. It's also editable in every way, I can strip it down to a tiny size. Wow. No more worries that whatever list making app or book cataloguing app won't be able to handle thousands of titles or that it'll take up too much space. Thank you and have a nice weekend!

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