Best way to Organise a collection

roryok · 08-11-2010, 05:15 AM

Hi Folks

I have a collection of ebooks which are currently in two folders:

- Folder One contains folders named A through Z. Each of these contains Authors subfolders in the format 'Lastname, Firstname'.

- Folder Two contains author subfolders in the format 'Firstname Lastname', - but does NOT contain separate folders for each letter. (i.e., all author subfolders are in the one folder regardless of name)

For neatness sake, I want to combine the two folders into one collection, but I'm stumped as to which is the better format to use. I use Calibre to convert/transfer these, but I hate the way Calibre creates subfolders for each individual book, and this cannot be changed.

I want an optimal folder structure for the books which will play nice with Calibre import. Any suggestions? I realise it's kind of a vague question and there may be no 'right' answer, but I'd like to hear what structures other people use and what success or problems they've had

bjones6416 · 08-11-2010, 06:33 AM

Oh, Worldwalker? Allow me...
Roryok, Here is the best explanation I've seen about why you shouldn't be overly concerned about how calibre sets up files. When it's working correctly, the file structure is invisible to you. I can vouch for that -- I have a Sony, a Kindle, and a Jetbook, and I am able to use calibre to manage the books on all three of them without a hitch. I see you have a Nook, and alas, I don't have one of those, but there are lots of Nook owners who use calibre very happily.

You might want to jump over to the calibre portion of the forums and poke around a little bit. There is SO much helpful information there. I hope you can get everything working the way you like it!

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-11-2010, 08:49 AM

The big stumbling block here is expecting calibre to organize its files in a way that is easily accessable to you. Getting over that concept is difficult. The idea is to use calibre to access your books (not files) for you. The biggest mistake I often see people new to calibre make is to designate the folder they are presently using for their books as the one for calibre's library then wail about how calibre messed up their library. Technically, one does not need to keep their original library once calibre has created its library but there is no harm in doing so. I keep my original files just in case I ever want to switch from calibre because I can find the books easily and the file name contains most of the metadata needed (it's also called paranoia). Worldwalker's explanation of treating calibre's folder as an untouchable black box is the best I've seen so far. So far, I haven't been able to find anything easier to use than calibre that can do what calibre does (and I do check out other programs, free or otherwise, from time to time just in case something better pops up). Granted, it does have a bit of of a learning curve since the GUI is a bit strange (at least, it is to me) but there is an exellent calibre forum here at MobileRead that has many knowledgeable users, and often calibre's developer, that will jump in to help a new user out (they have saved my butt many a time).

roryok · 08-11-2010, 11:10 AM

@bjones6416, @LadyFitzgerald

Quote:

The biggest mistake I often see people new to calibre make is to designate the folder they are presently using for their books as the one for calibre's library then wail about how calibre messed up their library.

Yes, I did that when I first installed it, and I've learned my lesson

Quote:

I keep my original files just in case I ever want to switch from calibre because I can find the books easily and the file name contains most of the metadata needed (it's also called paranoia).

This is exactly what I want to do. I'm quite happy to let Calibre have its own untouchable 'black box' of files, but I want to keep a separate back-up copy of everything, and I'm just trying to decide what the best format is for that. Alphabetising by Lastname is pretty much the internationally recognised way of doing things, so I think I may just go that way and alter the import options in Calibre so it doesn't get confused.

Thanks for the reply!

(Also XP Pro SP3 FTW =P )

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-11-2010, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roryok

@bjones6416, @LadyFitzgerald...(Also XP Pro SP3 FTW =P )

=P to you too!

The reason I have my OS in my sig is because I'm too lazy and forgetful to put it in when I have a problem where it might be relevent. I also belong to a forum for a music notation program where we encourage users to include their system and program version info in their sigs since it very frequently is relevent so I'm blaming habit as well.

Purple Lady · 08-12-2010, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

I keep my original files just in case I ever want to switch from calibre because I can find the books easily and the file name contains most of the metadata needed (it's also called paranoia).

if this is paranoia, I don't know what that makes me - I save my ebooks on a server that has folders for the original version(including the DRM if it's there), the decrypted files, the reformatted files, along with a backup of the Calibre library folders.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-12-2010, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

if this is paranoia, I don't know what that makes me - I save my ebooks on a server that has folders for the original version(including the DRM if it's there), the decrypted files, the reformatted files, along with a backup of the Calibre library folders.

OCD? All seriousness aside, if you have the room, it can't hurt.

Purple Lady · 08-12-2010, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Fitzgerald

OCD? All seriousness aside, if you have the room, it can't hurt.

I have tons of room - desktop, my laptop, my old laptop, husband's laptop, two servers. no OCD but I guess it kinda looks that way. I have lost stuff from before from computer crashes, firmware upgrades, etc. The firmware upgrade loss was actually my husband being "nice" and upgrading the firmware on my phone and all my calendar entries got lost. luckily, I also put my entries on my calendar at work and he hasn't done that again.

so I guess I just want to make sure I don't lose any of my stuff anymore.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-12-2010, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I have tons of room - desktop, my laptop, my old laptop, husband's laptop, two servers. no OCD but I guess it kinda looks that way. I have lost stuff from before from computer crashes, firmware upgrades, etc. The firmware upgrade loss was actually my husband being "nice" and upgrading the firmware on my phone and all my calendar entries got lost. luckily, I also put my entries on my calendar at work and he hasn't done that again.

so I guess I just want to make sure I don't lose any of my stuff anymore.

I don't blame you one little bit. I'm a firm believer in backups.

roryok · 08-12-2010, 04:44 AM

For the crucial stuff, you can't beat dropbox. 2GB free storage synced across devices. If any of you haven't signed up, use this referral link - https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTU2ODYzMTk - I get an extra 250MB for every person who I refer!

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-12-2010, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roryok

For the crucial stuff, you can't beat dropbox. 2GB free storage synced across devices. If any of you haven't signed up, use this referral link - https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTU2ODYzMTk - I get an extra 250MB for every person who I refer!

Too many free online storage options of gone belly up, often without warning, in the past few years to be able to trust them for long term storage, especially for crucial data. Far better would be to just pony up for one or more USB flash drive sticks. One can find them for as little as $10. Unlimited permanent online storage in the form of automatic data backups can be had for $55-60/year from services like Carbonite and Mozy.

ficbot · 08-12-2010, 12:39 PM

The thing I like about Dropbox is the folder is actually on your computer. It's just backing up the folder on your computer. So if something happens to Dropbox, you still have the local version.

Lady Fitzgerald · 08-12-2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ficbot

The thing I like about Dropbox is the folder is actually on your computer. It's just backing up the folder on your computer. So if something happens to Dropbox, you still have the local version.

Then what's the point of dropbox, other than syncing your files with other computers? I got the impression you were using it just for offline storage?

starrigger · 08-12-2010, 01:43 PM

Getting a Dropbox account and moving my Calibre library folder into the local DB folder was the best thing I've done in ebook management. (Well, maybe after using Calibre.) I was frustrated trying to keep libraries synced on different computers. This makes it automatic, and also provides an off-site backup in case the house burns down or something. I use it the same way to sync and backup my current writing files. As ficbot says, it doesn't replace your local files, it just keeps a copy.

This supplements but does not replace other ways of backing up, I should add. My most important stuff is always backed up about five different ways.

starrigger · 08-12-2010, 01:55 PM

All that said, I share some of the frustration about alphabetizing schemes. I went along with Calibre's default of [firstname lastname], but wish I had overridden from the beginning to do [lastname, firstname]. I don't quite buy into the "blackbox" model of the Calibre library, as I often look at those files for one reason or another--don't change them, but check them or copy from them--and it would be better if all those folders were sorted by last name. It would also make the GUI easier to scan when sorted by author.

I understand that one can do that more simply as an option now in Calibre, but I don't know how to easily convert from the scheme I've got.

08-11-2010, 05:15 AM	#1
roryok Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: nook	Best way to Organise a collection Hi Folks I have a collection of ebooks which are currently in two folders: - Folder One contains folders named A through Z. Each of these contains Authors subfolders in the format 'Lastname, Firstname'. - Folder Two contains author subfolders in the format 'Firstname Lastname', - but does NOT contain separate folders for each letter. (i.e., all author subfolders are in the one folder regardless of name) For neatness sake, I want to combine the two folders into one collection, but I'm stumped as to which is the better format to use. I use Calibre to convert/transfer these, but I hate the way Calibre creates subfolders for each individual book, and this cannot be changed. I want an optimal folder structure for the books which will play nice with Calibre import. Any suggestions? I realise it's kind of a vague question and there may be no 'right' answer, but I'd like to hear what structures other people use and what success or problems they've had

08-12-2010, 04:44 AM	#10
roryok Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: nook	For the crucial stuff, you can't beat dropbox. 2GB free storage synced across devices. If any of you haven't signed up, use this referral link - https://www.dropbox.com/referrals/NTU2ODYzMTk - I get an extra 250MB for every person who I refer! Last edited by roryok; 08-12-2010 at 05:09 AM. Reason: forgot the link - doy

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08-11-2010, 06:33 AM	#2
bjones6416 ↓↓ Skirt!! Earrings!! Posts: 3,394 Karma: 17432172 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Georgia, USA Device: Acer netbook, JetBook Lite, Sony PRS-300, Kindle 2, Kindle Fire	Oh, Worldwalker? Allow me... Roryok, Here is the best explanation I've seen about why you shouldn't be overly concerned about how calibre sets up files. When it's working correctly, the file structure is invisible to you. I can vouch for that -- I have a Sony, a Kindle, and a Jetbook, and I am able to use calibre to manage the books on all three of them without a hitch. I see you have a Nook, and alas, I don't have one of those, but there are lots of Nook owners who use calibre very happily. You might want to jump over to the calibre portion of the forums and poke around a little bit. There is SO much helpful information there. I hope you can get everything working the way you like it!

08-11-2010, 08:49 AM	#3
Lady Fitzgerald Wizard Posts: 2,013 Karma: 251649 Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tempe, AZ, USA, Earth Device: JetBook Lite (away from home) + 1 spare, 32" TV (at home)	The big stumbling block here is expecting calibre to organize its files in a way that is easily accessable to you. Getting over that concept is difficult. The idea is to use calibre to access your books (not files) for you. The biggest mistake I often see people new to calibre make is to designate the folder they are presently using for their books as the one for calibre's library then wail about how calibre messed up their library. Technically, one does not need to keep their original library once calibre has created its library but there is no harm in doing so. I keep my original files just in case I ever want to switch from calibre because I can find the books easily and the file name contains most of the metadata needed (it's also called paranoia). Worldwalker's explanation of treating calibre's folder as an untouchable black box is the best I've seen so far. So far, I haven't been able to find anything easier to use than calibre that can do what calibre does (and I do check out other programs, free or otherwise, from time to time just in case something better pops up). Granted, it does have a bit of of a learning curve since the GUI is a bit strange (at least, it is to me) but there is an exellent calibre forum here at MobileRead that has many knowledgeable users, and often calibre's developer, that will jump in to help a new user out (they have saved my butt many a time).

08-12-2010, 12:39 PM	#12
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	The thing I like about Dropbox is the folder is actually on your computer. It's just backing up the folder on your computer. So if something happens to Dropbox, you still have the local version.

08-12-2010, 01:43 PM	#14
starrigger Jeffrey A. Carver Posts: 1,355 Karma: 1107383 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Massachusetts, USA Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, Droid phone, Nook HD+	Getting a Dropbox account and moving my Calibre library folder into the local DB folder was the best thing I've done in ebook management. (Well, maybe after using Calibre.) I was frustrated trying to keep libraries synced on different computers. This makes it automatic, and also provides an off-site backup in case the house burns down or something. I use it the same way to sync and backup my current writing files. As ficbot says, it doesn't replace your local files, it just keeps a copy. This supplements but does not replace other ways of backing up, I should add. My most important stuff is always backed up about five different ways.

08-12-2010, 01:55 PM	#15
starrigger Jeffrey A. Carver Posts: 1,355 Karma: 1107383 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Massachusetts, USA Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, Droid phone, Nook HD+	All that said, I share some of the frustration about alphabetizing schemes. I went along with Calibre's default of [firstname lastname], but wish I had overridden from the beginning to do [lastname, firstname]. I don't quite buy into the "blackbox" model of the Calibre library, as I often look at those files for one reason or another--don't change them, but check them or copy from them--and it would be better if all those folders were sorted by last name. It would also make the GUI easier to scan when sorted by author. I understand that one can do that more simply as an option now in Calibre, but I don't know how to easily convert from the scheme I've got.

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