3 Libraries - Merge, Duplicates, Limitations

[jarid]

I have 3 libraries with 5K, 8K, and 10K books.

1) How would I merge the 3 libraries into 1 new library without having any duplicates? (This would result in a total of 4 libraries.)

2) Is there a library book limit--in dealing with performance? (e.g., adding new books/authors, searches)

Thank you.

[transmitthis]

I guess your going to have duplicates, no matter what.
Unless every single book has the correct Author and Title and there the same throughout you library's (ie Marion Zimmer Bradley / M. Z. Bradley / Marion Z. Bradley etc)

What you can do is merge them, and then use the duplicate plugin (see plugin thread) which will remove 90% or more of them esp using the fuzzy logic.

I imagine there will still be some, mislabeled or with alternate titles that will be duplicated

With 23 Thousand books I would be tempted to leave some in an unused library, ie books that your not really going to read anytime soon - and considering that it would take you 221Years at 2 books a week, there will def be a few you wont read - EVER

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by jarid

I have 3 libraries with 5K, 8K, and 10K books.

1) How would I merge the 3 libraries into 1 new library without having any duplicates? (This would result in a total of 4 libraries.)

Turn on the AutoMerge function, (in Adding Books) then use Copy To Library to send books into the new library. If Authors match exactly and titles are close enough, they will AutoMerge. Or, turn off AutoMerge and use the Find Duplicates Plugin after you have finished and manually use Merge.

2) Is there a library book limit--in dealing with performance? (e.g., adding new books/authors, searches)

No, there's no limit that you will run into, but you may prefer to do them in batches.

I disagree with the post telling you to keep books you won't read in a separate library. My library is as large as the one you will end up with, and I'd much rather keep all the books in one so I can search and find the book I want to read. There's no way I could tell now what I'll be reading next month.

[transmitthis]

"I disagree with the post telling you..."

I wasn't telling, I said I would be tempted to...
Seems to be some people that "Collect" books even when its impossible to read them all
Which is all fine and dandy, I have a few that I don't believe I will read, so prefer not to have them in my Main Library.
What ever suits your usage though, personally I find dealing with a large amount of files, looking through loads of authors, waiting on metadata and conversions on books unlikely to be of use to me, is just inconvenient. despite using "restrictions"

Do agree on doing in batches, and on backing up before making an sweeping changes...


ps defiantly know what I will be reading for the next year or so, it will be all the cyber punk and scifi that I have missed, and not those autobiography's or romance novels

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by transmitthis

"I disagree with the post telling you..."

Oops - didn't mean to offend.
Different strokes and all that. If I've got a book, I just want to know I've got it. I use the content server a lot, so I can't access other libraries, and I don't find the size of my library to be a problem.

[transmitthis]

no end's offed
Actually I find that if I exit caliber from a large library, it takes much longer when restarting, almost 40seconds. If I switch to a small library then exit, when restarting it takes just a few. may just be the latest release, but probably because its reading through all the thousands of entries.
Anyway my point is if I can reduce my library by a couple of thousand books, I probably will.
At least for now, can always add them later.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by transmitthis

no end's offed

Whew! An offed end would be bad.

Actually I find that if I exit caliber from a large library...

Shocking! You actually exit Calibre???? I'm not sure I even remember how to do that.

I think the last time I did that, I got a thorough tongue lashing and had to climb out of bed at 1:00 AM and restart it because my wife couldn't get her Engadget fix from the content server.