MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - What Customs Columns do you use in your Calibre Library?

Montana Harper · 05-02-2018, 10:30 PM

I have so many custom columns in my profic library. (I also have a fanfic library and a magazine library.)

#onipad and #kindle - Y/N columns that are populated by the Reading List plugin, so I know if I have the book on an external device without connecting it.

#fic_nonfic - Text with a fixed set of permitted values (fiction, nonfiction, poetry). I mask the contents with images of the initial letters using a narrow, bold font so it's obvious at a glance.

#title_plus - For subtitles.

#contrib - I try to keep non-authors out of the author column, so this is where I put editors, translators, illustrators, etc.

#pseud - Because I want to be able to readily find everything by a given author, regardless of what name they wrote it under (e.g., J. K. Rowling vs. Robert Galbraith), I put the psuedonym here and their real name in the author field.

#series2 - Sometimes things fall into two different series. (Why, authors, why?!)

#words - I use the Count Pages plugin to populate this.

#formats - Column built from other columns.

#in_collection - The name of any anthologies an individual short story can be found in.

#category - Column built from other columns. I reduce major genres down to one- or two-letter abbreviations that are appended to the title using a metadata plugboard when sending books to my Kindle. I also show this column in my main view, and I don't show the Tags column.

#overdrive_date - The date when I last ran Overdrive to check for this book from the library.

#ol_wait_audio, #ol_wait_ebook, and #ol_wait_weeks - Columns related to the Overdrive Link plugin to track the wait for audio and ebook format. The first two columns are built from the third, which is the one OL populates.

#hold_date_e - The date I put a hold on the ebook at the library.

#hold_date_a - The date I put a hold on the audiobook at the library.

#my_tags - Custom hierarchicial tag column for random stuff. I keep the main tag column to strict BISAC tags.

#mm_reading_list - Y/N column populated by Reading List plugin. (I think this was originally created by Marvin, back when the Marvin Sync plugin still worked with my iPad.)

#awards - Hierarchical tags for Major Awards.Year.Nominated or Won.

#ddc, #lcc, #oclc_owi, #lcead - Columns created by the LC plugin to store various identifiers (Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress) and extra author details.

#source - Tag-like text. Where I got the book: Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo, Author Promo, Humble Bundle, Story Bundle, etc.

#this_pubdate - The publication date of this edition. (I keep the original publication date in the main pubdate field.)

#this_publisher - The publisher of this edition. (I keep the original publisher name in the main publisher field.)

#version - Some publishers include version information in their ebooks.

#notes - This is where I include any external URLs, links to additional information on my HDD (thanks, BetterRed!), etc.

#review - My review from Goodreads.

It's really been interesting (and educational) to read what other people are doing with their custom columns!

05-02-2018, 10:30 PM	#41
Montana Harper book geek (she/her) Posts: 116 Karma: 2029154 Join Date: Sep 2013 Location: Pacific Northwest Device: iPhone 16 Pro Max, Kindle Paperwhite (10th gen)	I have so many custom columns in my profic library. (I also have a fanfic library and a magazine library.) #onipad and #kindle - Y/N columns that are populated by the Reading List plugin, so I know if I have the book on an external device without connecting it. #fic_nonfic - Text with a fixed set of permitted values (fiction, nonfiction, poetry). I mask the contents with images of the initial letters using a narrow, bold font so it's obvious at a glance. #title_plus - For subtitles. #contrib - I try to keep non-authors out of the author column, so this is where I put editors, translators, illustrators, etc. #pseud - Because I want to be able to readily find everything by a given author, regardless of what name they wrote it under (e.g., J. K. Rowling vs. Robert Galbraith), I put the psuedonym here and their real name in the author field. #series2 - Sometimes things fall into two different series. (Why, authors, why?!) #words - I use the Count Pages plugin to populate this. #formats - Column built from other columns. #in_collection - The name of any anthologies an individual short story can be found in. #category - Column built from other columns. I reduce major genres down to one- or two-letter abbreviations that are appended to the title using a metadata plugboard when sending books to my Kindle. I also show this column in my main view, and I don't show the Tags column. #overdrive_date - The date when I last ran Overdrive to check for this book from the library. #ol_wait_audio, #ol_wait_ebook, and #ol_wait_weeks - Columns related to the Overdrive Link plugin to track the wait for audio and ebook format. The first two columns are built from the third, which is the one OL populates. #hold_date_e - The date I put a hold on the ebook at the library. #hold_date_a - The date I put a hold on the audiobook at the library. #my_tags - Custom hierarchicial tag column for random stuff. I keep the main tag column to strict BISAC tags. #mm_reading_list - Y/N column populated by Reading List plugin. (I think this was originally created by Marvin, back when the Marvin Sync plugin still worked with my iPad.) #awards - Hierarchical tags for Major Awards.Year.Nominated or Won. #ddc, #lcc, #oclc_owi, #lcead - Columns created by the LC plugin to store various identifiers (Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress) and extra author details. #source - Tag-like text. Where I got the book: Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Kobo, Author Promo, Humble Bundle, Story Bundle, etc. #this_pubdate - The publication date of this edition. (I keep the original publication date in the main pubdate field.) #this_publisher - The publisher of this edition. (I keep the original publisher name in the main publisher field.) #version - Some publishers include version information in their ebooks. #notes - This is where I include any external URLs, links to additional information on my HDD (thanks, BetterRed!), etc. #review - My review from Goodreads. It's really been interesting (and educational) to read what other people are doing with their custom columns!