Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
At this time, a calibre library entry can only contain one book (multiple formats but only one title). For me, search works well to keep a group of books together such as Eric Flint's 1632/Ring of Fire books or J. D. Robb's In Death series so I don't need to worry about the directory structure. Consider calibre's library a black box and don't worry about how it is organized.
For me the biggest advantage of calibre is it's search capabilities making the complex directory structures I used to use to organize my ebooks an unfond memory. Want a group of books? Search for a term that is unique to them such as 'Grantville Gazette' or 'Swallows and Amazons'. A simple search by author if your metadata is set up properly will not only find primary works by the author but the anthologies where the author was a contributor.
Currently, you can place whatever you like in the data files such as an audio book though most people seem to prefer to give those their own library entry where the narrators as well as the authors can be shown. My only real use has been the .zip files containing example code from various programming books.
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Thank you so much for participating in the topic! You truly bring a new perspective for me. I’ve never doubted that Calibre is a very powerful software, but I hadn’t thought of this way of using it that you’ve shared! A black box. It’s brilliant! Search is the tool, together with tags, authors, etc. And yes, Calibre has offered very advanced search capabilities since its inception, but I hadn’t realized this potential—using search in a well-documented library and not worrying about the organization of directories. Bravo! The approach you’ve presented is new to me and transformative!
I just want to point out one thing about my approach to organizing books—not everyone has the same capacity as most of you. For instance, I can follow the proposed method, and I really think it’s brilliant! But not everyone can do that, which is why Microsoft Windows exists, haha. Many people like to keep their books organized as if it were the bookshelf at home. They enjoy seeing things physically, and in a way, don’t you agree that seeing books grouped together gives you a sense of "I know where I am"? These people, like some of my colleagues, prefer to keep their books organized in specific groups or collections.
Search is an excellent tool, but not all users configure or use metadata in such a detailed or consistent manner. This can be a challenge, especially for beginners who might not know how to properly configure metadata to make search more efficient. So, I would give them this option.
But you’ve touched on the key point, and this should be the central message of Calibre: “black box.” Calibre has all the tools needed to find anything in the library. I appreciate your perspective, and I’ll start paying more attention to filling out metadata.
Thank you!