Looking for an E-book Indexing / Inventory / Cataloging Program - Page 2

NatCh · 01-09-2007, 11:42 AM

I'm just sorting mine by Author's name (last, first) in folders, with sub-folders for series listings. Back when I had enough shelf space, I did something similar, alphabetically by Author's last name, then by title -- except for series, of course.

I've got a second set of these for texts I'm still in the process of, um, processing, so I can tell where I am. And I recently added a "Reading Shelf" folder so that I have a place to keep track of the half-dozen or so I plan to read 'next.'

It's all basically modeled after how I handle my books in the 'real' world, so it works well for me, 'cause I'm not really doing anything different.

I'm presently keeping the lot on a flash drive, which means I have access to them wherever I am, which is handy for all sorts of reasons.

L1Wulf · 01-10-2007, 12:01 AM

Uh, yeah. My sorting on disk is remarkably similar to my paper library... Well with one exception, I can find any book/series in my paper library in about one minute or less.

We've got three tall and two short bookshelves with "current" books and boxes of older "keepers", my nightstand has two shelves which are both stacked and there are (hmm...) I think three more sitting just below the lamp.

On the laptop hard drive, there's some here, some over there, some that I started to sort, some that are named quite obscurely (which I should have changed upon acquiring), etc. I know it sounds like a mess, and honestly looks like one too, but I've got a good idea of what I have, it's just a matter of finding it when I want it. :/

Additionally, I'd like something I can scan through and find all those "must haves" that I didn't have time to read when I came across them and knew I'd forget when I had the desire to read something new.

This is completely different from my paper habits, which is usually "buy as needed", which means I'm quite familiar with what I've got; but with so many free books out there, $50 credit from Connect, special pricing on bundles, etc. I have more stuff waiting to be read than I know what to do with. And I am happily sorry to say, it's not getting any better...

L1Wulf · 01-25-2007, 02:06 AM

Came across this page for InfoLayout--another indexing application. This one allows for virtual folders and descriptions. $25US for the full deal. I haven't tried this yet myself...

nekokami · 01-25-2007, 09:15 AM

For paper books, I like Readerware. You can scan barcodes and look books up by ISBN, and it will fill in all kinds of metadata (and even get the cover art, if available) from sources like Amazon and the US Library of Congress. I plan to try to use it for ebooks, too-- actually, I'd like to keep the same title in the same record (despite the fact that the ISBNs might be different) so I can easily check to see how much of my paper library I have covered in digital editions, and vice versa. Readerware has extra fields you can customize for metadata the programmer didn't think of, but it's already quite complete, at least for pBooks. Admittedly, it wasn't designed to work with eBooks, but with the custom fields you could store file type, path, removable media identifier (e.g. a CD or DVD number or name), etc. And you can keep track of what you've read and books you'd like to buy, but don't yet own.

L1Wulf · 02-15-2007, 03:53 AM

A bit prematurely, I know, but this post mentions a program called Biblioskop which may be the answer to our organizing prayers. I haven't installed it yet, but it is downloaded (please note it is in early beta--v0.25). I am going to install and poke around with it after this post.

VillageReader · 02-15-2007, 06:02 AM

You can do it on line at librarything.com - I think you get a free trial of a couple hundred books. Above that there is a small annual fee, or a one time lifetime fee ($10 & $25 respectively about a year ago). There is also a program called BookCat - available at http://www.fnprg.com/.

L1Wulf · 02-19-2007, 02:43 AM

I actually saw BookCat previously while searching around the net. The main issue (for me at least), is trying to catalog and organize what I have on disk. Ideally, I would like to have something that allows me to figure out I've got two copies of the same book in different locations or maybe in different formats, etc.

After I bought my Reader I went on a spree collecting everything I could possibly want from Gutenberg, then from many other various sources resulting in a smattering of PDF, RTF, TXT, some HTML and lately LRFs. I would be happy to dump everything into one directory on my desktop, load a program that will scan the whole lot and allow me to then tag and organize them from there. If I really had my way, it would support (natively or via plug-in) the BBeB format so all those Connect books with non-descriptive names could still be parsed/perused and tagged (internally) for easy searching later.

Whew! Obviously, entering titles by hand is something I'd like to avoid, otherwise I would just make a spreadsheet or adapt an Access database for the purpose, or just clean and organize the whole thing by hand using descriptive file names and directories. I'm still crossing my fingers that a good, but affordable, solution will pop up. The app I listed above (Biblioskop) looks like it has some promise, but I haven't been able to spend a lot of time digging around in it yet. I suspect that by the time I do, they will have a new release available.

yvanleterrible · 02-19-2007, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L1Wulf

I

Whew! Obviously, entering titles by hand is something I'd like to avoid, otherwise I would just make a spreadsheet or adapt an Access database for the purpose, or just clean and organize the whole thing by hand using descriptive file names and directories. I'm still crossing my fingers that a good, but affordable, solution will pop up.

I've got my book folder organized by author. I sure would not like to have to enter all the 5000 files by hand!

nekokami · 02-19-2007, 08:46 AM

What I really wish I had was a combination of Biblioskop and ReaderWare, I think. I'm trying to convert my entire paper library to e format. ReaderWare lets me scan ISBN barcodes and looks up all info such as title, author, cover art, etc. from a long list of available sources. It seems that Biblioskop does something similar for online files. Somehow I need to tie the two together so it can recognize when I've got an ebook format of the same work in paper (or, for that matter, hardcover and paperback versions of the same work, which I have a few of). Then I'd like it to do things like calculate how much overlap there is between the two formats, or make lists of books that I have in paper but not yet in eBooks, or search available eBook sources to see if it can find eBook versions for works not yet matched, and gather cost info.

Oh well, maybe someone will write such a thing someday.

NatCh · 02-19-2007, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L1Wulf

... those Connect books with non-descriptive names ...

This may be of no use to you, but I'll throw it out just in case -- those files work just fine if you rename them in Windows Explorer. The meta data is what the Reader (and ConnSoft) look at, so they don't give a flying flip what the actual filename is. I've renamed all of mine so I can tell what they are later without loading them into ConnSoft. It's a bit of a pain when you've got several to do, but if you do them as you get them, it's no big deal.

igorsk · 02-19-2007, 12:01 PM

Check also this.

iard · 03-26-2007, 04:00 AM

Hi,

I'm working on a program that, I hope, will be useful as an eBook explorer.

Please see its features and To do list at http://www.iardsoft.com/ebook.php
It's written entirely in Java, so it runs on Linux, Windows, etc. It requires Java JRE 1.4.
It will be freeware, maybe Open Source.
For now it's relatively stable

so, if anyone wants to give it a try, I'll send it.

Please advise what features should be added.

Thanks

imaredr · 03-26-2007, 04:29 PM

@iard

I would like to try your program. Didn't see a place to download it on your site.

sea2stars · 03-26-2007, 11:07 PM

I came across this site last week, though I have yet to try any of the programs.

iard · 03-27-2007, 03:34 AM

OK, now you can download it from the same address: http://www.iardsoft.com/ebook.php

Please read the ReadMe.txt...

I would like to receive feedback on how it works. Thanks for trying it.

02-15-2007, 06:02 AM	#21
VillageReader Evangelist Posts: 430 Karma: 2718 Join Date: May 2006 Device: Iliad	You can do it on line at librarything.com - I think you get a free trial of a couple hundred books. Above that there is a small annual fee, or a one time lifetime fee ($10 & $25 respectively about a year ago). There is also a program called BookCat - available at http://www.fnprg.com/. Last edited by VillageReader; 02-15-2007 at 06:06 AM.

03-26-2007, 04:00 AM	#27
iard Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: Trium Mondo	A new eBook explorer (beta) Hi, I'm working on a program that, I hope, will be useful as an eBook explorer. Please see its features and To do list at http://www.iardsoft.com/ebook.php It's written entirely in Java, so it runs on Linux, Windows, etc. It requires Java JRE 1.4. It will be freeware, maybe Open Source. For now it's relatively stable so, if anyone wants to give it a try, I'll send it. Please advise what features should be added. Thanks

03-26-2007, 11:07 PM	#29
sea2stars Zealot Posts: 104 Karma: 64 Join Date: Dec 2006 Device: eb1150, Sony Reader	Hopefully this'll be of use to someone I came across this site last week, though I have yet to try any of the programs.

03-27-2007, 03:34 AM	#30
iard Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2007 Device: Trium Mondo	eBook explorer download OK, now you can download it from the same address: http://www.iardsoft.com/ebook.php Please read the ReadMe.txt... I would like to receive feedback on how it works. Thanks for trying it.

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01-09-2007, 11:42 AM	#16
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'm just sorting mine by Author's name (last, first) in folders, with sub-folders for series listings. Back when I had enough shelf space, I did something similar, alphabetically by Author's last name, then by title -- except for series, of course. I've got a second set of these for texts I'm still in the process of, um, processing, so I can tell where I am. And I recently added a "Reading Shelf" folder so that I have a place to keep track of the half-dozen or so I plan to read 'next.' It's all basically modeled after how I handle my books in the 'real' world, so it works well for me, 'cause I'm not really doing anything different. I'm presently keeping the lot on a flash drive, which means I have access to them wherever I am, which is handy for all sorts of reasons.

01-10-2007, 12:01 AM	#17
L1Wulf Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 27 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denver, CO Device: nook	Uh, yeah. My sorting on disk is remarkably similar to my paper library... Well with one exception, I can find any book/series in my paper library in about one minute or less. We've got three tall and two short bookshelves with "current" books and boxes of older "keepers", my nightstand has two shelves which are both stacked and there are (hmm...) I think three more sitting just below the lamp. On the laptop hard drive, there's some here, some over there, some that I started to sort, some that are named quite obscurely (which I should have changed upon acquiring), etc. I know it sounds like a mess, and honestly looks like one too, but I've got a good idea of what I have, it's just a matter of finding it when I want it. :/ Additionally, I'd like something I can scan through and find all those "must haves" that I didn't have time to read when I came across them and knew I'd forget when I had the desire to read something new. This is completely different from my paper habits, which is usually "buy as needed", which means I'm quite familiar with what I've got; but with so many free books out there, $50 credit from Connect, special pricing on bundles, etc. I have more stuff waiting to be read than I know what to do with. And I am happily sorry to say, it's not getting any better...

01-25-2007, 02:06 AM	#18
L1Wulf Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 27 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denver, CO Device: nook	Came across this page for InfoLayout--another indexing application. This one allows for virtual folders and descriptions. $25US for the full deal. I haven't tried this yet myself...

01-25-2007, 09:15 AM	#19
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	For paper books, I like Readerware. You can scan barcodes and look books up by ISBN, and it will fill in all kinds of metadata (and even get the cover art, if available) from sources like Amazon and the US Library of Congress. I plan to try to use it for ebooks, too-- actually, I'd like to keep the same title in the same record (despite the fact that the ISBNs might be different) so I can easily check to see how much of my paper library I have covered in digital editions, and vice versa. Readerware has extra fields you can customize for metadata the programmer didn't think of, but it's already quite complete, at least for pBooks. Admittedly, it wasn't designed to work with eBooks, but with the custom fields you could store file type, path, removable media identifier (e.g. a CD or DVD number or name), etc. And you can keep track of what you've read and books you'd like to buy, but don't yet own.

02-15-2007, 03:53 AM	#20
L1Wulf Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 27 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denver, CO Device: nook	A bit prematurely, I know, but this post mentions a program called Biblioskop which may be the answer to our organizing prayers. I haven't installed it yet, but it is downloaded (please note it is in early beta--v0.25). I am going to install and poke around with it after this post.

02-19-2007, 02:43 AM	#22
L1Wulf Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 27 Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Denver, CO Device: nook	I actually saw BookCat previously while searching around the net. The main issue (for me at least), is trying to catalog and organize what I have on disk. Ideally, I would like to have something that allows me to figure out I've got two copies of the same book in different locations or maybe in different formats, etc. After I bought my Reader I went on a spree collecting everything I could possibly want from Gutenberg, then from many other various sources resulting in a smattering of PDF, RTF, TXT, some HTML and lately LRFs. I would be happy to dump everything into one directory on my desktop, load a program that will scan the whole lot and allow me to then tag and organize them from there. If I really had my way, it would support (natively or via plug-in) the BBeB format so all those Connect books with non-descriptive names could still be parsed/perused and tagged (internally) for easy searching later. Whew! Obviously, entering titles by hand is something I'd like to avoid, otherwise I would just make a spreadsheet or adapt an Access database for the purpose, or just clean and organize the whole thing by hand using descriptive file names and directories. I'm still crossing my fingers that a good, but affordable, solution will pop up. The app I listed above (Biblioskop) looks like it has some promise, but I haven't been able to spend a lot of time digging around in it yet. I suspect that by the time I do, they will have a new release available.

02-19-2007, 08:46 AM	#24
nekokami fruminous edugeek Posts: 6,745 Karma: 551260 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Northeast US Device: iPad, eBw 1150	What I really wish I had was a combination of Biblioskop and ReaderWare, I think. I'm trying to convert my entire paper library to e format. ReaderWare lets me scan ISBN barcodes and looks up all info such as title, author, cover art, etc. from a long list of available sources. It seems that Biblioskop does something similar for online files. Somehow I need to tie the two together so it can recognize when I've got an ebook format of the same work in paper (or, for that matter, hardcover and paperback versions of the same work, which I have a few of). Then I'd like it to do things like calculate how much overlap there is between the two formats, or make lists of books that I have in paper but not yet in eBooks, or search available eBook sources to see if it can find eBook versions for works not yet matched, and gather cost info. Oh well, maybe someone will write such a thing someday.

02-19-2007, 12:01 PM	#26
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Check also this.

03-26-2007, 04:29 PM	#28
imaredr Collector Posts: 441 Karma: 1002238 Join Date: May 2005 Location: Harker Heights, Texas Device: Cybook	@iard I would like to try your program. Didn't see a place to download it on your site.

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