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Managing Your Library

This section covers everything about adding, editing, and organising your book collection in Jinbocho.

The Three Ways to Add a Book

Jinbocho offers three methods to add books. Choose the one that fits your situation:

flowchart TD
    A([Add a Book]) --> B{Have a physical copy?}
    B -- Yes --> C{Have a barcode?}
    C -- Yes --> D[📷 Scan ISBN]
    C -- No --> E[🔍 Search by ISBN]
    B -- No --> F[✏️ Manual Entry]
    D --> G[Metadata auto-filled]
    E --> G
    F --> H[Fill all fields yourself]
    G --> I[Assign location]
    H --> I
    I --> J([Book saved ✅])

Method 1: Scan an ISBN Barcode

The fastest way to add a book you're holding in your hands.

Steps

  1. Click Add Book (the + button in the top-right corner)
  2. Tap Scan ISBN — your browser will request camera permission
  3. Point the camera at the barcode on the back of the book
  4. Jinbocho reads the ISBN and looks it up automatically
  5. Review the pre-filled metadata (title, author, publisher, cover)
  6. Choose a location (room → bookcase → section → shelf)
  7. Click Save

Camera tip

Hold the book 15–25 cm from the camera in good lighting. The barcode does not need to be perfectly centred — just fully in frame.

No internet? No problem

If a book was looked up before, its metadata is cached locally. Subsequent scans of the same ISBN work without an external call.

See the dedicated ISBN Scanning page for detailed guidance, including mobile tips.

Method 2: Enter an ISBN Manually

Use this when you have the ISBN but no working camera.

  1. Click Add Book
  2. Select Enter ISBN
  3. Type or paste the ISBN (10 or 13 digits, with or without dashes)
  4. Click Look Up — metadata is filled in automatically
  5. Assign a location and click Save

ISBN formats accepted

All three formats are valid:

  • 9788845292613
  • 978-88-452-9261-3
  • 8845292614 (10-digit ISBN)

Method 3: Manual Entry

For books with no ISBN (very old editions, handwritten notes, manuscripts) or when you want full control over metadata.

  1. Click Add Book
  2. Select Manual Entry
  3. Fill in the required fields:
Field Required Description
Title ✅ Full title including subtitle
Author ✅ One or more authors
Language ✅ Publication language
ISBN — Leave blank if unknown
Publisher — Publishing house name
Published date — Year or full date
Page count — Number of pages
Description — Short synopsis or notes
  1. Assign a location
  2. Click Save

Editing a Book

To change metadata or move a book to a different shelf:

  1. Find the book in your library (search or browse)
  2. Click the book card to open its detail page
  3. Click the Edit button (pencil icon)
  4. Modify any field
  5. Click Save Changes

Changing the ISBN

Changing the ISBN of an existing record will trigger a new external lookup and overwrite title, author, and other metadata. Your reading status and location are preserved.

Moving a Book to a New Location

You can update a book's position without editing all its metadata:

  1. Open the book's detail page
  2. Click Change Location
  3. Select new room → bookcase → section → shelf → position
  4. Confirm — the move is recorded in the audit log

Deleting a Book

Deleting removes the book copy from your library. The bibliographic record (ISBN, title, author) is kept in the database in case other family members have the same book.

  1. Open the book's detail page
  2. Click Delete (trash icon)
  3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog

This cannot be undone

Once confirmed, the book is permanently removed. There is no recycle bin.

Organising Your Library

Once books are added, keep your collection tidy:

  • By location — browse the Locations section (left sidebar) to see all books in a room or bookcase
  • By reading status — filter by "Want to read", "Reading", "Finished"
  • By search — find any book in seconds with full-text search

See Search & Filters and Locations for details.