User Management¶

Every book collection in Jinbocho belongs to a library, and multiple people can use the same library with different permission levels. A single person can also belong to more than one library at once — see Authentication → Belonging to Multiple Libraries.

Libraries and Members¶

graph TD
    F["📚 Library<br/>The Gambas"]
    A["👤 Admin<br/>Carmelo"]
    E1["👤 Editor<br/>Laura"]
    E2["👤 Editor<br/>Marco"]
    V["👤 Viewer<br/>Sofia (read-only)"]
    F --> A
    F --> E1
    F --> E2
    F --> V

    style F fill:#BC002D,color:#fff
    style A fill:#1A5276,color:#fff
    style E1 fill:#2D6A4F,color:#fff
    style E2 fill:#2D6A4F,color:#fff
    style V fill:#6E6E6E,color:#fff

All books, locations, and reading history belong to the library — not to individual users. Every member sees the same library. Roles control what each person can do, and are set per library: the same person can be Admin in one library and Viewer in another.

Roles¶

Role	Can view	Can add/edit books	Can manage locations	Can manage users	Can delete
Admin	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅
Editor	✅	✅	✅	—	✅
Viewer	✅	—	—	—	—
Child	own reading only	—	—	—	—

Admin¶

Full access to everything, including inviting/removing/suspending members and deleting the library itself. Each library must have at least one Admin. The first user who registers a library is automatically its Admin.

Use this role for: the person who manages the library.

Editor¶

Can add, edit, move, and delete books. Can create and rename locations. Cannot invite new members, change roles, or delete the library.

Use this role for: members who actively maintain the collection.

Viewer¶

Read-only access. Can search and browse the full library but cannot make any changes.

Use this role for: guests, or members who just want to look things up.

Child¶

A special role available only when Kids Mode is enabled for the library. Child accounts don't see the catalog-management interface at all — they get a dedicated reading page with their own reading sessions, journal, and quizzes. Admins and Editors create child accounts from Settings → Users.

Use this role for: children in the family who are using Kids Mode.

Inviting a New Member¶

Admin required

Only Admins can invite new members.

Go to Settings → Users
Click Invite User
Start typing the person's name or email:
- If they already have a Jinbocho account, a suggestion list appears — pick them directly (you'll see an "existing user" badge, and no separate name field is needed)
- Otherwise, enter their email address as free text
Choose their role: Admin, Editor, or Viewer
Click Send Invitation

What happens next depends on whether they already have an account:

New to Jinbocho: they receive an email with a registration link. Creating their account links them to your library automatically.
Existing Jinbocho user: no email is sent. The invitation shows up under Pending invites the next time they open the library picker — they accept or decline it from there.

Email delivery

Invitation emails may land in spam. Ask the invited person to check their spam folder if they don't receive it within a few minutes.

Changing a Member's Role¶

Admin required

Go to Settings → Users
Find the member in the list
Click the role dropdown next to their name
Select the new role
The change takes effect immediately — their next request uses the new role

This only changes their role in this library — if they belong to others, those roles are unaffected.

Suspending vs. Removing a Member¶

Admin required

Jinbocho gives you two ways to take away a member's access, depending on whether it's temporary or permanent:

Action	Effect	Reversible
Suspend	Membership is greyed out; they lose access to this library but stay on the roster	✅ Un-suspend anytime, from the same Users list
Remove	Membership is deleted entirely	❌ They'd need a fresh invite to rejoin

To suspend or remove:

Go to Settings → Users
Find the member in the list
Click Suspend or Remove (trash icon) next to their name
Confirm the action

What happens to their data

Neither suspending nor removing a member deletes any books or locations. Books they added remain in the library. Their audit log entries remain for traceability, and past loans/reads keep their name attached.

A suspended member sees their library greyed out with a "Suspended" label in their own library picker, with no way to enter it, until an Admin un-suspends them.

Member Profiles¶

Every member has a profile page, reachable at Settings → Users (click their name) or by clicking their name anywhere it's shown as a link — for example a linked borrower's name on a loan (see Loans).

Your Own Profile¶

Click your name or avatar (top-right corner) → Profile. You can update:

Display name
Avatar — upload a photo (JPEG/PNG/WebP) or remove it
Interface language and theme (see Language & Appearance)
Annual reading goal — an optional number of books you're aiming to finish this year; if set, it shows up as a progress bar on the Stats page
Email address

Click Save to apply your changes.

Someone Else's Profile¶

Any active member can view another member's profile — it's read-only and shows their avatar, name, email, role in this library, and how long they've been a member. There's no separate admin gate for viewing it (unlike the full Users roster, which is Admin-only).

Changing Your Password¶

Click your name or avatar → Profile
Click Change Password
Enter your current password
Enter and confirm your new password
Click Update Password

Password requirements

Passwords must be at least 8 characters. Using a long passphrase (e.g. "LibraryOfTheWinter2026!") is better than a short random string.

Library Settings¶

Admins can update the library-level settings:

Go to Settings
In the Library section, update:
Library name (shown at the top of the library)
Description (optional notes about the library)
Click Save

Security: Sessions¶

Jinbocho uses JWT tokens for authentication. Your session is automatically refreshed while you're active. After 30 minutes of inactivity, you will need to log in again.

To end your session on the current device, use Logout from the Settings page. Each device holds its own session token — logging out on one device does not affect other devices.

First-Time Setup: Building the Library¶

flowchart LR
    A[Register] --> B[You are the Admin]
    B --> C[Create rooms & bookcases]
    C --> D[Start adding books]
    D --> E{Want others to join?}
    E -- Yes --> F[Settings → Invite users]
    F --> G[Choose their roles]
    G --> H{New or existing account?}
    H -- New --> I[They register via email link]
    H -- Existing --> J[They accept from their library picker]
    E -- No --> K[Solo library ✅]