How can I catalog my personal library?

Question

I think I might have found software, but how do I go about organizing it? What would be the best way to organize it? It is almost all Christian non-fiction, and there are approximately 2000 books. I would like:

1. Program Recommendations
2. Suggestions for best way to organize
3. Any other information that might help

Thanks!

I thought I had a program, but it's no good... software suggestions are really helpful.

Answer 1

Arrange your books by subject using the Dewey Decimal System. Most books published recently have the Dewey number on the publication page. That's the page with the copyright date, usually the back of the title page.

You say that most of your collection is Christian, then the number will be in the 200s. For the books you don't have a number for, you can look up the author or title in another library and use the same number they used. The library of a religious school would work pretty well, perhaps a college with a seminary.

That should take care of most of the books. For the really hard to find ones, just call a reference librarian at your local community college and ask them to look up the Dewey number for you.

Once you have all your numbers, write the number and the first letter of the author's last name on a stick-on lable and attach it to the spine of the book. Shelve the books in numerical order by Dewey number. When you have 2 or more books with the same number, arrange them alphabetically by the author's initial.

Use a 'cardfile' program to make a card catalog--electronically, not on paper. The reference below may help.

Answer 2

1) Collectorz.com Book Collector - http://www.collectorz.com/book/ - I use this software, and it is the best one i found for organizing your collection into a highly flexible database. They sell a barcode scanner which can read the ISBN barcodes on your books for you, which makes it easier.

2) You could organize it to match the database if you use the above mentioned software, or by the dewy decimal system for non-fiction, and then by alpha Author/title for fiction.

Answer 3

You can try PowerBK software. Download it from
http://www.powerwolf.it/eng/PowerBK.htm

This software support Dewey classification and automatic download of book information from internet (google books)

Answer 4

I personally am most familiar and comfortable with the Dewey Decimal system. It is a proprietary system; OCLC owns it. I believe they have a web version, WebDewey.

Answer 5

Dewey decimal system.Religon and philosophy are 100's;but there are many sub-catagories indicated by a decimal point.Easiest for home would be alphabetical by title or author.

Answer 6

check out ala.org
or go to a library's website and search each book's title to get the call #
or library of Congress website
there are a few sites for cataloging but you have to subscribe
one is worldcat.org

Answer 7

Try www.librarything.com