YourBookNest is library management software built for small community libraries—churches, mosques, study groups, hospices, community centers. The features are deliberately limited to what you actually need.
Core library management
Add items to your catalogue by typing title, author, and type (book, CD, DVD, equipment, other). Track multiple physical copies of each item. Edit details or mark items inactive when lost or damaged. Search your catalogue by title, author, type, or notes.
No ISBN database lookups. No barcode scanning. No MARC records or Dewey Decimal required. You type it in, it goes in the system.
Checkout and returns
Check out items to patrons with automatic due date calculation. Check in returned items with one click. Extend loan due dates when needed. Check out multiple items to one patron at once. The system tracks which specific physical copy is checked out.
Patron management
Add patrons with just their name. No email addresses, no phone numbers, no accounts. You know who they are. Search patrons by name. View what each patron has checked out. See their borrowing history. Filter patrons by loan status (has loans, has overdue, all).
There are no patron-facing features. Patrons cannot log in, search the catalogue, or place holds. This is librarian-only software for high-trust environments where you know your borrowers personally.
Loan tracking
View all current loans, all overdue loans, or complete loan history. Search loans by item, patron, or date. Filter by status (current, overdue, history). See loan status at a glance—on time, overdue by X days, or returned. Track checkout dates, due dates, and return dates.
Overdue management
Automatic overdue detection. Visual indicators for overdue items. Calculate days overdue. Filter to show only overdue items. No fine tracking—enforcement is social, not systematic. This matches how small community libraries actually work.
Multi-user access
Multiple librarians share one account. No individual librarian accounts needed. Password-protected access with session-based authentication. Everyone who needs access gets the password. This is a high-trust environment.
Demo system
Try the full system without signing up. The demo uses real functional data—you can check out items, add patrons, search the catalogue. Your first edit claims a demo library. Demo data persists in localStorage on your device. No email required to start. Seamless upgrade to full account when ready.
Pricing and limits
- Free tier
100 items maximum. 50 patrons maximum. 10,000 loan records maximum. Try before committing.
- Paid tier (£40/year)
5,000 items maximum. 500 patrons maximum. Unlimited loan records. The limits prevent institutional abuse, not extract revenue from growth.
Settings
Configure your default loan period (14 days standard). Set maximum items per checkout. Edit your library display name. Manage your subscription.
What YourBookNest does not do
No patron accounts or self-service portal. No ISBN database lookups or automatic cataloging. No barcode scanning. No MARC records or Dewey Decimal classification. No fine tracking or currency management. No per-category limits. No email notifications.
These are not missing features—they are deliberate exclusions. Small community libraries do not need them. Adding them would make the software harder to use for no benefit.
Technical details
Works on desktop and mobile browsers. No apps to download. Session-based authentication. Data export available on request. Cloud-hosted—no local installation required.
