Your Book Nest
The catalogue has two layers. An item is a title - The Hobbit, a jigsaw, a DVD box set. A copy is one physical thing on the shelf, so three copies of The Hobbit are three copies of one item, each tracked separately when it goes out on loan.
What is an item?
An item is anything your library lends. Only the title is required. You can also record an author, an ISBN, a description and notes, and classify the item with a kind and tags - all optional, all editable later.
There is no cataloguing standard behind any of this. Older books without ISBNs are fine, and a half-filled-in item lends just as well as a complete one.
What is a copy?
A copy is one physical object. Every copy gets its own three-word copy code, like oak-hawk-fox, generated for you - it is what tells two identical paperbacks apart at the check-in desk, and it is what prints on a label if you use them.
Each copy also has an optional barcode field. If a copy already carries a sticker from an old system or a vendor pre-print, record it there and a scanner will find the copy by it. Copies can carry their own notes too - "water damaged", "donated by Margaret".
How do I add something to the catalogue?
Open the catalogue, add an item, type the title and anything else you know, and say how many copies you have. The copies are created with their codes in the same step. Adding a copy of a title you already hold is a one-field job on the existing item.
What are item kinds and tags?
Kinds and tags are two ways to organise the catalogue, and you control both vocabularies from Settings.
- A kind is the item's one classification - Book, DVD, Equipment, or whatever fits your collection. Each item has at most one kind, and the catalogue filters by it.
- Tags are freeform and an item can have several - "children", "large print", "Lent". Use them for anything that cuts across kinds.
An item with no kind and no tags is fine.
What happens when a copy wears out?
Retire it. A retired copy stops being lendable but keeps its history, so past loans still make sense. If it turns up again or gets repaired, reactivate it. Deleting an item removes it from the catalogue entirely.
How many items can I add?
The free tier includes 100 items; upgrading raises the limit to 5,000. Patrons and loan records have their own limits - the usage section in Settings shows where you stand on each.
How Your Book Nest handles the catalogue
Add an item by typing its title. Say how many copies you have and each gets its own three-word code. Classify with kinds and tags if it helps, skip them if it doesn't. Retire copies that wear out, and check your usage in Settings.
