# Book cataloging software - w/database **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 26, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661 "2005-08-26T01:48:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661/1 "2005-08-26T01:48:04Z")
I’ve been looking for some free/cheap book cataloging software that comes loaded with a database of books. Everything I’ve found (like [Readerware](http://www.readerware.com) seems to expect you to enter all your books manually and - tada! - now you have a catalog. I’m thinking more along the lines of being able to search from within a program, have it come up with matches, put a checkmark next to the title that matches you have. Done. The more I think of it, the more absurd the idea is that there could possibly be a database that exists like this for free or cheap, seeing how it would probably contain a gagillion books. But, this is for a friend (a teacher) who was recently assigned to be the librarian in a very poor inner-city elementary school with a smattering of books and few computer resources if any. Looks like she’s going to have to be doing some cataloging by hand and I was trying to think of ways I can help make it easier on her. If I could get my hands on a good database of books, even without a program to import it to, that’d be helpful. I could program something myself. What says you? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661/2 "2005-08-26T02:15:49Z")
Drat. I just deleted some of these programs. I was looking for a book cataloguer because I have the memory of a gnat and was buying/checking out of the library multiple copies of books. I found a couple of programs that you could type a title or author or isbn into and they would go find the books. I think AVCataloger was the slickest program. Not free, though. I think it was about $60. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661/3 "2005-08-26T02:17:34Z")
Should have given a [link for AVCataloger](http://secure.nc-software.com/SearchResult.aspx?CategoryID=3). ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661/4 "2005-08-26T03:57:25Z")
Most of these programs will hook into an already existing web database (e.g. Amazon, IMDB) to take care of things, so you simply need web access. If using a Mac, [Delicious Library](http://www.delicious-monster.com/) is probably the best. It will scan the bar code using a camera to make things much faster. Price is $40. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-cataloging-software-w-database/318661/5 "2005-08-26T04:03:55Z")
Almost forgot - if you’re really willing to progam, you can use things like Amazon’s Web Services to hook into their database. I imagine some of the other web databases have something similar