My Library: At My Fingertips

I don't know about the rest of you, but as I get older my memory goes into low gear sometimes and occasionally into park. Those are the times when I might buy a book that I already own. Very frustrating! Or at least it was until I got My Library by Josh Pressnell (Verietas Software). And it only costs $3.99. I saved more than that on the first duplicate book I didn't buy.

My Library is an iPhone/iPad app that lets you create a personal database of the books you own. So, when you're in a bookstore or perusing Amazon and you come across a book that looks interesting, you can open up My Library to see if you already have it. BTW, My Library also tracks your movies and music, but I'm going to focus on books today.

To add a new book to your database, simply use the device camera to scan the barcode (ISBN, UPC, or EAN). The software then searches several book databases for the code you scanned and populates your My Library database with the title, author, ISBN, series, format, and a list of GoodReads entries about the book. Or, if you're a seasoned citizen who owns books that were printed before bar codes and ISBNs were created, you can enter the title and/or author. The software will then display imprint options (different publishers, editions, printings) for you to choose from.

Once you have the book in your My Library, you can identify what you paid for it, whether you've read it, its location, and its status (Wanted, Owned, Lent Out, Borrowed, or Removed (shutter)). If you borrow or loan books, location and status are really helpful in keeping track of whose got your books and whose books you have. Although, this may only be a problem for those of us with memory lapses.

And there's more! The database has been stress tested with 8,000 records, although I know librarians who could beat that number with their personal library. You can add notes to a book record. You can search and sort by title or author. You can create collections and add books to them. You can backup your database to My Library's online backup server (free). You can create an CSV file of your database to create an Excel spreadsheet. You can share a book via Facebook, Twitter, or email. For books you add to your database and want, My Library provides a list of online retailers with prices and libraries that carry the book based on your current location.

To recap, it's reasonably priced and easy to use, can have a quick ROI, tracks your book loans, and is with you wherever you take your iPhone/iPad. What's not to love?

Note: If there's a similar app for Android or Windows phones, please share that with us in the comments.