LibraryThing Reviews

by @SilverPhoenix

I LOVE LibraryThing for keeping my library, however, I noticed that I’ve missed a LOT of messages for Early Reader copies because LibraryThing doesn’t notify me of the messages! LibraryThing could be SO much better considering most people do more ‘managing’ on their phones than at a computer! I’m at a computer all day so I don’t find it feasible to stay on in the evenings to manage my books. Goodreads app has all of their features on their app - so I’d really like to see LibraryThing updated because I do prefer the “cover” layout of my scanned books (as opposed to a list-style that Goodreads does)! I’ll definitely upgrade this to a 5⭐️ rating once LibraryThing is upgraded to include more of the same features as the website.

by Kiwi671

My personal home library consists of hardback books, paperback books, DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, etc. I would like to see the ability to add different categories in LibraryThing.

The BIGGEST issue I have had so far is LibraryThing dropping off entries. I scan and save an item but when I look for it later, it isn't listed anymore. This is becoming a huge issue as my library grows and I depend on LibraryThing to know what I have and what I still need.

Update: I had to delete all of our (~2k) movies out of LT, because the list was never completely accurate. I have downloaded another app to track our collections of everything but books. The updates that LibraryThing DESPERATELY needs are: ability to personalize categories, a loaned to tracker, and the ability to see more detail, such as whether a book is a paperback, hardback or ebook. Developers — PLEASE listen to your customers! We are willing to pay for a PRO version with these features!

by Cydfer

I just got this but can't use it. Without an ability to create non-default collects (such as "ordered"), LibraryThing is useless to me. And based on reviews (which I should have read first), there is an unknown limit to the number of books stored. The moment you exceed this limit, you have wasted every minute of time you spent entering books. A warning would help, or a notification that a book will be deleted (with a title), or even an archive function would be better than whatever they're using (I suspect FIFO). I will keep it around a little while longer to see if these 2 issues are addressed.

by Nikk364

LibraryThing is great for scanning books to enter into your this app catalog and for searching for specific titles in your catalog. If that’s all you want, then you’ll be happy with it. this app’s website has so much more, including tags, reviews, and recommendations, that it’s frustrating to me that none of it is available through LibraryThing . You won’t browse your catalog, find suggestions for other books, or find reviews of books in LibraryThing. I was hoping to have that functionality since the website has it and since I was planning to switch to this app from the other bookish app I’ve been using. Unfortunately, while the website is great, I’ll have to stick to the other app for browsing and checking reviews when I’m not at my computer. LibraryThing is really only going to be useful to me for scanning new books into my catalog.

by Sai The Pokemon Person

LibraryThing is great for cataloguing your collection. It does have a few limitations like not being able to create a new collection, but you can get around that by visiting the website.

The search function is frustrating. Some books, it doesn't have. Sometimes when scanning barcodes, the wrong book will pull up. When typing titles, you can type out an elaborate title and be offered a completely different book with no similar title words until you type out the author name, but if you type a title and have one letter wrong like "if" instead of "of", it has no suggestions for you and doesn't even know what book you're trying to find even if you add the author name before discovering your typo. Quirky!

by Bahbahbahbahbah19987534

Very easy to add your books. It would be nice to be able to make your own categories. I am using it to keep track of the children's books we purchase for my daughter's early childhood education classroom when she graduates. It would be nice to be able to export data to a spreadsheet or have loaned out category. She could keep track digitally when students take books home. But it's nice to have all titles with me when I go to yard sales.

by Asta2001

LibraryThing is very good for bibliophiles. The amount of information and flexibility of submitting book covers or jackets is better than most apps. I have two major concerns: the cataloguing datasets, though extensive, are limited with older imprints. The addition of another database such as OCLC Classify would be helpful for those of us with extensive libraries which use DDC or LCCN numbers. Also, for those of us with extensive libraries already catalogued in more limited apps, a .csv import feature would be welcome instead of having to scan each book again into the Lubrary Thing database. Otherwise, this is a nice program for my use. And you can’t beat the price: free.

by DM1826

I love LibraryThing because it scans the books so quickly and easily but I have been noticing that I scan new books and the number of books in my library goes down. I find that books I have scanned, are not in my library. I just scanned in 10 books and my library total went down. Now I would have to go through 4,000 books to try to see what is missing again. Maybe I'm best to just move onto a new app.

by Starfishmom845

Honestly, it is a decent basic app for my needs. First the good, great scanner for quickly adding books to your library list. It is connected to a couple sources and hits in the vast majority of books I scan. I have some very old books that are no longer in print, but I can manually add them with the isbn number. There are preset “collections” which allows for a wishlist, read, currently reading, read but don’t own, type options. While this is a nice feature, it is also what frustrates me as there are ZERO options to modify this list. I have libraries in multiple rooms and multiple houses and would live to be able to specify WHERE a given book is at any given time. For instance, “on loan to neighbor” or “kid’s college dorm”. 🤣. Please update to allow us to create our own collections and I will happily up my rating to 5 stars!

by TabbyRT

I have had little trouble scanning books in via my phone. For loaning, I plan to mark the book in my Loaned Out collection and use the private comment to mark who has the book.

Mostly needed this to keep track of homeschool curriculum and associated books. I recently purchased another book I already owned. 🙄 this app will help if I remember to check my catalog first.

by Aktariel

This is *the* catalogue app for book nerds; the amount of data that can be entered is insane. I have just enough old/rare books that entering them manually in something like Delicious Library is a hassle; this app handles them all with aplomb. Also users of the mobile app apparently get a free unlimited membership, which is also rockin (if a bit worrying about how they manage to stay in business). I wish it was a bit more touch friendly when editing metadata, and had the option to cache my catalog offline so I can check it without needing service, but it works excellently otherwise.

by NclMcc

I just became a member and started using LibraryThing today! I love that I can scan the barcodes to add to my collection and I use the collections to classify where I keep that book- like a seasonal tote or certain bookshelf, or if it is a board book for example, since those are all in one spot in my home. I use tags for classifying what lessons I use certain books for! One thing I wish would be added is the option to search my collection also using the barcode scanner, so that I can more efficiently edit these criteria after I add them to my collection.

by Jonathanklein42

I want to be able to keep track of the books I read each year. Could you make it so I can create a “catalogue” for each year and organize my books by the year I read them? Maybe I’m missing the button on how to do this and the feature exists already. Help. I think others would use LibraryThing for this feature, too. Thanks for your work on LibraryThing!

by Kawiiki

This is a great app for scanning in my books for cataloging my library. I wish that it offered a few more features but, for the most part, it is very helpful in adding new large amounts of books for cataloging. I do find it easier to use the website for editing information about each my books than LibraryThing though. I hope to see more from LibraryThing in the future.

by 1H0tSpottie

The sources to find media is great, the barcode scanner works perfectly, you can keep track of books; music and films, and the searching for titles is good with a little bit of hiccups.

However, I too find it cumbersome to have to create new catalogs and manipulate the titles in the website.

If those aforementioned concerns could be remedied I would definitely be fully satisfied with LibraryThing and would give it five stars.

by Darwinated

For new users, Library Thing is a library database system that is free for personal use, but has the power and functionality required by even a professional library.

LibraryThing gives you functional access to your own collection of books, allowing you to find books, add books, make edits (although this is somewhat clumsy on a phone, as power users will want to make detailed changes on a small screen). You do need internet access because LibraryThing is drawing on a cloud server. Data is not stored on the phone.

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Update March 11, 2020.
LibraryThing suddenly began crashing whenever I tried to add a book to my library. I use an iPhone 6s Plus and iOS 13.3.1

by Bob3264

I've been an LT user for over a decade. LibraryThing is a quick convenient way to check my library when I'm away from my desk. Adding and searching the catalog is easy; what more could you want?

There's no limit to number of books, despite what another reviewer claimed--I have 2,400 in LT and my parents have over 10,000.

by Osbriggs

Anyone with a large collection of books should use LibraryThing. It is simple to use but powerful. It easily catalogs all your books and you can then make use of more powerful features on the website to explore your library. Most importantly, you can carry a database of your library so you don’t buy books you already own.

by Poitress

I am so pleased with LibraryThing. I wanted a way to record my collection of children’s books so that I could refer to it when thrifting so as not to buy any duplicates. Using the phone camera to scan isbn numbers to upload the title info and picture is a breeze. Info is based on book sellers. In a couple of cases it did not provide cover art do I photographed and uploaded my own picture. I was also able to upload pictures from the internet. It’s actually fun and quick to use. I am sure there is always room for improvement in everything but to me this really suits my needs. Thank you!

by Whtvrgraci

Love that I can keep track of all the books I own, especially because I don’t have the space to keep them all displayed!! The only thing I wish you could do was rename or add a category and also delete some if you don’t want them. Otherwise it’s great and so easy to use. Love all I have to do is scan the barcode and there it is, and also the light feature is great as well!! I just added 20 books in less than 5 minutes!!!!

by [Naomi]

I love the idea of cataloging your own books, especially useful when I'm in a bookstore wondering if I own something or not. The only thing that bothers me is that I can't make my own collections. I really want one named "Read but disliked" but we can't make our own collection titles. I want to remember which books I don't like so I can tell my friends if they ask me about them. If this was changed I would rate 5 star immediately.

by S.floyd

LibraryThing would be perfect if we could add our own categories (Kids books/my books/easy readers) to make organization more personalized; add books that are not found in searches; and to be able to add additional covers for books that already exist in the search.

by JMS_134456678

I just downloaded this – it looks pretty good. I wish it had more personalization for categories. Also, it needs a 'Loan' category to track books I've loaned out.

I have used Book Crawler for years and I like it, but it doesn't always scan well and it doesn't do anything but books. I'm hoping this will do all that we need for our book and media addiction.

by Technical Granddad

Wondering how to catalog your library? Look no further. Have used this outstanding application for years now, and just love it! I seem to collect applications and have literally hundreds, but this is one of my all time favorites. Easily does everything you would want it to do. Thanks to the developer