Adding books to your collection
There are three ways to add a book in Agathos Books — scanning a barcode (fastest), entering an ISBN, or searching by title or author — and all three live on the Add Books page. A panel at the top of that page lets you control where the book ends up before you add it.
Open Add Books by tapping the + icon at the top of the app, or Add Books in the side menu.
Where your books go
Section titled “Where your books go”Before you add anything, two controls at the top of the page set the destination. Your choices are remembered for next time.
Book ownership (library admins only):
- Personal collection — You own the book. It lives in your collection, you decide if it gets shared, and you approve any borrow requests.
- Library-owned — The book belongs to the library and appears in its catalog for members to borrow without going through you.
If you’re not a library admin, books always go to your personal collection. Library admins can switch ownership later from the book’s details page.
Share new books with (when adding to your personal collection): toggle each library you belong to on or off (on means “I want to share this book with this library”). Sharing makes the book discoverable to that library’s members — you stay the owner and still approve every borrow request. Some libraries require admin approval before a shared book appears in their catalog; see Understanding book approval.
If you belong to 4 or more libraries, the sharing list collapses into a summary like “Sharing with all 5 libraries” with a Change button.
Scanning a barcode
Section titled “Scanning a barcode”The fastest way to add a book is to scan the ISBN barcode (the one starting with 978 or 979, usually on the back cover).
- On the Add Books page, tap Start Scanning (web) or Scan Barcode (iOS/Android app)
- Allow camera access the first time you scan
- Point the camera at the barcode, about 6–8 inches away, with good lighting
- The app beeps when it detects a barcode and a success tone plays when the book is added
- Keep going — the camera stays on and books are processed in the background
The Recently Added list below the scanner shows everything from your current session with a spinner while it processes and a checkmark when it’s done. Tap any finished book to open its details.
Tap the speaker icon for silent scanning. On iOS and Android, the in-scanner flashlight toggle helps in dim rooms.
Entering an ISBN
Section titled “Entering an ISBN”If a barcode won’t scan or you only have the ISBN number, type or paste the 10- or 13-digit ISBN into the search bar at the top of the page. A valid ISBN submits automatically and is processed the same way as a scan — watch for it in Recently Added. A handheld USB or Bluetooth barcode scanner works the same way: focus the search bar (tap into it as if typing) and scan.
Searching by title or author
Section titled “Searching by title or author”Don’t have the book in front of you? Search instead.
- Type the title, author, or part of either into the search bar
- View the search results — multiple editions of the same work may appear
- Tap Add on the book you want, or tap the cover for a preview and then Add to Collection
If you already own the book, you’ll see Add Another instead — use it to bump the quantity or keep your existing copy. If nothing matches, check Book not found for next steps.
- Wrong edition? Scanning the barcode always picks the exact edition (book cover may vary). Title search may show several editions. Scan the barcode or manually enter the ISBN to capture the exact edition.
- Pending approval? Some books need platform or library admin review before they appear in catalogs. Check pending books in the Collection page.
- Stuck on the scanner? See Scanner not working.
Related Articles
Section titled “Related Articles”Still Need Help?
Section titled “Still Need Help?”If you’re having trouble adding a book, contact support.