Adding Your First Books
Build your collection by scanning book barcodes or searching by title. Most books are added in under 10 seconds.
Scanning a Book Barcode
Section titled “Scanning a Book Barcode”The fastest way to add books — just point your camera at the barcode.
- Tap Add Books (the + icon in the bottom navigation)
- Tap Start Scanning (or Scan Barcode on mobile)
- Point your camera at the book’s barcode (usually on the back cover)
- Hold steady — the app detects the barcode and adds the book automatically
The book appears in the “Recently Added” list below the scanner with a spinner, then a checkmark once it’s processed. You can keep scanning immediately — no need to wait between books.
The app recognizes ISBN barcodes (the ones that start with 978 or 979). If a book has multiple barcodes, look for the one near the price.
Searching for a Book
Section titled “Searching for a Book”No barcode? Search by title, author, or ISBN instead.
- Tap Add Books
- Type the book title, author name, or ISBN in the search bar
- Tap Add on the book from the search results
The book appears in the Recently Added list below.
Where Do Books Go?
Section titled “Where Do Books Go?”When you add a book, it goes to your personal collection by default. From there, you can:
- Track your reading progress
- Share it with any library you belong to
- Lend it to other members
Library admins: Tap the destination bar at the top of the Add Books page to switch between your personal collection and a library’s inventory.
Adding Multiple Books
Section titled “Adding Multiple Books”Have a stack of books to add? Just keep scanning — each barcode is detected and queued for processing in the background. A beep confirms each scan and a success tone plays when the book is added. The scanned count updates in real time.
No special mode needed — scan one book or fifty with the same workflow.
What’s Next?
Section titled “What’s Next?”Now that you have books in your collection:
- Start reading — Update your reading status to “Reading” and track your progress
- Share with a library — Make your books available for others to borrow
- Organize — Add tags to keep your collection tidy
- Book not found? Try searching by ISBN (the 13-digit number under the barcode). If it’s still not found, you can add it manually.
- Wrong edition? You can change the edition from the book details page after adding.
- Scanning trouble? Make sure you’re in good lighting and hold the camera about 6 inches from the barcode.
- Mute sounds — Tap the speaker icon below the scanner to toggle audio feedback.
Related Articles
Section titled “Related Articles”Still Need Help?
Section titled “Still Need Help?”If you’re having trouble adding books, contact support.