Joining a Library

Every library on Agathos Books is invite-only, so joining starts with a link from the library — there’s no public directory to search. Open the link your church, school, or group shared and you’re moments away from the shelves.

Open the Link Your Library Shared

Libraries share their link wherever their community already gathers:

A church bulletin or announcement slide
A group chat, email, or text message
A QR code on a flyer — scan it with your phone camera
A badge on the organization’s website

Tap the link (or scan the QR code) and Agathos Books takes it from there. What happens next depends on which kind of link the library shared.

If It’s an Instant-Join Link

Some libraries share an instant-join link with groups they already trust. Open it, sign in, and you’re a member immediately — no approval step. You land right in the library, ready to browse and borrow.

If you signed up with a phone number, confirm the email you entered first (tap the link we send, or enter the code). Instant-join waits on that step so the library can reach you.

If It’s the Library’s Page Link

Most libraries share their page link so an admin can approve each new member:

Open the link. You’ll see a preview of the library — its name, photo, description, and how many members and books it has.
Tap Request to join.
Optionally add a short message introducing yourself.
Tap Send request.

A library admin reviews your request and approves or declines it — you get a notification either way. While you wait, the library shows a Request pending chip, and if nobody has reviewed it after a day, both you and the admins get a gentle reminder.

Until you’re approved, the preview is all you can see — a library’s books, members, and activity are visible to members only.

If You Received an Email Invitation

Open the email from Agathos Books.
Tap the button to accept your invitation.
Sign in or create an account if needed — you’re added to the library.

Email invitations expire after 14 days. If yours expired, ask the library to resend it—or tap Request to join on the expired invitation and an admin will review your request. If you aren’t signed in yet, you sign in first and come straight back to the request.

Don’t Have an Account Yet?

No problem. Open the link anyway — you’ll be prompted to create a free account first, then returned to finish joining automatically. If you get interrupted partway through, look for a Continue joining card on your Home screen to pick up where you left off.

Don’t Have a Link?

Libraries can only be joined through the links they share, so ask the person who runs the library — your librarian, pastor, teacher, or group leader — to send you one. The Join a library screen in the app offers the same options under No invite yet? (right after you sign up, choose I’m joining my church, school, or group on the welcome screen to get there):

Ask your leader to start it — pick how you want to send it (text, WhatsApp, email, or copy the link) and we’ll write the message. They open it and can start the library in a few minutes; you’re added automatically when they do. Until then, your Home screen shows Waiting on your invite, and you can send it again from the same screen.
Set up your community’s library yourself — if your community doesn’t have a library yet, you can create one in a few minutes. Only one person per community needs to do this, and you can transfer ownership to another leader whenever you’re ready.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve joined a library:

See the library’s books — Open the Library tab to see what’s available to borrow
Borrow a book — Find something you’d like to read and tap Borrow
Add your own books — Share your personal books with the library (optional)

Tips

Request pending? Library admins are volunteers — give them a day or two to review your request.
Joined more than one library? In the Library tab, tap the library’s name at the top to switch libraries, or choose All my libraries to search them all at once.

Still Need Help?

If you’re having trouble joining a library, contact support.