Add a single book

Adding a single book gives you full control over every field. For larger imports, see "Bulk import books by ISBN".

Steps

• Catalog → Add Book
• Fill in the required fields: Title and Author
• Add optional fields: ISBN, publisher, year, page count, genre, sub-genre, topics, tags, description, doctrinal notes, content notes, cover image, age range
• Add at least one copy: barcode, condition, shelf location
• Click Save

Field reference

• Title — Full title as printed on the book
• Author — Type a name to pick an existing author or create a new one
• ISBN — 10 or 13 digits, without hyphens. Optional but enables ISBN lookup later.
• Publisher — Free text
• Year — 4-digit year of publication
• Pages — Useful for reading-time estimates
• Genre — Top-level category (Fiction, Biography, History, Reference…)
• Sub-genre — Optional finer slice (e.g., Historical Fiction under Fiction)
• Topics — Free-form cross-cutting themes
• Tags — Shorter labels for filtering (e.g., for-teens, summer-reading)
• Description — Patron-facing summary (1-3 paragraphs)
• Doctrinal notes — Internal note flagging anything noteworthy about the book's perspective or viewpoint
• Content notes — Patron-facing warning about mature content
• Cover — Upload a JPEG, PNG, or WebP (max 5MB) or paste an image URL
• Age range — Suggested age min and max

Copies

Every book needs at least one copy to be borrowable. A copy is the physical item — one row per book on your shelf.

• Barcode — Unique identifier (we'll generate one if you leave it blank)
• Condition — New, Good, Fair, Poor
• Shelf location — Free text (e.g., "Fiction shelf 3" or "Children's section")

Add multiple copies if your library has duplicates. Each copy circulates independently.

After saving

The book appears in your catalogue immediately. Patrons can place holds, and you can check copies in and out. To edit later, find the book and click Edit.