For librarians
Adding books by scanning
Turn a barcode into a full catalog record in seconds, on the Catalog tab.
The Catalog tab is the first thing you see when you sign in. It’s titled “Add to your shelves,” and it’s where a pile of books becomes a catalog. Most books take about two seconds each.
Scan or type an ISBN
In the box that says “Scan or type an ISBN, then press Enter,” do exactly that: scan the barcode on the back of the book, or type the ISBN, and press Enter (or click Find).
A USB barcode scanner is the fastest way. It just types the number and presses Enter for you, so you can point, beep, and move to the next book without touching the keyboard. You can also use your phone’s camera with the Camera button.
In a second or two, BeeShelf finds the book and shows the cover, title, author, publisher, and a summary.
Confirmed, or Needs review
Every match carries a small badge:
- Confirmed means BeeShelf found a clean record in a trusted catalog. You can add it without a second look.
- Needs review means the match is less certain, or some details were filled in for you. Glance at it before adding.
The first time anyone on BeeShelf looks up a given book, the record is saved and shared, so the next library that scans the same ISBN gets it instantly. You’ll often see “instant (cached)” on common titles.
Add one copy, or several
If you have more than one copy of the same book, use the − and + buttons to set the count, then press Add to catalog (the button reads Add 3 copies when you’ve set three). Each copy becomes its own item with its own barcode.
To skip a result without adding it, press Skip.
Keep an eye on the sidebar
The right-hand sidebar tracks your session:
- Added this session counts what you’ve added since you signed in.
- A small cache and AI percentage shows how much came straight from catalogs versus needed filling in.
- Recent items lists the last books you added. Click any one to edit it (see Adding books by hand and editing copies).
When a book isn’t found
Older, regional, and self-published books sometimes aren’t in any catalog. When that happens you’ll see “We couldn’t find that one.” You can:
- Press Add it by hand to type the details yourself. What you enter is saved for everyone.
- Press Try another to move on.
Both paths are covered in Adding books by hand and editing copies.
Importing a list
If you already have your collection in a spreadsheet, use Import CSV to bring it in all at once instead of scanning each book.