Many people have many physical collections in their homes, such as books, CDs, and game cartridges. They are piled up in one place, making them troublesome to find and even more difficult to manage. If you are using a Mac computer, there are indeed several software that can help you organize these collections in an orderly manner.
Comprehensive tool for managing personal media
The core function of this tool called 3 for Mac is to build a private media library. You can use it to record various physical objects in your collection, such as books, music CDs, movie DVDs, and video games. Its operating interface is optimized for the Mac system. Users can add items by dragging and dropping, manually entering, or scanning barcodes.
The software automatically categorizes items and allows you to add custom tags and notes. For example, you can record the time and place of purchase of a classic CD, or create an exclusive series for a set of comic books. In this way, when you need to find a specific collection or count the number of a certain category, you can quickly do so with the help of the software's search and filtering functions.
Quickly enter book information by scanning
The Book software for the Mac system greatly simplifies the book information entry process. As long as you use your computer camera to scan the ISBN barcode on the back of the book, the software will automatically perform an online search. It generally grabs information from authoritative databases such as the Library of Congress, and its accuracy is relatively high.
The information obtained covers the book title, author, publisher, year of publication, cover image, etc., and will be automatically filled in the local database. Then, you can sort and group the book list according to author, publication time and other conditions. It also supports exporting and printing the book list in HTML or text format to facilitate the creation of a physical collection catalog.
Integrate multi-national book databases for search
For Mac, its advantage is that it has a wide range of data sources. It is connected to more than ten mainstream book websites around the world, and it is also connected to library databases. This means that even if you collect foreign language books, even if you collect relatively unpopular publications, you have a high chance of automatically matching accurate information.
You don't need to manually enter the details of the book. The software will automatically fill in the information after the online search is completed. This can save a lot of time for users with a large collection of books. Whether it is a collection of books covering an entire wall or just a collection placed on a small bookshelf, this software can provide a clear digital record that can be searched.
Book management for research and scholarship
In the basic management functions of Mac, more designs for inquiry and academic purposes have been added. In addition to managing the books themselves, its powerful bibliographic generation function is worth mentioning. The software has internally set up a variety of academic citation format templates such as APA and Chicago.
When you start to organize reference materials for writing a paper or drafting a report, it can automatically generate a bibliographic list in a standard format based on the book content information you import. The software also supports the connection of an external barcode scanner to achieve rapid entry. It also integrates a web browser, which facilitates users to conduct online verification and data supplementation without leaving the software interface.
Create and migrate multiple independent libraries
Specifically for Mac, it allows users to create and manage multiple completely independent "libraries". And every library belongs to a collection of resources, which can be specially used to place different categories of books. For example, books in the category of "science fiction", or the category of "professional reference books", or simply the category of "children's books".
In the software, the concept of "format" is quite flexible. It can be associated with a file on the disk, like an electronic attachment, or it can be a URL link to a web page, like a related introduction page. This design allows users to organize freely according to their own needs, and can easily move books between different libraries to achieve flexible classification adjustments.
Construction of professional-level collection database
The last software dedicated to building a professional-level personal collection database, it deeply integrates the world's largest media database Web to ensure that collection information is professional and complete, and can record extremely detailed metadata for each collection that goes beyond basic information.
For example, for a movie DVD, you can record the director, the starring role, the release date, the series to which it belongs, and even relevant links to the filming behind-the-scenes. It is more and more like a personal curator tool, suitable for enthusiasts who have complex collections and want to archive them in depth, so that the stories behind each collection can be properly preserved.
Among your physical collections, which ones give you the most headaches and require the most proper management? Is it the books piled as high as a mountain, or the game discs filling the drawers? Feel free to share your troubles in the comment area, but don’t forget to like this article and share it with friends who have the same needs.
