Feature: Print Library Catalog

Ali Pope
Ali Pope Member, Logos Employee Posts: 1,821
edited November 21 in English Forum

Print Library Catalog

Adding books to your Print Library is quick and easy on mobile.

What is it?

You can add your print books into your Logos library by scanning their ISBN barcodes from the mobile app. You can search inside those books on the Desktop app. 

How to access it?

  1. Open the Logos mobile app.

  2. Click on the More menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the bottom right corner.

  3. Click on “Print Library ISBN Scanner”.

  4. Grab a book from your shelf and hold your phone up to the ISBN barcode.

  5. You will see a notification pop up when the book is added.

Note

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this new feature. Please provide your feedback in the comments below.

Ali Pope | Logos Desktop and Mobile Program Manager

Tagged:

Comments

  • Diron Anderson
    Diron Anderson Member Posts: 18

    I like the concept, but I haven’t had much success with it on the mobile app (iOS).  It was easy enough to add a print book.  That part worked great.  However, I was not able to search it.  When I attempted to limit my search to only that print book, it wasn’t selectable as a resource to search within.  There is also no “Search this book” option in the print book’s context menu.  When I did a quoted search on a phrase that appears in the book, searching all resources, the print book did not show up in the results.  The book I was testing with is this one:

    https://www.logos.com/product/48785/christianity-through-the-centuries-a-history-of-the-christian-church-3rd-ed

    I think this will be a useful feature when all the kinks are ironed out.  Thanks to the entire Logos team for your hard work on the new version!

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,143

    What type of search did you try? In what section did you look for the results? This is the South Asian Bible Commentary which I have in Logos and print editions searched on the desktop. I don't use a mobile app.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Graham Criddle
    Graham Criddle MVP Posts: 32,490

     However, I was not able to search it.

    i don't believe this is currently available on mobile.

    Ali's post above has " You can search inside those books on the Desktop app."

  • GregW
    GregW Member Posts: 267 ✭✭

    This is a great addition to Logos, and i have been able to scan books without problems on my 9th Generation iPad. On my iPhone 13, however, it won’t work. I get a white screen that says “Scanning ISBN” but no camera window. Ive tried:

    • Shutting down and restarting the app
    • shutting down and restarting the phone. 
      Looking for camera settings that might prevent it from working

    None of that has fixed it. I’ve tried reporting it as a problem through the app but the send button is greyed out so I can’t submit it. 

  • GregW
    GregW Member Posts: 267 ✭✭

    Managed to fix it by deleting and reinstalling the app. Previously, no dialog box came up asking permission to use the camera. 

  • Dan
    Dan Member Posts: 116 ✭✭

    I don't see this option in the Verbum app. Is it coming soon?

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,143

    It is already present. What level of features do you own?

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Dan
    Dan Member Posts: 116 ✭✭

    I have Verbum Platinum

    Edit: I clicked "Restore Purchases" and killed the app. Upon restart, all the options appeared.

  • ChelseaFC
    ChelseaFC Member Posts: 730

    I like the features but I can't seem to use them. I am a Connect Subscriber, so I should have all the features. I'm able to scan the books onto the app but unable to read them on the Desktop. Unless it's a quirk and isn't designed for me? A little help would be appreciated. Thanks. 

    Blessings,

    ChelseaFC

    Chelsea FC- Today is a good day!

  • SineNomine
    SineNomine Member Posts: 7,043

    You aren't meant to be able to read them--only to search them.

    “The trouble is that everyone talks about reforming others and no one thinks about reforming himself.” St. Peter of Alcántara

  • ChelseaFC
    ChelseaFC Member Posts: 730

    You aren't meant to be able to read them--only to search them.

    Ah, thank you! 

    Blessings, 

    ChelseaFC

    Chelsea FC- Today is a good day!

  • NB.Mick
    NB.Mick MVP Posts: 15,879

    So is this a good method just to catalog your print library?

    In my opinion, this depends heavily on the overlap between your print library and the >170k Faithlife catalog. If this overlap is nearly 100%: definitely (you can use myTags to categorize and have what you need). If this overlap is only half-half: not so much. 

    Have joy in the Lord! Smile

  • GregW
    GregW Member Posts: 267 ✭✭

    So is this a good method just to catalog your print library?

    it‘s a good way of including your print library resources in a search when they are also available as Logos resources but you don’t have them in Logos. I have found this to be a great addition, and have already been directed to a print book and page number several times when performing a search. It adds power to my print library without having to buy the resources in Logos. 

  • Dan
    Dan Member Posts: 116 ✭✭

    In my case, I have scanned in about 50 books and have only 7 hits, so not a big deal for me.

    I just hope Logos keeps track of all this scan data to know which books they should add in the future.

  • J. Bryant Evans
    J. Bryant Evans Member Posts: 69

    Thank you! One more question for clarification...

    Only books that have a companion Logos book are included, right? A book not included in the Logos library, regardless of purchased or not, is not included.

    Thanks

  • NB.Mick
    NB.Mick MVP Posts: 15,879

    Only books that have a companion Logos book are included, right?

    right.

    Have joy in the Lord! Smile

  • Mike Thomas
    Mike Thomas Member Posts: 7

    This is an extremely important piece of information to know. It’s clear to me that this is the crux of the issue.

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith MVP Posts: 53,143

    A book not included in the Logos library, regardless of purchased or not, is not included.

    Right. They are steering clear of the Google books legal troubles by only searching text that they have some rights to. If OCR was cheap enough and accurate enough, resources out of copyright would be the obvious expansion ... but they precede ISBN's

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • abondservant
    abondservant Member Posts: 4,795

    A book not included in the Logos library, regardless of purchased or not, is not included.

    Right. They are steering clear of the Google books legal troubles by only searching text that they have some rights to. If OCR was cheap enough and accurate enough, resources out of copyright would be the obvious expansion ... but they precede ISBN's

    Library of Congress ID's, and ASIN, seem to be logical expansions as well.

    EG IF I have it in kindle, AND logos, or for my older books, many of them have a library of congress number, even if not an ISBN.

    L2 lvl4 (...) WORDsearch, all the way through L10,

  • Andrew
    Andrew Member Posts: 359

    Is it possible to create a Reading Plan using a Print Resource and/or select a Print Resource as a Devotional?

  • Rick W
    Rick W Member Posts: 9

    Dear Logos team,

    Print Library Catalog is truly a great feature to add. [:)] But ... [:(]

    I now have v. 27.2.21 of Logos (the latest version to 9 Aug 2023 at least), but alas, I do not have a purchased feature set. Apparently this Logos feature <Print Library Catalog> is ONLY available to purchasers of a Gold Package or above, or to purchasers of a Full Feature Upgrade package. For me, with dynamic pricing, the latter will cost $788 USD and the former $1,516 USD. Yet I do not want or need 99% of the resources or features provided with those two options. I am a loyal Logos user with over 2,200 individually selected titles purchased over many years. Yet as a theological educator, my print library is actually larger than that. It seems unfair that one has to outlay huge expenditures for many titles/features that are simply NOT wanted or needed, in order to get 1 feature that one does want.

    Is there any plan to allow for Customized Feature purchases or upgrades? I see that the Full Feature Upgrade lists the "value" of the Print Library Catalog feature as approx. $50 USD as a full value item. I would be willing to pay $50 USD for this feature, but not $788 or $1,516 USD. It does appear in the feature lists that one can purchase other features for $0.00 USD, but apparently not this item (Print Library Catalog). Can that change, so that this feature is available to all users??

    Inside Logos, I can search for Print Library Catalog in the Logos Help menus. Yet, the Logos help menu implies that the feature should be available to me. However, it isn't. Logos help features should point out if a feature is available to the user or not, and should specify not just as is done above (e.g. "This feature is available in Gold packages and above"), but rather "This feature is ONLY available in Gold packages and above, or to purchasers of the "Full Feature Upgrade". The present advertising is not sufficiently clear or accurate. It is also misleading. As mentioned the Logos help feature inside the Windows App does not mention the feature is NOT AVAILABLE to me, nor how I could get it. Likewise the Print Library Catalog video from Logos does not mention it is NOT AVAILABLE to ALL USERS. This, too, is misleading.

    There would be a huge benefit to Logos if you knew all the books a person owned and could target advertising to them with books that are missing in their library. (NB: Although it would also be a privacy issue for many, for which an opt out option would be advisable as far as targeted advertising, and searching one's private print-library list is concerned). Is there a plan to make features like Print Library Catalog available to ALL Logos users?

    Please do let us/me know.
    Many thanks,
    Rick

  • JT (alabama24)
    JT (alabama24) MVP Posts: 36,489

    It seems unfair that one has to outlay huge expenditures for many titles/features that are simply NOT wanted or needed, in order to get 1 feature that one does want.

    Logos develops the software and provides it free to you, so perhaps "unfair" is a bit much. To continue development of features, they do sell these. However, you can acquire the Full Feature Upgrade on a monthly rental basis through a "Faithlife Connect" subscription. 

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