Creating Digital Collections
Posted on October 7, 2018 • 2 minutes • 342 words
I like collecting things. On one hand this is a problem, because I currently have way too many things. On the other, having different kinds of collections just makes me happy.
I have many different kinds of collections. There are my books, DVDs and Blu-Rays, Pop figures, enamel pins, model vehicles, stuffed animals, posters, artwork, etc.
I decided a couple of months ago that I would like to digitally document everything I have. This will make it easier to find what I currently have (very useful during those times I’m at the bookstore and can’t remember if I bought a particular book or not because I hadn’t read it yet) and will also serve the purpose of helping identify what I had should I ever need to replace items (think fire, flood, etc.).
Of course I could start doing this manually with photographs and typing everything into a spreadsheet, but I really wanted a program that would manage all this for me, as well as being capable of retrieving information based on description, barcode, etc.
I went looking for collection management software. So began a long search of finding promising software only to discover that it’s no longer in active development. I also primarily run Linux at home, so the requirement was that it had to run natively on Linux or at least be in the form of a web app that I could run from a local server instance (not looking for anything cloud based).
I finally came across Tellico which seemed to have everything I was looking for.
Here are just some of Tellico’s many features:
- Data lookup to over 15 different data sources
- Built-in collection categories (books, videos, music, comic books, coins, etc.)
- Create custom collections
- Add images to entries
- Imports from many different formats
- Exports to many different formats, including HTML
- The resulting HTML files can be uploaded to a web server for easy viewing
To make my life easier, I also ordered a Symcode Barcode Scanner so I could scan UPC and ISBN numbers directly into Tellico.
This little scanner works great! It features:
- 2m (6 foot) cable
- Compatible with Linux, Windows, and Mac
- Fully plug and play, no drivers needs
- Lightweight, easy to hold and use
- Adjustable stand
- Auto sensing scanning function. Just place the barcode in front of the scanner, no need to hold or press the button
- Support for many different kinds of barcode formats
I’ve started the process of cataloging all my things, but like I said I have a lot of them so that’s going to take time. I’ve decided to export certain collections to HTML so I can include them on this website. Mostly this is for my own benefit so I can see my collections remotely before I buy things, but I figure it will also help anyone trying to shop for me for Christmas or birthday gifts.
The main collections page will be continually updated as I continue to catalog all of the things!
Thanks so much for reading ^‿^
Claire
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