How to catalogue your home library
Catalogue your home library with a simple record, reliable edition details and shelf locations, then keep it useful with a small routine.
The ShelfAtlas blog
Stories about books, music, and the discoveries worth keeping.
Tool’s Undertow: inside the album, the singles and the CD and vinyl editions
Listen again to Tool’s 1993 debut, watch the official “Sober” and “Prison Sex” videos, and explore original CDs, early vinyl, regional rarities and anniversary packaging.
Streaming, CD or Vinyl: Which Best Pays the Artist?
Love the album? Here’s what a CD, a vinyl record and 1,000 streams might put in the artist’s pocket—and why buying direct matters.
How to make reading notes: five useful templates
Reading notes can capture a whole book or a single idea. Choose a useful format with five illustrated templates for summaries, ideas, quotes, responses and themes.
A Perfect Circle’s “Starless”: the new video and the search for a way back
A riff caught on a phone, a new London performance video, and a few uneasy questions. A closer listen to “Starless”, with its story and 7-inch editions.
How to avoid buying duplicate books, CDs and vinyl records
Use a quick ownership-and-edition check before buying books or music. Distinguish accidental duplicates from the editions you actually want to collect.
How to identify a vinyl record pressing before cataloging it
Identify a vinyl record using its barcode, catalog number, labels and runout markings. Learn what to compare before choosing a catalog release.
How to catalog a CD collection and choose the right release
Catalog your CD collection with a practical barcode-and-edition checklist. Compare labels, catalog numbers, disc counts and packaging before saving.
ISBN lookup: find the right book edition for your collection
Learn where to find an ISBN, what ISBN-10 and ISBN-13 mean, and how to check lookup results before adding a book to your collection.
How to catalog your home library, one shelf at a time
Build a home library catalog you can actually maintain. Start with one shelf, check book editions, and use useful labels to find what you own.
CDs: What case?
Jewel Case, Digipak or a cardboard sleeve? Learn what to look for, compare photographic examples, and choose the packaging that matches your CD release in ShelfAtlas.
Why we built ShelfAtlas: a home for the books and music you love
Know what you own, find it faster, and rediscover the books, CDs, and vinyl records that matter to you. Here’s why we built ShelfAtlas.