In pondering this problem, and not having a clue what is commercially
available, my question is why reinvent the wheel?

The old way to catalog books was with three index cards, one for author, the
second for title and the third for subject matter.

The Dewey decimal system works great, and you could probably use an off the
shelf data base program for your card file if you wanted to keep it all
digital. If not, a simple card file should be cheap and easy to use for the
home library.


Simple? A three card system for thousands of books? I would have to
use tractor feed and print them out, due to the nerve damage in my
hands. If I have to type them to print them, I would prefer to keep it
digital. Also, you can't carry a card file system with you when you're
browsing a used book store. A netbook or old cellphone with Windows
mobile would let me scroll through lists by author or title.


How would you get the Dewy numbers without searching for those titles
in a library? My 1000+ data books and service manuals don't fit the
Dewy system.



Of course they do, Michael.
Were I to do this I'd use Access to build a three card database.
Just like it was on 3x5 cards - but machine readable.

But I doubt Access ( a relational database program) will run on a cell phone.



Here's a good start.
http://www.library.illinois.edu/ugl/about/dewey.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ecimal_classes

The Dewey Decimal Classification System

The Dewey Decimal Classification System (DDC) is a system that classifies or
categorizes nonfiction books into ten main divisions. These classes are further
divided into ten subdivisions and the use of decimals allows for additional
categories. A book is assigned a Dewey number based on its subject matter. In
most libraries the Dewey number and the first one, two or three letters of the
author's last name become the book's call number, or its address on the library
shelves. Nonfiction books are arranged numerically on the shelves according to
DDC, ranging from 001 to 999.

The Dewey Decimal Classification System is the most widely used classification
system in the world. Libraries in more than 135 countries use the DDC to
organize and provide access to their collections. The DDC has been translated
into over thirty languages. Libraries of every type apply Dewey numbers. Some
Internet search engines use Dewey as a browsing mechanism.





--

Richard Lamb