Borrowing Questions

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OogieM
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Borrowing Questions

Post by OogieM »

How are people documenting books that you borrow from someone or books you borrow from the library or say, kindle unlimited subscription? Since I also lend out books I can't use the borrowed fields to document them and yet I want to know what I have read and when.

I was thinking of using either one of the custom tags or a custom field but was wondering what other people do in this case.

Similarly when I selected borrowed by I have several people in there but I have never lent them a book at all. How can I delete them off the list? I can't find out where it's stored so I can't get rid of their names. It's not in the autofill preferences.
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FineWine
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by FineWine »

OogieM
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by OogieM »

I had read that already. It doesn't really address my question.

I am not Loaning out books to someone else in my contacts list with a borrowed on and due back date. I am Borrowing Books from Amazon for me to read. Totally different scenario and the Borrow tools are all focused on documenting your books you own that are out on loan.

I'm asking how people use Bookpedia to track the reverse situation.
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FineWine
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by FineWine »

Apologies for misreading your post.
Similarly when I selected borrowed by I have several people in there but I have never lent them a book at all. How can I delete them off the list? I can't find out where it's stored so I can't get rid of their names. It's not in the autofill preferences.
You should be able to "Return" those books.
1 - click on the 'Borrowed' collection in the Source column on the left. This will bring up a list of all the books that are currently borrowed.
2 - Select each book or CMD ⌘ click multiple books
3 - Right click > Mark as > Returned
OR
4 - Book > Borrowed History
5 - Highlight the Borrower and click on the minus (-) button bottom left of the panel

If you want to completely start afresh with the 'Borrowed' facility
1 - Right click on the 'Borrowed' collection in the left hand Source column
2 - Select 'Delete'
3 - To recreate a fresh empty 'Borrowed' collection: File > New Special Collection > Borrowed Collection
-----------------------------
As for your main question. There is three ways you could achieve this.

'1 - Last Read' facility
Book > Mark as >

2 - Excluded Collection
You could create a totally separate Collection which you could then exclude from the main Library collection
1 - File > New Collection (or New Collection from Selection)
2 - Give it a name, Amazon in this case
3 - Right click: Exclude Collection from Library

Now when you borrow an Amazon book add it to this Excluded Collection and if you have a mandatory Return Date then you can use the Borrow facility but just use your name only, that way you will get a reminder to return the book to Amazon.

OR

You could create an Excluded Collection and name it 'Borrowed'. Then create a Custom Text field 'Borrowed from' and a Custom Date field for the borrowed date and still be able to utilise the Borrow facility to remind you to return the book.

Anyway play around with this idea of an 'Excluded Collection'

3 - New Bookpedia Database.
1 - Ensure that Bookpedia is Quit in the Dock
2 - Restart Bookpedia by holding down the Option key at the same time
3 - Create a New Database
4 - Give it a name Bookpedia Borrowed
5 - At this point you could Create a New Folder and Location for your new Database - your call (personally I would keep them in the default ~/Library/Application Support/ .

Now each time you start Bookpedia after Quitting you will have to Hold down the Option key and Click the 'Choose database' button. NOTE: Bookpedia will start up on the last used Database if you do not use the Option key on start up.

PS. if you know a little bit of HTML coding you could get you hands dirty and write your own or adapt an existing Style (Info Template). Have a look here: Extras and here: Creating a Template


I hope all of this is of some help to your questions. Let us all know how you get on :D
OogieM
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by OogieM »

FineWine wrote:A
You should be able to "Return" those books.
1 - click on the 'Borrowed' collection in the Source column on the left. This will bring up a list of all the books that are currently borrowed.
There are no books that are borrowed. So I can't return them because the list is empty. The Borrowed collection in the source column has a zero in it.
The Select Borrowed by I am speaking of is the extras. Click on a book to bring up the details click on extras at tha top and look at the borrowed by dropdown. I was expecting it to be empty but it isn't. I clicked on the borrowed by to see how it worked and there is a list of people in there. I looked in the preferences, autofill section hoping to find a place to delete those just like I can delete genre, author or publisher names that are incorrect or no longer in use. I was trying to clean that up since I have no books out on loan at all. And the names in the list make no sense, not folks I have much contact with at all and myself. Which is odd. At least one name on the list is no longer in my contacts list at all and hasn't been for several years.

Haven't tried to delete the Borrowed collection yet. May try that later.

I'll play with the excluded collection stuff later. Currently tracking down a bug in my sheep management software package with adding new lambs and we're lambing now so I really need to find and fix it.
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FineWine
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by FineWine »

So what is happening here is that Bookpedia is automatically grabbing everyone listed in your macOS Contacts (Address Book). You will have to clean up your macOS Contacts from within that App. There is no way to edit those Contacts from within Bookpedia and so there shouldn't be either.
OogieM
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by OogieM »

FineWine wrote:So what is happening here is that Bookpedia is automatically grabbing everyone listed in your macOS Contacts (Address Book). You will have to clean up your macOS Contacts from within that App. There is no way to edit those Contacts from within Bookpedia and so there shouldn't be either.
If I'm understanding you correctly then Bookpedia always will pull everyone from Contacts as potential borrowers?
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FineWine
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by FineWine »

Correct.

Next to the 'Borrowed by:' field to the far right just next to the field drop down arrows is a circle with a face in it, click on that and it will bring up a facsimile of your macOS Contacts including all your groups.

But basically Bookpedia just looks at the 'All Contacts' list and brings them in alphabetically by surname.
Lissie
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by Lissie »

it was very helpful - i am going to borrow books from Amazon... Finding loans in Ohio is convenient to do on https://cashloansnearby.com/ohio/dayton/
So now I will be calm so as not to forget about the return time.
Last edited by Lissie on Mon Apr 26, 2021 6:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
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FineWine
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Re: Borrowing Questions

Post by FineWine »

Lissie wrote:it was very helpful - i am going to borrow books from Amazon
So now I will be calm so as not to forget about the return time.
Welcome to the wonderful world of the Pedia's by Bruji.

A well catalogue collection will always be a calming influence :)

Remember no question is too dumb. We are all here to help each other.

Enjoy your Pedia's and stay safe.
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