A classroom library scanner app that fills in the details for you
Dewi is a classroom library scanner app. Scan a book's barcode and Dewi looks up the title, author, cover, publication date and genre, then saves the book to your library. The fastest way is a basic handheld USB barcode scanner. You can also type the ISBN, and your phone camera can scan some books as a backup.
How the classroom library scanner app works
- Open the Scan a Book panel in your Catalogue.
- Scan the barcode with a handheld USB scanner (the fastest way), or type the ISBN and click Look up. The ISBN field is ready the moment the panel opens, so a USB scanner works straight away.
- Dewi looks the book up in Open Library first, then Google Books. The cover, title, author, publication date and genre appear.
- Click Add to Library.
A basic USB barcode scanner loads a book and its details in seconds, and in my classroom it has been very reliable. Your phone camera can scan some books too, but it is slower and doesn't read every cover, so treat it as a backup. You can always type the ISBN instead.
Genre labels come from the book databases, so give them a quick look.
What to do when a book won't scan
Not every book can be found. Older books may have no ISBN, and special editions often carry a barcode the databases don't know. That is a limit of the barcodes, not a Dewi error.
Here is the workaround I use:
- Click Manual in the Scan a Book panel.
- Search online (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indigo, etc.) for the same title and copy its ISBN.
- Paste it into Catalogue ISBN (found online) and click Look up. Dewi fetches the title, author and cover.
- In Barcode ISBN (on the physical book), type or scan the ISBN printed on your own copy.
- Check the details and click Add to Library.
From then on, scanning your copy's barcode brings the book up. If nothing is found at all, you can type the details in by hand.
How long it takes to catalogue a classroom library
A stack of books that all scan takes under ten minutes. A book you have to add by hand can take up to a minute. Entering a whole library is a bit tedious, but it is a one-time job.
You don't have to do it all at once. I scanned my 299-book library over about a week. I kept the books I hadn't scanned yet out of circulation and put each stack back as soon as it was scanned. Former students came back to help, and they loved it.
Is it worth it?
It is worth it if you'll be teaching and keeping your classroom for a while, especially if you worry about losing books or having to replace them. It is not for you if you're about to retire, or if your library is already organized enough that you're not worried about losing or replacing books.
What it costs
The free plan holds up to 5 books, enough to try the scanner. To catalogue a whole library, the Solo plan is $4.99 a month. Books you've already catalogued stay usable.
Once your books are in, the same app is your classroom library checkout system.
Common questions
Do I need a barcode scanner? No, but the best, quickest, and most reliable method is using a USB scanner. (I bought mine from Amazon for under $30 CAD and it works amazing!) You can also scan with your phone on the Dewi site or type each ISBN manually.
What if a book isn't found? Use the workaround above, or add it by hand.
Can I scan my library over several days? Yes. I did mine over about a week.