An inventory of your book collection for insurance
After a flood or a fire is the worst time to try to remember every book you owned. A list made now is the record you will want.
Get in touch
An insurance inventory of a book collection is a dated list of every book, with enough detail to identify the copy: edition, condition and what you paid. TitleEntry builds it from shelf photos and barcodes, keeps those details with each book and exports the list whenever you need it.
Last updated: 26 October 2026
What an insurance list of books should hold
A title alone does not tell anyone which copy you had. For each book, record:
- Title, author, publisher and year, so each book can be identified
- ISBN, where the book has one, which pins down the edition
- Condition, from new to poor
- What you paid and when you bought it
- Notes on anything that sets a copy apart: signed, inscribed, a fine binding
- Where it is kept: the room and the shelf
Building the inventory
Switch on the fields you need
In Settings, turn on Cost and Acquired alongside Condition and Notes. They then appear when you add or edit a book, and in the export.
Catalogue room by room
Photograph each shelf and let the AI read the spines, scan barcodes where it is quicker, and photograph the title page of old books. Name the room and shelf as you save.
Fill in the valuable ones first
Most books need only their record. Spend the time on the ones that matter: condition, what you paid, a note on what makes the copy special.
Export and keep a copy elsewhere
Export the catalogue to Excel, with cover images if you like. Keep a copy somewhere other than the house the books are in, and export again when the collection changes.
A record for your insurer
TitleEntry is a record of what you own. Your insurer decides what evidence a claim needs and can advise on your cover; prices and values come from a professional valuer, which a rare book may need.
What it does well is the slow part: turning shelves of books into an accurate list without typing each one, and keeping it up to date as the collection grows.
More for collectors: the book collection catalogue guide, and how to catalogue old books that have no ISBN.
Frequently asked questions
List every book with its title, author, edition, condition and what you paid, and keep a copy away from the house. TitleEntry builds the list from shelf photos and barcodes, holds condition, cost and notes for each book, and exports it to Excel.
No. It records what you paid, not what a book is worth today. For valuable books, an insurer may want a written valuation from a specialist bookseller or appraiser.
It depends on the insurer and the policy, so ask them. A dated list with titles, editions, condition and purchase prices is a common starting point, and the export can be reshaped to their form.
With shelf photos, each shelf takes a photo and a check of the list. The time goes on the books you want to describe in detail, which is usually a small share of the collection.
Yes. Your catalogue is visible only to your account. We never share or sell your data.