What to do with an inherited book collection
A lifetime of books, and a few weeks to decide what happens to them. Start with knowing what is there.
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The first step with an inherited library is a list of every book in it. With TitleEntry you photograph each shelf and the AI reads the spines, so the whole collection is catalogued before a single box is packed. Every decision after that, about what to keep, give or sell, is made from the list.
Last updated: 26 October 2026
Four steps before the boxes come out
Photograph every shelf as it stands
Before anything is moved, photograph each shelf and let the AI read the spines. You get a list of the whole library and a record of how it was kept.
Photograph the title pages of the oldest books
Books with blank or faded spines are catalogued from their title page. These are often the ones worth a closer look.
Sort into keep, give and sell
Make a shelf for each decision and move books between them as the family decides. Moving a book is one edit; nothing has to be scanned again.
Share the list
Export the catalogue to Excel. Each book carries its shelf, so the keep, give and sell lists are one filter away. Send it to the family so everyone sees the same list, or to a bookseller before they visit.
Who the list is for
One list, read by everyone who has a say in where the books go.
For the family
A list everyone can read makes dividing a library fairer and quicker. Each person marks what they would like before anyone arrives with boxes.
For a bookseller or a charity
A dealer can look over a list before making the trip, and a library or charity can say which books it would welcome. The list shows what the books are, not what they are worth.
Keep the notes with the books
An inscription to a grandparent, a bookplate, a note in the margin: record it in the book’s notes as you go, with its condition. Those details are easy to lose once the books are spread across several homes.
Value is a separate question
TitleEntry tells you what the books are, not what they are worth. For anything that looks old, signed or unusual, take the list to a specialist bookseller. Selling the rest? See how to sell books online.
Keeping the collection instead? The book collection catalogue guide covers keeping it up to date, and the insurance inventory guide covers recording it for cover.
Frequently asked questions
Make a list before anything leaves the house. Photograph each shelf so every book is recorded, then decide what to keep, give away or sell from the list rather than from the boxes.
Start with a complete list, with editions and condition, then show it to a specialist bookseller or appraiser. TitleEntry builds that list for them to work from.
Yes. A shelf photo reads the spines where they stand. Only books whose spines cannot be read need to come down, for a barcode scan or a title page photo.
No. TitleEntry makes the catalogue and the export. If you sell online, the export gives you the titles, authors and ISBNs a listing needs.
Get in touch and tell us roughly how many books there are. We will set you up.