Your collection, cataloged and searchable.
Society libraries sit between a hobbyist's bookshelf and a full ILS. SocietyPress's library module is built exactly for that middle ground: real cataloging with call numbers and shelf locations, a patron-facing search, and none of the overhead of running an institutional system.
What you can catalog
- Books, monographs, genealogies, family histories
- Periodicals and bound journal runs
- Microfilm, microfiche, DVD/CD collections
- Manuscript collections and archival folders
- Vertical-file material (newspaper clippings, pamphlets, ephemera)
- Maps, plats, atlases
- Research binders (cemetery surveys, transcription projects)
Catalog features that actually matter
Call numbers and shelf locations
Not just “item title.” Real call-number fields (Dewey, LC, or custom society schemes), shelf / room / drawer location, and physical-description fields. When a patron asks “is this book here?”, you can tell them.
Cover images from Open Library
Paste an ISBN, get the cover automatically. For items without an ISBN (society-published monographs, manuscript collections), upload a photo yourself.
Patron-facing search
A clean public search interface your members (and visiting researchers) can use from home. Full-text across title, author, subject, description, and notes. Works on phones.
Circulation tracking
Check out, check in, hold, renew. Overdue notices. Patron history. Not required — many society libraries are in-house-only and never use this — but it's there when you need it.
Bulk import from CSV
If you already have a catalog in a spreadsheet (most society libraries do), upload it. The importer maps columns to SocietyPress fields, flags duplicates, and warns on missing required data.
Newsletter archive, too
SocietyPress also handles your society's newsletter back-catalog as a separate module. Upload PDFs, automatic cover thumbnails, member-only download access. Many societies treat the newsletter archive as part of the library's remit; the tool supports that.
The librarian role template
SocietyPress ships with a pre-built Librarian role that gives you full control over the library module (add, edit, delete items, run imports, manage circulation) while keeping everything else your board manages out of your way. You don't need “administrator” access just to catalog a book.
What it's not
Honest note: SocietyPress's library is not a full institutional ILS (Integrated Library System). It won't replace Koha or Alma for a county library. What it will do is give a volunteer-run society library a real, modern catalog with meaningful patron access, in a form the rest of the society can actually help maintain.
If you have a catalog of 50,000+ items, multiple branches, or complex consortial borrowing, look at Koha. If you have a catalog of 500 to 50,000 items and one or two volunteer librarians, this is built for you.