Librarian — Personal Library Manager

A personal library manager for home readers. Track what you're reading, keep notes, rate finished books, and organize your collection. Works as a desktop app (Electron + SQLite) or as a web / PWA demo (vanilla JS + localStorage).

App ID: me.davidcanhelp.librarian Version: 2.0.0 Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux (desktop) · any modern browser (web / PWA)

Live demo

👉 https://guildmasterdev.github.io/Librarian

The web demo is a single-file app: no server, no account, no tracking. Your library lives in your browser's localStorage. You can also install it as a PWA for offline use.

Features

• Add, edit, and delete books
• ISBN auto-lookup via Open Library and Google Books
• Reading-status tracking (unread / reading / completed / incomplete)
• Reading-progress bar with current page / total pages
• Favorites with a dedicated filter
• Ratings (1–5 stars) for completed books
• Per-book notes
• Search across title, author, genre, and notes
• Import / export of your library as JSON (web version)
• Cover images fetched automatically when available

Web demo vs. desktop app

	Web / PWA demo	Desktop app (Electron)
Storage	Browser localStorage (~5 MB)	SQLite in user data directory
Install	Add to Home Screen / Install PWA	Installable binary (dmg/exe)
Offline	Yes (via service worker)	Yes (local)
Sync across devices	No — data stays in one browser	No — data stays on one device
Backup	Built-in JSON export / import	Copy the .db file

Same UI, same features. The desktop app is better when you have a large library or want unlimited storage; the web demo is ideal for trying it out or for lightweight use.

Installing the PWA

1. Open https://guildmasterdev.github.io/Librarian in Chrome, Edge, or Safari.
2. Click Install in the address bar (desktop) or Add to Home Screen (iOS/Android).
3. Launch from your dock / home screen — it runs in a standalone window and works offline after the first load.

Running the desktop app

git clone git@github.com:GuildMasterDev/Librarian.git
cd Librarian
npm install
npm run dev          # development
npm start            # production

If you bump Electron or change platforms, rebuild the native binding:

npm rebuild sqlite3

Building distributables

npm run dist         # current platform
npm run dist-mac     # macOS (dmg + zip, x64 + arm64)
npm run dist-win     # Windows (nsis + portable)
npm run dist-linux   # Linux (AppImage + deb)

Output lands in dist/.

Generating icons (optional)

Icons ship pre-generated in assets/. If you change the base icon, run:

./generate-icon.sh   # requires ImageMagick

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd/Ctrl + N	Add new book
Cmd/Ctrl + F	Focus search field
Cmd/Ctrl + R	Reload application (desktop)
Alt + Cmd/Ctrl + I	Toggle DevTools (desktop)

Project layout

Librarian/
├── main.js               # Electron main process
├── preload.js            # contextBridge API
├── renderer.js           # desktop UI logic
├── index.html            # desktop UI
├── styles.css            # desktop styles
├── database.js           # SQLite adapter
├── bookAPI.js            # Open Library + Google Books wrapper
├── assets/               # app icons
├── web/                  # self-contained web demo / PWA
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── manifest.json
│   ├── sw.js
│   └── icons/
└── .github/workflows/    # CI + Pages deploy

Tech stack

• Electron 41 — cross-platform desktop shell
• SQLite3 6 — local database for the desktop app
• Axios 1.15 — HTTP client in the desktop app
• Vanilla JS + CSS — no frameworks in the web demo
• Service Worker + Web App Manifest — PWA installability
• Open Library + Google Books APIs — metadata and covers

License

MIT