Book Tracker gives you five different ways to organize your library. They overlap a bit on purpose. Pick the ones that match how you think about your books. Here’s what each one is, with an example.
Tags
What they are: free-form, colored labels you create. There’s no fixed meaning: you decide. A book can carry as many Tags as you want, and the same Tag can be applied to any number of books.
Concrete example: you can tag a book as Signed by author, Borrowed, Comfort read, Holiday read, Gift from Mom. None of these would make sense as Categories or Series.
👉 Learn more: How to use Tags in Book Tracker
Categories
What they are: the genre or topic of the book: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Memoir, Self-help, Science. Categories usually come automatically from the online sources (Google Books, Open Library, Apple Books) when you add a book. You can also edit them by hand.
Concrete example: The Hobbit gets the Categories Fantasy, Adventure automatically when you add it from online search. You don’t need to invent them.
Tags vs Categories — what’s the difference?
- Categories describe the book objectively (genre/topic, the same for every reader).
- Tags describe the book as it relates to you (signed, borrowed, gift…).
The two coexist. Most books end up with a few Categories and a few Tags.
Series
What they are: a named, ordered collection of books. Perfect for sagas, trilogies, manga, or any sequel chain.
Concrete example: you create a Series called Harry Potter, then assign each of the seven books to it with the right number. Book Tracker keeps them in the correct order and lets you see at a glance which ones you’ve already read.
👉 Learn more: How to manage Series and sort books
Smart Lists
What they are: dynamic groups of books defined by filters. You set the rules; Book Tracker keeps the list up to date automatically.
Concrete example: create a Smart List called Unread Audiobooks Tagged “Comfort Read” with these filters:
- Reading Status = Unread
- Format = Audiobook
- Tags = Comfort Read
From then on, any book that matches all three rules appears in the list. Any book that stops matching disappears. You never have to add or remove books from it by hand.
👉 Learn more: How to use Smart Lists in Book Tracker — 17 different filter criteria are supported.
Positions (Location → Bookcase → Shelf)
What they are: a three-level hierarchy that mirrors the physical placement of a book in the real world. Location is the top level (a room or a house), Bookcase and Shelf are optional refinements within it.
Concrete example: you live in two places and have books in both. You create Locations Home and Country house, then under Home you add Bookcases Living Room, Office, Bedroom, and under each Bookcase a few Shelves. Now when you wonder “where did I leave my copy of Dune?”, Book Tracker tells you exactly.
You can stop at Location if you want. Bookcase and Shelf are optional.
👉 Learn more: How to organize books with Positions
Which one should I use?
You don’t pick one, you mix and match. The five tools cover different questions:
| Question | Use |
|---|---|
| What kind of book is this? (genre, topic) | Categories |
| Is it part of a saga? Which volume? | Series |
| Anything I want to remember about it? | Tags |
| Where is the physical book? | Positions |
| Can I get all the books that match these specific criteria? | Smart Lists |
The most powerful combinations come from layering Tags into Smart Lists. That’s where Book Tracker really shines.