What is Kosmotheka, and what is it not?

Kosmotheka is an app for keeping track of what you have at home, so you can tell in a moment what you own, where it is and whose it is.

What you can keep track of

Books, comics, board games, films, series, video games and music. Each thing you add has a type: book, film, game… For everything else (models, puzzles, toys…) there is a type called “Other”.

Each type has its own page. A board game has players and playing time; a series has its seasons; a book has its author and publisher.

What it is for

• Knowing what you have and where it is. Each thing has its format, whose it is and which shelf it is on.
• Checking whether you already have it. In a shop, the “Do I have it?” screen tells you straight away, even without a connection. On a phone it uses the camera; on a computer you type the number printed on the book (the ISBN).
• Noting what you want and don’t have yet. That is “Missing”.
• Letting each person note their own things. Each person marks their own status (to read, reading, read or abandoned), gives stars, picks favorites, or marks what they want with “I want it”.
• Having several libraries. For example, the one at home and the one for the role-playing club.
• Sharing them with the people you live with, over your home Wi-Fi, and deciding who can change what.
• Saving backups and bringing your list to or from a program like Excel.

How it works

Your data is stored on your phone or computer. The app works without an account and without an internet connection. It only uses the internet to look up the details of a book (title, author, cover…), and you can turn that search off. The page What leaves your device and what does not explains it in detail.

There is also an optional account (like an email account), so you can have your libraries on more devices even when they are not on the same Wi-Fi. For now it is a trial. Without an account, everything works the same.

It is free, with no ads and no tracking. It is free software: anyone can see how it is built.

What it is not

• It is not a shop. It sells nothing and does not compare prices.
• It is not a social network. Only the people you share your library with can see it.
• It is not for reading or watching anything. It keeps track of your books, films and games, but does not open them.
• It does not keep track of loans. It does not record who you have lent something to. Loans will come later.

Where to go next

First steps takes you from installing the app to your first book.