DELICIOUS BLOG: How to Add Items Without Barcodes

We know that one of the coolest things about Delicious Library is how easy it is to add items – you just hold up the barcode to your built-in FaceTime camera (or use a bluetooth scanner) and the item is magically added to your library! However, we know that some items don't have barcodes – maybe they're older items (UPC barcodes were first used in only 1974!), maybe they're rare collectibles, or maybe the barcode is simply damaged and can't be read. In cases like this, you can either run a title or author search for the item or you can add a blank item and fill in the details by hand.

The first option is best when the item is fairly common, but for some reason cannot be scanned. In this case, you can select the '+' button just under your library window or hit 'command-N.' Select the appropriate item type (book, movie, album, etc.) and type in anything you know about the item – the title, author, artist, director, ISBN, etc. will all work, assuming the item is in our database. If the item comes up, awesome! Select it from the list of results and hit the 'Add' button. If you can't find your item, there is another cool step you could try. Go to Amazon's website and search for the item there. If it comes up, you can select it and drag the URL directly onto your library shelf and it'll be added. Cool!

If all of that still doesn't work, or if you have a rare or unique item that you just know won't be in our database, you can add a blank item. To do this, select the same '+' button or hit 'command-N,' pick your item type, and hit the 'Add Blank _____' button. A new item will be added to your shelf with the details panel in edit mode. Fill in the title, creator, and any other relevant information you have. You can even add new cover art – just drag and drop any image from your computer or the web directly onto the item's picture on the shelf.

Finally, if the item has a barcode but wasn't being found, or if you want to print your own barcode, you can go into edit mode and enter the number in the EAN/UPC field on the details panel. The next time you scan the item, we'll find the entry you just made! This way, you can build an inventory of, say, your own antique camera collection and have a barcode on each one, then scan it to bring up the item within your library to loan it out. (While we don't have the ability to print our own barcodes, plenty of software exists that does.) We think this is one of the coolest, fanciest features, and we're excited to tell you about it!