Sharing a Library

A Library belongs to the people who keep it, not to one person. Everyone who joins it sees the same catalog, the same shelves, and the same loans — there’s no separate "my books" view hidden from the rest of the household.

Admins can do everything Members can, plus manage members and invites, rename the Library, and restore a backup into it. Members can add, edit, and lend books, tend the library’s rooms and shelves, export the catalog, and see and undo moves and condition changes — and restore removed copies — in Library activity. Guests can browse and search everything, but cannot add, edit, lend, or export, and do not see Library activity or the Library tools panel — a Guest view is meant for someone looking over the collection, like a prospective member. Guests see who else is in the Library by name and role only, never their email addresses.

Managing members, roles, and invites is available to admins only.

1. Open My Library → Library tools → Settings → Members & invites. Every member can open it; the invite form is for admins only.
2. In "Invite someone," leave the email blank to create a shareable link, or add an email to send the invite directly.
3. Choose the role for the new member — Member or Guest (new admins aren’t created by invite).
4. Click "Create invite" and share the link, or wait for the emailed invite to be accepted.

Members can add and edit books; guests have read-only access. Pending invites can be copied again or revoked from the same page. Someone who opens an invite link while signed out is asked to sign in, and then goes straight back to the invitation to accept it.

Any member — other than a library’s sole admin — can leave it from the Members page, with a confirmation step first.

• Sharing Your Library →
• Lending →
• Getting Started →