Frequently asked questions

1. So what exactly is Boocshare?

Boocshare is a community of book lovers who share their paper books with friends and family to save money, protect the environment and read more books while spending less. The system makes it possible for you to view your friends' bookshelves online and borrow books without first physically paying them a visit to see what books they own. We like to define Boocshare as an online platform for building offline relationships with other book lovers.

2. How does Boocshare work?

To use Boocshare you must first register and create or join a group. The next step is to add books you are willing to lend to your friends or family members. Then you invite them to join your group and also add their books. This way you create a "local private library" where you can track and lend each other books. It's a great way to discover what others are reading.

3. Can I read books on Boocshare?

Unfortunately Boocshare is not a place where you can read books online. It also does not provide any paper books that you can borrow. You can only use Boocshare to borrow paper books locally from members of your groups.

4. Can I just register and start borrowing books?

Not so fast. The idea is to lend each other books. So you must first add some books that others can borrow from you. Only then will you be able to borrow books from other group members. However, there is a version of Boocshare that works like a normal library were members can borrow books that have been added by the group administrator without first adding their own books.

5. How do I become a member of a group?

There are two ways to become a member of a group. You automatically become a member of any group that you create. You can also become a member of a group if you get invited to join a group and you accept the invitation.

6. Are groups on Boocshare limited to only 10 members?

The default account type allows 10 members per group, but there are other options. Contact us to request an upgrade if you want to create a large community of book lovers.

7. How many groups can I create?

The default account version allows you to create a maximum of 2 groups, but you can be a member of many more groups. Contact us to request an update, if you need to create more than 2 groups.

8. Can I add books before I create or join a group?

Books are added to groups. So you need to create or join a group first before you can add your books.

9. Why am I not able to add tags to my books?

Using tags is a little tricky when you do it the first time. Just remember that you have to create tags (https://boocshare.com/tags) before you can use them. Tags can be private or public. Private tags are only visible to you while public tags can be seen by members of your groups.

10. How can I add a book genre that is not currently available?

Book genres are added system-wide by the Superadmin. He is a very helpful guy. Send him an email and he will add the genre you need as soon as possible.

11. How can I share my book list with people who are not members of my group?

To share your book list with people who are not members of your groups you must first set up your public profile (https://boocshare.com/profile/settings) and decide what information you would like to make available. When your profile is ready all you have to do is share the link to your public profile with other book lovers.

12. How can I add books written in a language that is not available on Boocshare?

Use the "Contact" link above to send us an email and let us know which language you need. The admin will add it as soon as possible.

13. What are "book-overdue reminders" and how do I enable them?

To enable book-overdue reminders so that people who borrow your books will be reminded to return them if they do not do so on time, go to your profile settings and make sure "Disable book-overdue reminders" is set to "No".

14. How long is the loan period and where can I set it?

If you are the group owner or group administrator you can configure the loan period by clicking on the cogwheel next to the group name on this page https://boocshare.com/groups and selecting the period that suits your needs. The default loan-period is 14 days.

15. How does searching work on Boocshare?

Searching works differently depending on the page you are viewing as well as whether you are logged in or not. When you are logged in, the search will be conducted on your own books, on groups books or on all books in the system depending on the page you are viewing. For example, if you want to find books you can borrow from members of your groups, make sure you are on the "group books" page.

16. If my group starts growing and becomes more than 10 members then how do I accommodate more members. Is there a fee structure to add more members and more books?

From experience we know that getting 10 people to register and join your group of readers takes a lot of work. That is why we will be very happy to help you to upgrade your account as soon as you hit that limit. The 10-member group is just the basic and smallest version of available groups. There is no fee for upgrading, if you reach the 10-member limit.

17. how do I delete a book

To delete a book first find it on the "My books" list or search for it by title and then click the "View". Click on the "Delete" button if you are sure you want to delete the book because there is currently no option to confirm the delete action. When the book you are viewing has been borrowed, the "delete" button will not be available.

18. How do I add a photo of the book cover to a book I've already listed.

To add a book cover to a book you have already listed go to "My books", click "View" to open the page for the book you want update. Click "Edit" and upload the image. It may be faster to just search for the book and then follow the steps mentioned above.

19. How can I change the number of books required to add before you can start borrowing from other members in the group?

The group owner has the option to change the number of books members must add before they can borrow from other people in their groups. The "Minimum number of books a user must first add to the group" value can be changed under the group settings.

“You are not done with a book until you pass it to another reader.”

Donalyn Miller

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