# Libraries The Libraries page is where a Bookhoard instance is defined: what libraries exist, which folders on the server they read from, who can see them, and how they get scanned. Everything here is admin-only — regular users just see the result. ## Creating a library **Create Library** opens a modal with three fields: - **Library Name** (required) — what users see in their sidebar - **Description** (optional) - **Library Type** (required) — book, comic, audiobook, podcast; the type drives how the scanner parses files and how the reader presents them A library with no folders can't scan — add at least one folder (below) before expecting anything to appear in it. ## The library card Each library renders as a card: name, description, a type chip, a folder count, and two controls: - **Force Rescan** — starts a force scan of this one library: every file re-read and re-extracted, hashes recomputed. This is the heavy, thorough pass ([Scanning](scanning.md) explains force vs. shallow and when each is worth it). If a scan is already running for the library, the click tells you instead of stacking a second one. - **Manage** — opens the library's panel, where everything else lives. ## The library panel ### Folders Folders are the server-side directories the scanner walks. Each one shows its path with two icon actions: **Scan this folder** (a shallow scan scoped to just that folder's subtree — the quick "I just dropped files here" button) and remove-from-library (confirm-guarded). Adding one: type a path, or click **Browse** to walk the server's filesystem in a modal (up with `..`, into a folder by clicking it, **Select This Folder** to fill the input), then **Add**. Two things worth knowing: - **Removing a folder only unregisters it.** The mapping is deleted; files on disk and existing catalog items are untouched. If no remaining folder covers those files, later library-wide scans will treat them as missing — the [Archived Items](archived-items.md) lifecycle takes over, history kept. - **Podcast download folders are feed-managed.** The scanner refuses to scan them by hand; the podcast feed system owns their contents. ### User Access One checkbox per user. Checked (the default) means the library is visible to them; unchecking hides it from their browsing, apps, and OPDS — enforced in the database, so every listing obeys. Hiding a library never destroys anything: the user simply can't see it. ### Processing issues When the library has items the scanner couldn't process, a link here shows the count and leads to its [Processing Issues](library-processing-issues.md) page. ### Edit Details and Delete Library **Edit Details** changes the name and description. The library type is fixed at creation — it can't be edited later. **Delete Library** is the destructive one, and its confirm dialog says precisely what it does: - **Permanently removed, no archive or undo:** the library, its folder mappings, and all book records — with their reading progress, highlights, notes, bookmarks, and ratings. - **Not touched:** media files on disk. Delete the library, keep the files; re-create the library later and scan them fresh (with empty reading history). ## The archived banner When any library has archived (missing-file) items, this page shows a banner with the total count and two shortcuts: **View Archived** (the [Archived Items](archived-items.md) page) and **Purge Archived Now** (the same permanent wipe the archived page's Purge All Archived performs). ## Every scan entry point, at a glance | Where | Control | Kind | | --- | --- | --- | | This page, library card | **Force Rescan** | Force, this library | | This page, folder row | **Scan this folder** | Shallow, that folder | | Admin dashboard | **Force Rescan All Libraries** | Force, everything | | Settings → Scanning | **Auto-Scan** | Shallow, automatic | | A book's page | **Rescan** | Force, that one item | Full semantics for each: [Scanning](scanning.md).