How to Keep Track of the Books You've Read on an iPhone App

Apps like iBooks, Kindle and Nook are great for keeping track of the books you have downloaded, but none of these apps makes it possible to track all the books you have read. To keep an inventory of your growing book collection, try an app like Goodreads, iReaditNow or Book Crawler. These apps can track books you've read regardless of where you got them, from e-books to library books. Goodreads is more of a social app that connects to your Facebook or Amazon account and offers reviews of each book, while iReadItNow lets you sort your library without the social features. Book Crawler is a paid app that can link with Goodreads and Apple's iBooks store, and it can help you find books at the local library.

Select an app like Goodreads, iReadItNow or Book Crawler to track your library. You can scan bar codes on book covers or enter books manually with each of these apps. Goodreads requires you to create an account before you use the app, but you can quickly sign in with either a Facebook or Amazon account in addition to an email account.

Gather all your books and find a comfortable place to sit. Launch the app. To add new books in the iReadItNow app, tap the "+" icon in the upper right corner of the screen. On the Goodreads app, you can manually enter books by tapping the "Search" icon or the "Scan" icon, both on the bottom of the screen. On the Book Crawler app, select "Books" and then tap the "New" button.

Select the scan option. Hold the iPhone over the barcode on your first book so the barcode fills the screen. Hold it steady for several seconds until the app registers the barcode and adds it to your library.

Manually enter a book into your library listing if the app doesn't recognize the barcode or if there isn't a barcode on your copy. You can enter the book by entering its title and author or by typing in its ISBN number. ISBN is the International System of Book Numbering and every edition of each book has a separate ISBN number. If there isn't an ISBN number on the cover, look at the copyright page, which is usually located right behind the book's title page. Extremely old books won't have ISBN numbers.

Select whether you are currently reading a book, want to read it or have finished reading it. The book is added to the appropriate section of your library list. Change a book cover if desired from those offered by the app or take a photo of your copy's cover.

Add each new book to your app's library inventory as you begin reading it. You can also add books to your wish list. Goodreads and Book Crawler offer to share your wish list titles and your latest reading conquests on Facebook.