Shelved - Media Collection Tracker

Shelved is a privacy-focused media collection tracker built with Rails 8 and Hotwire Native, designed for people who value their reading and viewing history staying private while maintaining a comprehensive catalog of their physical media.

🎯 Core Philosophy

Privacy-First Design

• Local-first data - Your collection stays on your devices
• No social features - No public profiles or sharing pressure
• No analytics - Zero tracking of your reading/viewing habits
• Self-hosted option - Run on your own server for complete control

Physical Media Focus

Unlike digital-only services, Shelved embraces the reality of physical collections:

• Location tracking - “Which bookshelf?”, “Lent to whom?”
• Barcode scanning - Quick ISBN/UPC entry via mobile camera
• Cross-format awareness - Track book-to-film adaptations
• Condition notes - First editions, signed copies, special features

📚 Key Features

Multi-Format Support

• Books - ISBN lookup, series tracking, edition details
• Movies - Physical media formats (DVD, Blu-ray, 4K)
• TV Shows - Season/episode tracking, box set management
• Cross-references - Link adaptations and related media

Smart Data Entry

• Barcode scanning - Native mobile bridge for camera access
• API metadata - Auto-populate from Google Books, TMDb, Open Library
• Manual override - Full control over all data fields
• Bulk import - CSV support for existing catalogs

Organization Tools

• Custom shelving - Define your actual physical locations
• Loan tracking - Remember who borrowed what
• Wishlist management - Track items you want to acquire
• Smart filtering - By location, format, genre, status

🛠️ Technical Architecture

Rails 8 Foundation

# Clean Rails architecture
class Book < ApplicationRecord
  has_one_attached :cover
  belongs_to :shelf, optional: true
  has_many :cross_references
  
  scope :on_loan, -> { where.not(loaned_to: nil) }
  scope :unread, -> { where(read: false) }
end

Hotwire Native Integration

• Seamless mobile apps - iOS and Android without separate codebases
• Native features - Camera access for barcode scanning
• Push notifications - Loan reminders (local only)
• Offline support - Browse collection without connection

API Integration Strategy

# Graceful fallback pattern
class MetadataFetcher
  def fetch(isbn)
    google_books_fetch(isbn) ||
    open_library_fetch(isbn) ||
    manual_entry_prompt
  end
end

📱 Platform Approach

Web PLUS Mobile

• Desktop-first design - Full functionality in the browser
• Mobile enhancement - Native apps add convenience features
• Progressive enhancement - Works everywhere, better with apps
• Sync when needed - Optional server sync for multi-device use

Native Bridge Features

• Barcode scanning - Quick entry via device camera
• Photo capture - Document special editions or damage
• Location services - “Books at office” vs “Books at home”
• Offline mode - Full read access without connection

🔐 Privacy Features

Data Ownership

• Export everything - Your data in standard formats (CSV, JSON)
• No vendor lock-in - Simple PostgreSQL database
• Backup friendly - Standard Rails structure for easy backups
• Delete means delete - No soft deletes or data retention

No Surveillance Capitalism

• No recommendations - You decide what to read/watch
• No social pressure - No public reading goals or competitions
• No data mining - Your interests stay private
• No ads ever - Not even “relevant” ones

🚀 Development Status

Currently Working

• Rails 8 application skeleton
• Basic CRUD for books, movies, TV shows
• PostgreSQL database schema
• Tailwind CSS styling framework

Next Up

• API integration for metadata fetching
• Hotwire Native iOS app
• Barcode scanning bridge
• Physical location management

Future Features

• Hotwire Native Android app
• Advanced filtering and search
• Export/import functionality
• Self-hosting documentation

🎯 Use Cases

Personal Library Management

• Track hundreds of books across multiple locations
• Know instantly what you’ve lent out
• Find that specific edition you remember buying

Movie Collection Curation

• Catalog special editions and box sets
• Track format upgrades (DVD → Blu-ray → 4K)
• Note special features and commentaries

Cross-Media Connections

• Link book series to their TV adaptations
• Track which movies you’ve read the books for
• Build reading lists from watched content

🔮 Long-Term Vision

Sustainable Personal Tool

• No VC funding needed - Simple enough to maintain solo
• No growth metrics - Success is happy users, not user count
• No feature creep - Does one thing exceptionally well
• Community-friendly - Open source with self-hosting guides

Potential Expansions

• Music collections - Vinyl, CDs, cassettes
• Games - Board games, video games (complement to Bitshelf)
• Comics - Issue tracking, variant covers
• Federation - Optional sharing between friends’ instances

🛡️ Why Shelved Matters

In an era of streaming services and social media book clubs, Shelved offers something different:

• Your data stays yours - No corporate intermediary
• Physical media respect - Not everything is digital
• Quiet enjoyment - Read and watch without performative pressure
• Long-term thinking - Your collection outlasts any startup

Shelved proves that modern web technology (Rails 8, Hotwire, native mobile) can build privacy-respecting tools that enhance rather than exploit our cultural consumption.