# The Collections Thread: Ideas

**URL:** <https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/the-collections-thread-ideas/167>\
**Category:** general\
**Created:** [August 16, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/the-collections-thread-ideas/167 "2026-08-16T20:36:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Burnett](https://forum.ctlgs.org/user_avatar/forum.ctlgs.org/burnett/32/7_2.png) [@Burnett](https://forum.ctlgs.org/u/Burnett)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/the-collections-thread-ideas/167/1 "2026-08-16T20:36:43Z")

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Pulling together the collection-related feature ideas from the [All Features Great and Small](https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/all-features-great-and-small/157) thread so we can discuss them in one place.

**Alerts & Activity**

- Notifications when someone edits an item in your Collection, Wantlist, or Contributions
- Ability to follow specific submissions and get alerts on changes

**Multiple Copies & Custom Fields**

- Add more than one copy of an Edition to your Collection
- Custom fields per copy — condition, location, origin, purchase price, date acquired
- Option to make custom fields public or private

**Browsing & Display**

- Customize which fields are visible in Collection/Read/Wantlist views
- Search, group, and sort within your collection
- Multiple display options — list, table, cards

**Virtual Shelves**

- Curated selections from your collection, shareable (similar to Discogs Lists)
- Cross-catalog — a shelf could contain things from different catalogs

**Export**

- Data export for your collection

What else should be on this list? What’s most important to you?

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**Author:** ![xceque](https://forum.ctlgs.org/user_avatar/forum.ctlgs.org/xceque/32/79_2.png) [@xceque](https://forum.ctlgs.org/u/xceque)\
**Post date:** [August 16, 2026, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/the-collections-thread-ideas/167/2 "2026-08-16T21:06:26Z")

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Fundamentally, a Collection, Want list, and Read list are all the same species of lists as you’d want to be able to construct for a Bookshelf. They’re just fixed types with given names - they’d have all of the same properties and all the same uses to be put to. Likewise, anything you’d want to do with a Bookshelf, you’d also want to be able to do with the Collection, Wantlist, Read list.

I’d want to make one for an Unwanted list - I have loads of spares of books, comics, etc, that I don’t really want, but need to document condition aspects, location, etc.

Essentially, you’d really only be looking to construct the one List structure, and just allow multiple instances per user, each with their own configuration settings.

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**Author:** ![auboisdormant](https://forum.ctlgs.org/user_avatar/forum.ctlgs.org/auboisdormant/32/46_2.png) [@auboisdormant](https://forum.ctlgs.org/u/auboisdormant)\
**Post date:** [August 19, 2026, 11:16pm UTC](https://forum.ctlgs.org/t/the-collections-thread-ideas/167/3 "2026-08-19T23:16:01Z")

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I like all the collection tool suggestions, particularly the multiple copies, custom fields, and the virtual shelves.

The “Alerts & Activity” ones are the least important to me. If these are installed, please also have the possibility to turn them off. 😅