Search

Finding books in your library

4 min read

Colibri provides powerful search capabilities to help you find books in your library quickly.

Basic Search ​

Quick Search ​

The search bar in the top navigation allows you to search across your entire library:

  1. Click the search icon or press / to focus the search bar
  2. Type your search query
  3. Results appear as you type
  4. Click any result to navigate to that work

What You Can Search ​

  • Titles: Full titles and subtitles
  • Authors: Creator names
  • Publishers: Publisher names
  • Descriptions: Book descriptions and synopses
  • Series: Series names
  • Tags: Custom tags you’ve added
  • ISBNs: ISBN-10 and ISBN-13

Search Syntax ​

Simple Queries ​

Just type what you’re looking for:

pride and prejudice

Finds books with “pride” and “prejudice” in any field.

Phrase Search ​

Use quotes for exact phrases:

"the lord of the rings"

Matches the exact phrase only.

Field-Specific Search ​

Search within specific fields:

author:tolkien
title:"the hobbit"
publisher:penguin
isbn:9780141439518
tag:fantasy
series:"the lord of the rings"

Combining Searches ​

Use multiple criteria:

author:asimov tag:science-fiction

Finds science fiction books by Asimov.

Wildcard Search ​

Use * for partial matches:

harry*

Matches “Harry Potter”, “Harry Dresden”, etc.

Advanced Filters ​

Filter Panel ​

Click Filters to access advanced filtering options:

  • Authors: Filter by specific creators
  • Publishers: Filter by publishing house
  • Languages: Filter by book language
  • Series: Filter by series membership
  • Tags: Filter by custom tags
  • Publication Year: Filter by date range
  • Formats: Filter by file format (EPUB, MOBI, PDF)

Combining Filters ​

You can combine multiple filters:

  1. Select an author
  2. Add a language filter
  3. Set a publication year range
  4. Results update automatically

Saving Searches ​

Create smart collections based on search criteria:

  1. Perform a search or apply filters
  2. Click Save as Collection
  3. Give your collection a name
  4. The collection will automatically update as you add matching books

Search Results ​

Result Display ​

Search results show:

  • Cover thumbnail
  • Title and subtitle
  • Author(s)
  • Publication year
  • Match relevance score

Sorting Results ​

Sort results by:

  • Relevance (default): Best matches first
  • Title: Alphabetical by title
  • Author: Alphabetical by author
  • Date Added: Newest additions first
  • Publication Date: Newest publications first

Result Actions ​

From search results, you can:

  • Click to view the full work page
  • Add to collections (hover and click the icon)
  • Download the book
  • Quick preview metadata

Keyboard Shortcuts ​

Shortcut Action
/ Focus search bar
Esc Clear search
↓ / ↑ Navigate results
Enter Open selected result
⌘K / Ctrl+K Open command palette (includes search)

Search Tips ​

Finding Exact Books ​

If you know the ISBN, use it for the most accurate results:

isbn:9780141439518

Browsing by Author ​

To see all books by an author:

author:"J.R.R. Tolkien"

Or click the author’s name on any book page.

Finding Series Books ​

To find all books in a series:

series:"Harry Potter"

Or navigate to the series page from any book in the series.

Discovering Tagged Books ​

Find books by custom tags:

tag:to-read
tag:favorites

Language-Specific Searches ​

Find books in a specific language:

language:spanish
language:japanese

Full-Text Search ​

When Available ​

If full-text indexing is enabled (instance setting), you can search within book contents:

content:"to be or not to be"

This searches the actual text of your ebooks.

Enabling Full-Text Search ​

Full-text search requires administrator configuration. Contact your instance admin to enable it.

Search Performance ​

Indexing ​

Colibri uses PostgreSQL’s full-text search with automatic indexing:

  • New books are indexed immediately
  • Metadata changes update the index automatically
  • Index is optimized for fast searches

Large Libraries ​

For libraries with 10,000+ books:

  • Consider narrowing searches with filters first
  • Use field-specific searches when possible
  • Results are paginated for better performance

Search Privacy ​

What’s Tracked ​

  • Search queries are NOT logged by default
  • Instance administrators can enable search analytics
  • Check your instance privacy policy for details

Search Suggestions ​

If enabled, search suggestions are generated from:

  • Your library content only
  • Not from external sources
  • Not shared with other users

Troubleshooting ​

No results found ​

Possible causes:

  • Misspelled search terms
  • Book isn’t in your library
  • Searching the wrong field

Solutions:

  • Try a broader search
  • Check spelling
  • Remove field prefixes to search all fields

Slow searches ​

Possible causes:

  • Very large library
  • Complex query
  • Database needs optimization

Solutions:

  • Use filters to narrow results
  • Simplify your search query
  • Contact administrator about database maintenance

Missing expected results ​

Possible causes:

  • Book metadata doesn’t match your query
  • Filters are too restrictive

Solutions:

  • Check the book’s metadata
  • Remove some filters
  • Try alternative search terms