Boreads

Boreads is a digital reading platform and social network designed to help readers organize, discover, and discuss books and other written works. It combines a personal library with community features, allowing users to catalog titles, track reading progress, write notes and reviews, rate books, and follow other readers and authors. The service aims to integrate traditional library catalogs and ebook retailers to provide one central location for reading activity.

Core components include user libraries, shelves, reading progress, notes and highlights, reviews, ratings, and social features like following, comments, and groups. Discovery features include algorithmic recommendations, editorial lists, and theme-based reading challenges. It supports import/export of bibliographic data and aims to sync across web and mobile devices.

Technology and access: Boreads offers web and mobile apps, with a RESTful API for third-party apps. Data privacy and consent controls are provided, including public vs private shelves, and options to export stored data.

History: The Boreads project began as a collaboration between developers and librarians in the early 2010s; a public beta was released in 2019, followed by a full launch in 2020. Since then, the platform has evolved with new features such as audiobook support and social reading challenges.

Reception: Critics have noted Boreads for its user-friendly interface and emphasis on social reading, though concerns have been raised about data privacy and competition with larger platforms. It is used by individual readers, book clubs, and libraries as a supplementary catalog and discussion space.