The Roadmap of Library of All

In the previous post, I shared the mission of Library of All. In this post, I want to share the concrete roadmap to achieve that mission.

TL;DR

• Timeline: It’s a lifetime project, but I have set a clear milestone until the end of 2030.
• Content: I will focus on uploading all public domain novels (digitization & formatting).
• Features: In 2026, I will prioritize “Learning Tools” to help users grow, beyond just reading.
• Sustainability: Even as a side project, I guarantee data persistence and core service availability.

Disclaimer

This is currently a side project. While my passion is constant, my pace might fluctuate depending on my employment status. However, I promise that your reading data (notes, highlights) will always be safe and accessible, regardless of the project’s development speed.

The Roadmap

Long-term (Until the end of 2030)

My lifetime goal is to provide all books and their translations to readers all over the world. To achieve this, I have defined a clear scope for the next 5 years.

1. The Content: Public Domain Novels

Until 2030, my primary focus is archiving all public domain novels. This is not just “copy-pasting” text; it involves a quality assurance pipeline:

• Digitization: Converting raw text into structured formats.
• Formatting: Ensuring proper chapter separation, consistent typography, and mobile optimization.
• Metadata: Tagging genres, authors, and difficulty levels.

2. The Translation Challenge

Providing translations is tricky because a translation of a public domain book is considered a “derivative work” and is often copyrighted.

• Strategy: I cannot simply scrape existing modern translations. Instead, I will source public domain translations (older versions) first.
• AI & Human Collaboration: AI translation is ~80-90% accurate, but the last 10-20% determines the quality. Since hiring professional translators for everything is unsustainable, I plan to build a community-driven proofreading system where AI generates the draft and users help refine the final quality.

Short-term (2026 Objectives)

In 2026, the focus is on building a solid foundation: uploading English public domain novels and implementing essential e-reader features.

1. Content Schedule

• Target: 3 books per week.
• Prioritization:
  1. User Requests: If you request a book, it jumps to the top of the queue.
  2. Curated Picks: Popular classics and hidden gems.
  3. Random: To diversify the library.
• Note: If I get a full-time job, I will maintain a minimum cadence of 1 book per week. However, to keep the library growing faster, I might open a call for volunteers who share this vision to help with uploading and formatting.

2. Feature Roadmap

I will implement features that transform this app from a simple viewer into a learning tool, aiming to match the utility of feature-rich market leaders like Moon+ Reader or ReadEra.

Phase 1: Learning & Growth (2026)

• Multi-color Highlighting: Essential for active reading.
• Note-taking: Add personal insights to your selected text.
• Reading Tracker: Display daily/total reading time to help build habits.
  • Real-time reading time display per chapter
  • Automatic reading activity tracking for logged-in users
  • Total reading time across all books and chapters
  • Daily reading time statistics
  • Weekly reading time statistics
  • Monthly reading time statistics
  • Yearly reading time statistics
• Dictionary Integration: Tap to define words instantly.
• Wordbook: Save difficult words to review later.
• Bookmarks: Save your progress across devices.

Phase 2: Nice to Have (2026)

• Content Viewer Improvement: Customizable fonts, line spacing, and margins.

Sustainability

This is a lifetime project fueled by passion, but it also incurs real costs (servers, dictionary API, translation APIs, etc.).

• Data Guarantee: Your reading data (notes, highlights) will always be safe.
• Financial Model: To ensure the project’s longevity, I am considering a sustainable model for the future. While reading public domain books will always be free, advanced features that incur ongoing costs (such as cloud sync, dictionary, or unlimited notes) might be offered through an optional support membership.

Have a book in mind? Please Join our Discord and let me know if there are specific books you want to read. Your requests drive this roadmap!