Weave connections across different authors and genres. Learn how to organize your reading insights with subject tags like #history or #psychology and filter cross-book themes in Library Gems.
Why Tag Your Reading Insights?
Great ideas rarely stay confined to a single book. An insight on human nature in a 19th-century Russian novel often illuminates an argument in a modern psychology treatise. When highlights are filed only under individual book titles, these cross-disciplinary threads remain hidden.
GemReader introduces intuitive tagging for your marginalia and highlights. By typing simple tags (such as `#philosophy`, `#metaphor`, or `#thesis`), you build an interconnected web of thoughts. When it comes time to draft a paper or reflect on a theme, you can summon every relevant passage across dozens of books in a single view.
What You'll Need
To tag your notes and highlights, make sure you have:
• **Platforms**: GemReader installed on your device (Android or iOS). • **Prerequisites**: Any book open with an active highlight, or an existing note in Library Gems. • **Connection**: 100% offline (tag indexing happens entirely on-device with zero lag).
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. In your open book, tap any existing highlight (or select a sentence to highlight it). 2. In the annotation toolbar, tap the note icon to open the note editor. 3. Add your tags using either method: - Type a hash symbol (`#`) followed immediately by your tag word in the note text (such as `#stoicism` or `#architecture`). - Tap **Add tag** and select from your existing library tags or enter a new one. 4. Tap **Save** to store your note and tag. 5. To browse tagged thoughts later, open the **Notes** tab to view **Library Gems**, then tap **Tags** or select **Grouped by tag** to view all matching highlights across your library.
Helpful Tips & Common Questions (Librarian's Advice)
• **Multi-Word Tags**: For phrases with multiple words, use hyphens or camel-casing (such as `#moral-philosophy` or `#MoralPhilosophy`) so the tag index recognizes the entire concept as a single topic. • **Exporting to Obsidian & Notion**: When you export your notes to Markdown or Obsidian, your `#tags` are preserved faithfully, transforming directly into native tags and clickable graph nodes in personal knowledge management tools. • **Locked Collection Privacy**: Tags attached to highlights inside a locked collection remain completely private—they will never appear in your general tag view until that collection is unlocked with your PIN.
Try it yourself