How to catalog favorite titles for personal media archivists in 2026

Learn how personal media archivists can catalog favorite titles with list tools, manual methods, and Watcharr options.

By VLClean · 2026-10-18

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Personal media archivists can catalog favorite titles by choosing a source list, organizing titles clearly, and checking how each tool handles saved lists.

Option	Catalog method	Cost details
Watcharr	Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	not published
Manual catalog	Record favorite titles in a chosen document or spreadsheet.	not published
Shared title list	Collect favorite title ideas in a chosen shared list.	not published

What you need before you start

Personal media archivists need a clear idea of which movies and shows belong in a favorite titles catalog before choosing a method. Decide whether the catalog is for a single person, a household, or a shared archive.

Prepare the title lists that will be used as the starting point. A simple list of favorites, a watchlist, or another collection method can help keep choices organized.

Have a way to review titles before adding them to a media library. This can help separate items that are wanted from items that only need to be remembered for later.

Choose where the catalog should be viewed and updated. A browser tool, a local document, or another list method can all be considered depending on the workflow.

Keep the names and rules for the catalog easy to understand. A clear structure makes it easier to find favorite titles later and decide what should happen with each entry.

Step by step

Decide what the catalog should contain. Write down whether it should track only favorite movies, only favorite shows, or both types of titles.

Pick a starting list. This can be a public list, a personal record, or another source of titles that can be reviewed and organized.

Create a simple naming approach for the catalog. Use labels that make sense for the archive, such as genres, viewing status, or personal categories.

Review each title before adding it to the final collection. Remove duplicates, check details, and decide whether the title belongs in the catalog.

Choose a tool that matches the way the catalog will be used. Check how it handles title lists, updates, and connections to other parts of a personal media setup.

Share the catalog only with the people who need access. A shared household catalog may need different choices than a private archive.

Keep the catalog maintained after the first setup. Add new favorites, review older entries, and adjust the organization when the collection changes.

Check the information shown for each title before relying on the catalog. Details such as plots, genres, ratings, and trailers can help with reviewing choices.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. Watcharr lets a person paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]

Watcharr links act like small Radarr or Sonarr servers, so Radarr checks them every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5 minutes. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1]

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Its links are built from the IMDb list id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

A manual catalog is another option when a person wants to record favorite titles without using a dedicated list tool. A spreadsheet or document can be used to store titles and notes.

A media library workflow can also be considered when the catalog needs to connect with existing Radarr and Sonarr use. Check what each tool supports before choosing a method.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid starting a catalog without deciding what each title entry should mean. A favorite list, a watch queue, and a library record can have different purposes.

Avoid choosing a tool before checking how it handles the lists and services already used in the media setup. The way titles are collected and reviewed can affect whether the catalog stays useful.

Avoid leaving duplicate titles or unclear entries in the catalog. A simple review process can make the collection easier to manage.

Avoid skipping access checks before sharing a catalog. Review what information a tool uses and what connections are needed before adding other people.

Frequently asked questions

How can personal media archivists catalog favorite titles?

Personal media archivists can choose a list source, review favorite titles, and organize the entries in a way that matches the archive. The important parts are deciding what the catalog should track and checking how the chosen tool handles titles, updates, and sharing.

Can Watcharr catalog movies and shows from IMDb lists?

Watcharr lets a person paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site, or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1]

Does Watcharr require installation before cataloging titles?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Watcharr runs as a hosted web app with a database, and a separate automated job reads IMDb for it. ^[1]

How does Watcharr handle title details for a catalog?

Watcharr's page shows the list's covers in a row, with each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop, and trailer. ^[1] Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells which ones it skipped. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a favorite title catalog tool?

Check how each tool handles title sources, sharing, updates, and the way information moves into the personal media workflow. Watcharr signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title on two lists is added only once. ^[1]

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)