Adding Media Libraries

Overview

Media libraries are how Norri organizes your content. A typical setup has separate Movies, TV Shows, and Music libraries, each with one source folder and content type. You can also add multiple separate libraries of the same type.

Library Types

Norri supports three library types: Movies, TV Shows, and Music.

Adding a Library

1. Go to Settings → Libraries.
2. Click Add Library.
3. Enter a Library Name.
4. Select the Library Type.
5. Under Source Folder, click Browse, choose the folder below the container’s /media directory, and click Select folder.
6. Click Create Library.

Local Folders

Use the Browse button to select one folder exposed to the container below /media, for example /media/Movies. Choosing another folder replaces the selection.

The folders shown come from your Docker media mappings. For example, create Movies from /media/Movies, TV Shows from /media/TVShows, and Music from /media/Music. Your library name can be different from its folder name.

Repeat for as many named sources as you need, including separate libraries of the same type. For example, create 4K Movies from /media/Movies4K and a separate 1080p Movies library from /media/Movies1080p. See Media folder mappings for setup examples.

Network Storage (NAS)

Mount a NAS or network share on the Docker host, then add it to the Norri container as a read-only bind mount below /media. Select that container path when creating the library. Direct SMB URLs, network discovery, and credential entry are not available.

Media Organization

For best results, organize your media following these naming conventions:

Movies

Movies/
├── Movie Name (2023)/
│   └── Movie Name (2023).mkv

TV Shows

TV Shows/
├── Show Name/
│   ├── Season 01/
│   │   ├── Show Name - S01E01 - Episode Title.mkv
│   │   └── Show Name - S01E02 - Episode Title.mkv

See Media Organization for complete details.

Scanning Libraries

After adding a library, Norri scans the folders to discover your media. It also checks for new or changed files automatically and normally processes only the affected folders. Select Scan Now under Library Scan on the library’s edit page whenever you want to check the library on demand. During initial setup, scan progress follows the requested scan even if you reload the page. A failed scan is reported as a failure rather than a completed import.

Replacing or Upgrading Media

When a replacement file is identified as the same movie, episode, or music track in the same library, Norri keeps the existing entry and its saved history. This also handles a short overlap while both the old and new files are present. You do not need to remove and re-add the entry or confirm a duplicate for a clear replacement.

Keep replacement episodes in the same show folder with the correct season and episode numbers. For music, keep the album folder and correct disc and track numbers. A manually identified show or album keeps its selected identity when files in that folder are replaced. Conflicting identities or ambiguous folders still need review.

Norri detects these changes through its normal library checks. Use Scan Now if you want to check immediately. Norri reads the new file’s technical information and marks the old file unavailable when it disappears.

Music Import and Progress

For each album, Norri reads the files and supported local metadata, identifies the album, and fetches online details and artwork when allowed by the library’s settings. Your NFO preferences determine which details take priority. Imported music becomes available as the scan progresses; you do not need to wait for the entire library to finish.

The first scan of a large library can take time. While Norri is still finding files, files processed so far reports completed work without estimating a final percentage. A count labeled files in this folder applies only to that folder. Progress may move between checking files and matching albums as different folders are processed; earlier imports remain in your library.

If an online lookup cannot finish, Norri keeps the imported music and retries the pending work automatically. Check Music Metadata and Artwork under Settings → Scheduled Tasks → Background Tasks for these retries. See Library Maintenance for details.

Maintenance Operations

Four operations are available from each library’s settings page:

• Library Scan discovers new files, marks missing files unavailable, restores returning files, and matches and imports new media
• Update Metadata fetches changed metadata and retries pending music lookups when the online provider is available
• Replace Metadata re-downloads all metadata for every item in the library
• Analyse Files re-reads media files to update codec, resolution, HDR format, tracks, and other technical information

See Library Maintenance for full details on each operation, including automatic scheduling and keyframe extraction.

Sorting

Movies and TV shows are sorted by their sort title, which is generated automatically when an item is added to your library. The sort title strips common leading articles like “The”, “A”, and “An” so that “The Matrix” appears under M rather than T.

You can edit the sort title for any movie or TV show from its edit page. Go to the item’s detail page, click Edit, and change the Sort Title field. Your custom sort title is preserved across library scans and metadata updates.

This is useful when the automatic sort title doesn’t produce the order you want. For example, you might want a franchise to sort together, or a numbered sequel to appear in the right position.

Unavailable Files

When a scan finds that a known file is missing, Norri marks it Unavailable. Its library entry, metadata, watch history, and saved progress remain. Unavailable items stay browsable, but a missing file cannot be played.

Scans do not automatically delete these records. There is no automatic trash-emptying setting or removal grace period.

Restoring Missing Files

1. Reconnect the drive or network share, or restore the missing file to its original path.
2. Open the library’s edit page.
3. Click Scan Now under Library Scan.

When the scan finds the file again, its existing entry becomes available. You do not need to remove and re-add the library.

Reviewing and Removing Entries

1. Go to Settings → Library Health.
2. Review Unavailable items, grouped by library and media type.
3. If an item is permanently gone, click Remove from library and confirm. To remove several entries, select them and use Remove selected from library.

Removal deletes the selected library records; it does not delete files on disk. Leave an entry in place if you want its saved information to return with the file.

Network Storage Safety

If a directory cannot be read or its scan is incomplete, Norri does not assume that its unseen files were deleted. If an unmounted share leaves a readable but empty folder, its missing files may be marked unavailable, but the library records are still retained. Restore the mount and scan again.

Deleting a Library

Open the library’s edit page and expand Advanced Options. Under Danger Zone, click Delete, then follow the confirmation prompt.

Deleting a library stops its scans and background work, removes its catalog entries and saved item information, and clears its downloaded artwork and generated caches. Your original media files, local artwork, and NFO files remain in their source folders. Other libraries remain available.

Add the library again if you want Norri to import those folders again. Its previous saved item information is not restored by a new scan.

Library Settings

Library Icons

On the library’s add or edit page, click Choose icon under Custom Icon. Search or browse the icons, select one, and save the library. Clear Custom Icon to restore the default. The choices are available even when your server is offline.

Localization

Each library can have its own language and country settings:

Metadata Language

Sets the language for titles, descriptions, and taglines fetched from TMDB.

• en. English (default)
• de. German
• fr. French
• etc.

When set, Norri will:

• Search TMDB using your preferred language
• Download titles and overviews in that language
• Prefer posters, backdrops, and logos in that language (when available)
• Fall back to English artwork if your language isn’t available on TMDB

For example, a German user with de will see “Die Verurteilten” instead of “The Shawshank Redemption” if a German title exists on TMDB.

Rating Country

Sets which country’s age ratings to display:

• US. MPAA ratings (G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17)
• GB. BBFC ratings (U, PG, 12A, 15, 18)
• DE. FSK ratings (FSK 0, 6, 12, 16, 18)
• etc.

If a rating isn’t available for your country, Norri can estimate one based on ratings from other countries. This can be enabled/disabled in library settings.

Artwork Management

Each movie and TV show has three artwork types: poster, backdrop, and logo. Open the movie or TV show from your library, then select Edit to manage its artwork.

Changing artwork:

• Click Change Poster, Change Backdrop, or Change Logo to open the artwork picker
• Upload your own image (JPG, PNG, or WebP, max 10MB)
• Fetch from TMDB to browse all available options from TMDB’s database

Locking artwork:

• Click the lock icon next to any artwork type to prevent automatic updates from overwriting it
• Locked artwork is preserved during Library Scan, Update Metadata, and Replace Metadata
• Unlock at any time to allow automatic updates again

Logo settings:

• Use logos toggles whether logos are downloaded and displayed. When disabled, the text title is always shown instead. Enabled by default.
• Fall back to English logos controls whether English logos are used when no logo is available in your library’s language. Enabled by default. This setting only appears when the library language is not English.

Original Title Display

When a movie or TV show has a different original title from the one in your library’s language, Norri displays the original title underneath. For example, if your library is set to English and you have the French film “The Infallibles”, you’ll see the English title prominently displayed with the original French title “Les Infaillibles” shown below it.

This is useful for:

• Identifying foreign films by their original release title
• Distinguishing between films with similar translated titles
• Quickly seeing whether a film was originally produced in another language

The original title appears automatically whenever it differs from the localized title. No configuration needed.

NFO Files

Enable Use NFO metadata files to use metadata stored alongside your media. The library’s NFO options determine how local data and online sources are combined. Media folders are mounted read-only; Norri does not write metadata back into them.

See NFO Metadata Files for supported file locations and the three metadata modes.