Seeking Advice: Managing a Large Media Library with Limited Jellyfin Server Storage

[E4ntrail]

Hi Jellyfin Community,
I’m looking for advice on handling a unique challenge with my Jellyfin setup. Here’s the situation:
I have a large media library, but I’m constrained by limited storage on the VPS I use for Jellyfin. My goal is to allow my family to:

• Browse all the media I have available, including titles stored offline.
  
• Request specific offline media to be added to the server for streaming.
  
• Clearly distinguish between media currently available for streaming and media stored offline.
  

Current Approach
I’ve considered setting up four libraries:

• Movies: Contains movies currently available for streaming.
  
• Shows: Contains shows currently available for streaming.
  
• Movies_Clone: Placeholders for all movies stored offline.
  
• Shows_Clone: Placeholders for all shows stored offline.
  

While this approach lets users browse both available and offline media, there’s a major issue:
When I remove a movie or show from the "Movies" or "Shows" library (to make space for new requests), Jellyfin deletes all user-specific metadata, such as watched statuses and favorites (at least that is my assumption).
I’ve also thought about replacing unavailable media with placeholder files, but this has its own drawback: users can’t easily tell whether a title is currently available for streaming or not.
What I’m Looking For
I’m hoping for a more elegant solution that:

1. Allows users to browse and request offline media.
   
2. Clearly indicates which titles are currently available for streaming.
   
3. Retains user-specific metadata (e.g., watched statuses, favorites) when media is removed and later re-added.
   

Has anyone faced a similar situation or have ideas on how to address this? I’d love to hear your suggestions!
Thanks in advance for your help!