Reorganizing my library is done, and I learned a few things I’d like to share. Enjoy!
Look at All of Your Books
Book publishing is only more prolific today then book buying. With the wide range available, it is no surprise that the avid reader has many types of books in their collection. My personal collection has fiction, non-fiction, self-help, professional development, writing skills, textbooks, paperbacks and hardbound. I have books almost one-hundred years old, and last week’s bestseller.
Would I place the non-fiction theology books in alphabetical order by the author? Maybe, but a personal library should useful but also aesthetically pleasing. You have the opportunity to organize your home library in a more personal way then the systems used in public libraries.
When organizing a library you want to consider not only the subject, but also the age, size, and shape of the book. Once you have a general idea of the books you own, you can begin.
Create a Space for OrganizationFirst, remove the photographs, candles, knick-knacks and other filler items from the shelves but leave the books where they are. Clean off an area for these fragile filler items so that they remain completely out of they way. Put them back only after you organize the books. Now you can focus solely on books, and you will see your whole library at once glance.
If you don’t see your entire library at once because you’ve double or triple layered your books then you need more space for them. Yep, it is time to take the leap and buy more shelving. You will be happier with this decision when you see the increases accessibility to your reading material. And as a bonus, everything in your living area will look less cluttered because of the added space.
Removing BooksRemoving books can only be done with care. It is easy to damage books when dealing with large quantities. Dust jackets may tear, or small paperbacks can have their cover folded over. Place the books in piles according to how you intend to sort them later. I had a pile for each of the following subjects: classic fiction, general fiction, history, media arts, philosophy, poetry, political science, reference books, science fiction, science, social work, sports, theology, United States history, and writing resources.
The piles organized by the book shelf I was going to place them on, so US History, reference, and writing resources were in front of one books shelf. Media arts, theology, and sports were next to another. Of course, none of these subjects are related, but my decision on placing them together are more about esthetics and the amount of books vs. space to be considered.
Placing the Books BackI started with the largest bookshelf and the tallest pile of books in my library, science and science fiction. The five shelve bookshelf was able to hold science fiction and science on two shelves. The smaller bookshelf had the subjects with the least amount of material
Be creative with your positioning of books – let books be your first filler item. Rather then double layer, find smaller books that can be laid horizontal and help accent the larger books behind. You can create an appealing three-dimensional configuration that houses many books, and does not look cluttered. The photo demonstrates this point.
When FinishedAfter you finish, you will have an easy time of finding your favorite reads. I was inspired to reorganize my library early one morning while waiting for my brother so we can leave for work. Board, I went to my usual course of action and grabbed a book at random – an anthology by Asimov. I found a gem in that book and finally realized the treasure covering my walls, which was sitting neglected.
Organizing my library was one way to treat the knowledge in my position with respect by increasing my access to the information itself.
