Organize a Home Library
Whether your home library is large or small, filled with contemporary best-sellers or classics, once you begin to amass a collection of books, organization is helpful. There are a few simple steps that can help you achieve the home library you desire.
Instructions
1. Clear a space for your books. Whether it's a room devoted to books, a single bookcase or a stack of books under a table, it's important to have an area to organize your books and keep them tidy.
2. Decide on a system of organization. Most home libraries don't hold the sheer mass of books necessary to use a complicated system like Library of Congress or the Dewey Decimal system. The preferred method for most home book stashes is alphabetical order or organization by genre. Alpha-by-author is a simple, quick fix, but if you read a number of genres (mystery, chick lit, horror), it will probably be helpful to split them up and organize the books by author's last name within the respective genres.
3. Catalog your books. While many readers prefer to keep a simple spreadsheet or list of their books and the authors, some others prefer a cataloguing program for download on the Internet or an online service like LibraryThing or Shelfari. Cataloguing books is a simple way to keep track of what you own, want to keep, loan to friends or wish to give away.
4. Maintain your books with good library practices like keeping sunlight off of your books, dusting at regular intervals and avoiding strong odors, like smoke, around the books. Simple maintenance practices will keep your books looking and smelling new for a long time.
5. Reorganize when it is necessary. Just as libraries have to reorder and shift books around when new ones arrive, such is the case for a home library. To avoid clutter, periodically shift your books to make room for new ones instead of stacking them here and there without organization.
6. Consider creating a display or special shelf for books you love or want to read immediately. Just as public libraries maintain a "new arrivals" shelf or a display of themed books, you can do the same at home. Special touches like these help add charm to your home library, personalize the space and make specific books accessible to avoid clutter.
Tags: your books, home library, your home library, avoid clutter, Organize Home, Organize Home Library, your home
