How do you organize your books? Even though I’m not a big reader anymore, as you can read here, I still have accumulated a solid collection of books over time. I love the look, feel and smell of them. At used book sales, I’ll still pick up paperbacks that I once enjoyed which causes my personal library to continue to grow. And when it comes to cleaning in spring, organizing this small library becomes my favorite part.
To a book reader, having a large collection is a source of pride and joy. You get bragging rights, and opportunity to post artsy pictures of your shelves on Sundays, #shelfiesunday. Some of these books have never been read and never will be. Others, with their broken binding, are a familiar escape in stressful times. And a mix of them spill onto the floor when there’s no more room on the shelf. This is where you definitely need to take action and give your book-related space a makeover. So get creative and get ready to sort through your personal library.
“You are the librarian. You make the rules.”
Apply ground rules
The number one ground rule being that there will be no books on the ground. If it can’t fit a horizontal space that is not the floor, it needs to go. Either you have to purchase more shelves, make room in your closet, or remove the accessories off the shelves. A lot of times our book cases end up being home to other knickknacks such as grade school trophies and piggy banks; they need to go. Transfer some hardbacks to a coffee table. Hammer in some shelves in the living room. Understandably, getting new shelves and furniture isn’t possible for everyone. A lot of times when purchasing new things to store your old things, the problem lies in the old things. Make a rule to donate a fraction of the books. The idea of parting from your paper-y companions is tough but it is necessary for a more organized and clean collection. Cataloging your books is a great way to identify what needs to go from your personal library.
Catalog your collection
This is a time consuming task that may not be for everyone. However, it is extremely rewarding and satisfactory to know all the books you own! There are multiple apps and websites you can use, such as www.librarything.com and www.goodreads.com, that will help speed up the process. It does, however, get tricky when you have foreign language books. A good portion of my parent’s library consists of books in urdu and arabic. And it takes some time since the information needs to be entered manually. You have to decide how to list them, either by transliteration or translation. I went by transliteration and put other possible spellings in the tags. If you frequently loan your books out, cataloging is a good tool to keep track of them. Or if you prefer the old-school card catalog system, you can buy some kits for your personal library. Having a cataloged home library allows for a better understanding of what you own and helps you make wiser decisions about future purchases.
Settle on an arrangement
Arranging the books is the most fun part about having your own home library. There are so many different ways to organize! You can line them up based on aesthetics, such as color, size, and publishing companies. Or categorize them alphabetically, based on author names or titles. You can sort your books based on genres. If these choices are overwhelming, just apply the Dewey Decimal System! You’ll have the most organized and systematic personal library. And if none of this works, devise your own system! Arrange them based on your rating of the books, or date of purchase, or times read. Or mix it all up! Create a method for your madness. My Tolkien collection sits amicably next to the C.S.Lewis books. After all, the two authors were friends in real life. My old favorites sit at the bottom, while keeping the recently purchased unread books at the top for easy access. You are the librarian. You make the rules.
“Create a method for your madness.”
Get rid of the excess
If, even after playing an advanced game of tetris with your books and hiding the less interesting reads behind the more preferred ones, there are still leftovers on the floor, you have to find them a new home. While you’re figuring out your organization style, keep an eye out for books you don’t like, care about or intend to read. Multiple copies of books need to go. And if you spot some that do not belong to you, return them immediately to their rightful owner! Donate or gift the rejected pile. If you have friends who are teachers, they will gladly accept your generous offerings. Give a proper send off to your old tattered and torn books.
Ideally all this sorting, organizing, and donating will leave space for some new books. And the next time you come across a bookstore, you’ll know exactly what to add to your personal library. You’ll have just the home for a magenta hardback, a science fiction by a non-white female author, and a few forgotten classics.
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