Bookshelf Organization

Bookworms and bibliophiles have a special problem - they have to read. Whether it's the back of a cereal box, a favorite magazine, or David Sedaris' latest work, you'll find them deeply absorbed in some sort of literature most of the time. The downside of all this reading is that oftentimes, a bookworm's home will become overrun with reading material. Books and magazines pile up here and there until no flat surface is left uncovered. But what's a reader to do? Here are some helpful suggestions to get your library under control:

1. It's a good idea to set aside an afternoon and complete this project in one swoop. Get help from family members who contribute to you book-clutter. You'll need a few sturdy cardboard boxes for donations, and a dash of bravery.

2. Strike the easiest targets first: trashy romance novels, pulp fiction, novelizations of films - anything you may be sort of embarrassed by or just didn't enjoy reading. Go on a search-and-donate mission in every room of your home. Gather all the paperbacks into one central location and make a goal of reducing your quantity by a substantial quantity. Have boxes marked "keep" and boxes marked "donate".

3. Keep any books that you genuinely use for reference, like dictionaries, encyclopedias, or specialized books you may need for you profession. Keep books with sentiMental value, and any you still feel have some sort of lesson to teach you or you know you'll read soon.

4. A good idea is to set a selection of books in your guest room - perhaps any books that refer to the town you live in, travel tips, or attractions nearby. That way out of town guests will be able to have a reference point for last minute sight seeing trips!

5. Sort through your remaining books and put aside any that you wish to pass on to friends. Make sure they are handed over immediately. The longer you hang on, the more likely they won't end up in their intended owner's hands.

6. Put the books you wish to donate in sturdy boxes. If you are having a garage sale soon and wish to sell these books, place the boxes in a safe but out-of-the way location until the sale. Otherwise, immediately take your used books to a beneficial charity or other good cause.

7. Look at the remaining books in your home - really hunt them down, even ones in odd places like the baseMent or under the stAirs. Remove any contemporary hardbacks you didn't enjoy or know you won't read again and place them in a box to take to a used bookshop, or to give to friends and family.

8. By now you've gone through all or most of your books and are left with only those that are important and useful to you. You are ready to place them on their shelves! Before you do so, dust the shelves and the books - things that you keep on display should always be well maintained.

9. Make sure that the most frequently used reference titles are in the most accessible location. Those used less frequently may be stored in harder-to reach shelves.

10. Organize your books in a way that makes sense to you. You may want to arrange titles alphabetically by author or title or in a similar fashion to that of libraries and bookstores.

Step back from your bookshelves and stare at your life in books. You may take your organization a step further and free yourself of collections of classic books that may be worth money, or old textbooks. Freeing yourself of extraneous literature may symbolize to you more than a spring clean up - it can mean you've freed yourself from outdated ideas, and are open to new possibilities. Or just new books!

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