Culling Your Home Library
Let’s take some time to talk about your home library.
- Do you have so many books you no longer have shelf space for all of them?
- Have they spilled over onto chairs and tables, or in piles on the floor?
Too many books create a great deal of visual clutter. It’s time to assess.
This particular project may take awhile, so set aside the time. It will be worth it.
First, I suggest that you gather all the books together in one place. Then begin with a pile system sorting the books by category: fiction, reference, non-fiction, biographies, cookbooks, etc.
Wow, that was a big job in itself!
Every bibliophile thinks that all books are sacred. However, you don’t have to own every tome you have ever read.
Start with the reference books. I’m sure some of them are obsolete, technology has changed so much that any reference book older than five years is probably out-of-date. Recycle them. If they are hardback remove cover and recycle pages with regular paper. If they are paperback they can go just as they are.
Move on to the fiction pile.
Are any of the books “comfort” books, books you’ve read over and over?
You can keep those. Evaluate the rest, maybe you didn’t even like it that much. Nursing homes, senior centers and some retirement communities would be delighted to have them, donating is a good way to recycle books.
This same process should be applied to all the piles.
If you have never and probably will never make a single recipe from a cookbook, give it away. When this culling process is done you will have more shelf space, dusting will be easier and you will have room for the purchase of a new book you can’t live without.
Recycle or Give Away!
Another resource you can use is The Baltimore Book Thing, Inc., website http://bookthing.org, they accept books, stamp them not for sale and anyone can go in and get a book for free.
Tags: collections, library, tips
Uncategorized | admin | 
August 2, 2009 1:32 pm
