Do you organize your home library?

[CalicoKat]

Please share your electronic methods and shelving methods.

 

When I unpack all my books I have a supreme opportunity to try and get organized. I know it will only last a few "minutes" as my kids greet their old friends--but I can try, right?

 

Thanks in advance.

[mellifera]

It doesn't matter if they are fiction or not. I do keep all the physics, chemistry, biology, science books together because that is easier. The kids books aren't organized because they won't stay that way. I also set up a data base using Microsoft Access with all of our books on it. It's kind of awkward, but it's what I had at the time.

[plansrme]

Some are easy--bios all together, for example. Family life is together. Fiction is divided by category, rather than author: classics, anything with an international spin, southern lit., boy books (think Robert Ludlum, Lee Child), humor, etc. This works for me--I never have a problem finding anything.

 

Terri

[Donna in OH]

in reality, it's loosely organized by room. I have looked at a couple of methods of electronic organizing, but haven't done anything yet.

 

I have come quite close at least twice to purchasing ReaderWare, but until I either have a laptop to use in the school room, or feel like shelling out the bucks to purchase a wireless bar code reader, I will most likely plod along as I have been.

 

Let us know if you set up electronically, and how it works out.

 

Donna

[KS_]

Please share your electronic methods and shelving methods.

 

 

 

I just started getting our library organized - with over 1300 books, I really needed to! I use Library Thing to keep track of what I have, and have a couple shelves devoted to books that will be used in future years - and they're now organized by author.

 

The general reading books (fiction) are also organized by author, and we have a couple shelves of non-fiction or reference type books that I've loosely organized by subject. And then I have one shelf for the larger, picture books that I can't fit on the other shelves (and since there aren't as many of those, I haven't organized them yet).

 

And then, I have several more shelves (in another room) of the stuff I consider either more twaddle or baby-ish books, or stuff that I could get rid of, that isn't organized. I'm going to try to go through them this summer and weed out some of them (my kids do not like getting rid of books . . .) And then I will probably organize those shelves by author, too.

[Tammy]

but not the actual title or author of the book.

 

Tammy

[mcconnellboys]

I use a label maker to mark my shelves. I have all my biology/botany books for younger children (up through logic stage) together; all the chemistry and physical science; all the earth science and astronomy. I have high school/college level science texts stored separately.

 

I have all my ancient history/lit together; all my medieval; all early modern/modern world; and all U.S. stored on different shelves.

 

I have all my religion stored together; all my art and music things are stored together; all my miscellaneous children's lit books are stored together. I have separate shelves for all my high school level work, such as Latin, Spanish, Logic, grammar, etc., etc.

 

I have science kits stacked out of the way, in cubby areas.

 

As I begin planning for next year, I clear and create a shelf for all the science books from home that I'll be using during the year and another for all the history/lit books that I'll be using (well, that's usually two shelves). I keep one shelf to use for organizing all the core subjects (math, grammar, etc.) for next year.

 

Oh, and I have all my geography books together on one shelf. That's all I can think of right now,

 

Regena

[pixelroper]

organize by subject for nonfiction, fiction organized by author, adult separated from youth. I use the freeware Books to organize in the same way on my computer and track loans/sales/give away.

[CalicoKat]

I just started getting our library organized - with over 1300 books, I really needed to! I use Library Thing to keep track of what I have, and have a couple shelves devoted to books that will be used in future years - and they're now organized by author.

 

The general reading books (fiction) are also organized by author, and we have a couple shelves of non-fiction or reference type books that I've loosely organized by subject. And then I have one shelf for the larger, picture books that I can't fit on the other shelves (and since there aren't as many of those, I haven't organized them yet).

 

And then, I have several more shelves (in another room) of the stuff I consider either more twaddle or baby-ish books, or stuff that I could get rid of, that isn't organized. I'm going to try to go through them this summer and weed out some of them (my kids do not like getting rid of books . . .) And then I will probably organize those shelves by author, too.

OH MY, I just spent a hour adding books to Libary Thing---and I found a couple duplicate books that I didn't know I had. It's a very good thing that the rest of my libary is packed in storage way in the back of the storage shed. . . or I'd be up til the wee hours of the a.m. adding books! :)

[Kim in TN]

Organizing our books is on my list of things to do.

 

I'll be watching this thread for ideas! :)

[Gailmegan]

Fiction is alphabetical by author and nonfiction is categorized. Children's books are the same way - the fiction is in their rooms and the non-fiction categorized in the school room.

[KS_]

OH MY, I just spent a hour adding books to Libary Thing---and I found a couple duplicate books that I didn't know I had. It's a very good thing that the rest of my libary is packed in storage way in the back of the storage shed. . . or I'd be up til the wee hours of the a.m. adding books! :)

 

That's one of the reasons I started with Library Thing . . .I had purchased a slightly more expensive book for my ds that I was sure I didn't have . . .only to find it on the shelf after receiving the second copy :001_huh:

[K&Rs Mom]

I shelve by topic, with a few favorite authors earning their own section. I mostly separate hardcovers from paperbacks, and try to keep similar sizes together. I have most of the kids' books in a separate bookcase, which we moved out of the library when it became dh's office. I also have a bookcase in the guest room holding school stuff, except stuff for future years (in the 4-year history/science cycle) had to get moved to the library.

 

Am I the only one who also puts fiction in topic groups? I have sci-fi together, military fiction, classics, suspense, etc..

 

I tried librarything.com but it was too much work to enter all the ISBNs (I was carrying stacks of books back & forth to the computer) and then decide on tags for each. It would be great to have an inventory list somewhere, but not worth the data-entry headache to get started, not to mention the upkeep as I buy more and donate others.

[Crissy]

When I unpack all my books I have a supreme opportunity to try and get organized.

 

I have no advice, but I wish you luck.

I hoped to take advantage of a similar opportunity when we remodeled our house last year.

When the time came to unpack the boxes, I just wanted the books ON THE SHELVES and for the house to look a little less like a construction site.

They are still shelved in the same hapless manner, and although I can visualize where each book is, and usually find anything in a matter of minutes, there is nothing 'organized' about our home library.

[Quiver0f10]

I have them organized by topic, but I need to do something more detailed for our TOG books. I haven't decided what yet, but I am thinking of dots or something to tell the levels/years apart.

[Zoraida]

I arrange my fiction by author. I use to have a problem with arrangeing my non-fiction. To solve the non-fiction problem, I now use librarything.com to list my non-fiction books. They have the option to use The Library of Congress system or the Dewey Decimal system. I prefer the Dewey Decimal system. Everytime I get a new non-fiction, I go to Librarything. com and put in the new book and click on th DD button to see where to place my new non-fiction on my bookcase.

Blessings

 

Zoraida

[Zoraida]

If you are familiar with Nancy Pearl - Seattle's favorite librarian, she once told a caller on npr that she arranges all of her books alphabetically by author. She has fiction and non-fiction mixed all together.

Blessings

 

Zoraida

[CalicoKat]

If you are familiar with Nancy Pearl - Seattle's favorite librarian, she once told a caller on npr that she arranges all of her books alphabetically by author. She has fiction and non-fiction mixed all together.

Blessings

 

Zoraida

Just like my fav. store Barnes & Nobles. I just might name my library Calico's Cache!

 

That makes a lot of sense to do it the way Nancy Pearl suggested.

[CalicoKat]

Organizing our books is on my list of things to do.

 

I'll be watching this thread for ideas! :)

 

You gotta check out Library Thing--way too cool.

[Harriet Vane]

Books are grouped by subject. They are alphabetical by author within each subject.

 

Cds are in one huge binder, no jewel cases. They are sort of grouped by style.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

The books in the school room are shelved by subject. The history books are further sorted, and shelved chronologically. Science are further sorted by category (a la WTM). My main subjects are Liturature, Language arts, Science, more Science, Math, History, More history, Homeschool aides (WTM, other books about homeschooling, catalogs), Reference books (dictionaries, handbooks, etc).

 

When we moved in, and it came time to tackle the books, I made removable labels for each subject. Then, as I unpacked the boxes, I placed the books on the proper shelves. Eventually, I went back and put everything in order so that I'd be able to find it when I needed it.

 

I don't catalog anything.

[kalanamak]

All the rest by subject, with an additional set of boxes by broad subject (history and science in one box, language and arts in another) for any books that are more than 3 years above my child's abilities. I have on other box for books I think will turn into readalouds in the next couple of years.

Label well.

HTH

[Plaid Dad]

I use LibraryThing for electronic cataloging; I love it.

 

I only organize my own books; the other family members are in charge of their books. I realized the other day that I had arranged mine according to LCC subjects. Nerdy, I know, and ridiculously self-referential, but it works. There are sections for:

 

• Classical Education
  
• Latin
  
• Greek
  
• Religion
  
• Great Books-Literature (plus secondary materials)
  
• Great Books-History
  
• Logic and Great Books-Philosophy
  

 

The various Great Books sections are arranged chronologically. I have a very few odds and ends - a nature drawing book, some dictionaries, and a couple of cookbooks (those last are in the kitchen). There's a shelf in the bookcase for curriculum for future use; our current curriculum lives in magazine file boxes on a closet shelf, as do music books and scores. I don't buy popular fiction or non-fiction outside my areas of interest; I just read things from the library.

 

My wife's books are arranged by subject and my dd's largely by size, although in practice that means that novels are grouped together. She does tend to keep books by the same author together, but not in any other order I can discern.

 

That's probably more than you ever wanted to know! :o

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Well, our book collection numbers in the thousands so...

 

We created our own set of databases in MSAccess to keep a log of the books. One each for fiction, other books (non-fiction, reference,etc), and one for children's books). We track title, author, copywrite, publication, edition, series, subject, publisher, cost, ISBN, personal notes, and owner ( ie books specifically gifted to one child). Adult non-fiction is shelved by subject (history-by country/area and then chronologically, travel by country then general to spcific, cookbooks alphabetical by author except a separate section for Junior League books, foreign languages by general dictionaries then study/teaching materials then general works, others in a similarly logical fashion as needed). Fiction is alphabetical by author, a series by one author is in order of the series. Kids school and non-fiction together in similar fashion to adults and kept in school room. Kids fiction in groups based on topic or at the very least grouped by series. The many books currently being read by family members tend to be found piled by the latest reading spot.

 

However, I am thinking of purchasing Readerware or BookCollecterz to make data entry easier and include more information automatically. Readerware has been including a barcode reader recently in one of their packages.

 

And in case you're curious after the overthought system above-my spices are in alphabetical order in the cupboard too.;)

[CalicoKat]

I have no advice, but I wish you luck.

I hoped to take advantage of a similar opportunity when we remodeled our house last year.

When the time came to unpack the boxes, I just wanted the books ON THE SHELVES and for the house to look a little less like a construction site.

They are still shelved in the same hapless manner, and although I can visualize where each book is, and usually find anything in a matter of minutes, there is nothing 'organized' about our home library.

They are sorta organized in the storage boxes. They're either in fiction or school boxes. :) Hopefully that will make it more likely I'll take the time to organize :auto: .

 

It's hard to know at this end of the moving game how I'm going to feel then. I'll probably just want them out too.

[homewithtrinity]

I have always grouped nonfiction books by subject. Fiction books are grouped by author.

[KidsHappen]

I organize by subject. I find that the easiest way to locate something. I might not neccesarily know the name of the book or the author but I usually know what kind of book it is. So all science on set of shelves, an individual shelf for each sub-subject (biology, chemistry, physics, etc.) My categories are: language arts, languages, math, science, history, other social sciences, arts, adult fiction, children's fiction, miscellaneous (current events, social issue and such). We also have shelves for games, media, learning aids and props and then each child has their own shelf for their current school books and I have an entire set of shelves for projects I am working on. I have no more room for book shelves so once all these shelves are full we will have to start weeding current books in order to buy more. I do not have these logged anywhere and I really need to for insurance purposes. It is on my very long list of projects to work on. :toetap05:

[ElisabethGrace]

Our books are grouped by subject with History and Science following TWTM divisions. This alone has saved my sanity many times! ;)

 

The dining room of this house has been turned into a library with shelves lining the walls. We also have books in all the bedrooms, the laundry room, the pantry and the living room, so it's a challenge to keep it all quasi-organized.

 

I need to have a master list for insurance purposes like KidsHappen. I was thinking of buying one of those scanners to help catalog books. Maybe as a birthday gift to myself. I'm a total nerd, I LOVE to organize! :001_rolleyes: