organising a library

[mimififi]

Hi,
We have recently transformed our sitting room into a library. The reason being is we have a grand piano and various other instruments and more than the worlds body weight in books! So, either, the dining room had to go, or the books had to go and the books won!

So, my question to you, is I now have to organise all my books of which I have many in every category in the world, in some way. I don't want to go the whole Dewey system as it is just too time consuming and i don't have one of those ticker tape machines. so, how would you categorise your books?

I have children's books also, and teenage fiction, non fiction of all sorts, classics etc etc.....and tonnes of music score........the list goes on.

Help me, how shall I do this???????????

many thanks
mimi

[dot.hawkes]

I would seriously think about the practical aspects, i'e the fire hazard and the dusting and whether the books will ever get read, donate some to charity , there will always be more books

[JustSia]

dot.hawkes, my God, you can not be serious?!

Please tell me you were not serious!!!

Lost for words. Sorry, I need to regain my composure.

Breath in, breath out, breath in, breath out....

S.

[JustSia]

you see how shocked I am I lost all the e's

S.

[CompNut]

I know, JustSia, one's books are so personal ,it becomes impossible to let them go. I have 2 studies, walls lined with books, science,classics, travel, wildlife, music, history, poetry, novels of all kinds, reference books and some technical ones. All needed and continually enjoyed .

mimififi, Because of varying sizes of the books organising them is a difficult task I know. So I arrange mine : shelves of each subject - science, art, literature, history, etc. and thence alphabetically by author's names. It works for me, anyway.

[noxlumos]

I collect books and my library is arranged much the same as compnuts except instead of arranging mine by catagory then authors name, I arrange them by catagory and then by size ( height) as I found it made it easier to locate as I could visualise the book and guess it's exact location better.

I'm sure dot must have been joking, she's a well read lady, can't believe she'd suggest you dismantle your library seriously.

[JustSia]

I do the same CN. Although many of them are still waiting for their shelves. Unfortunately the priority in this case goes to my littlun's art and toys at the mo. But I shall have my own library one day!!!

S.

[mimififi]

ummm, dot, I think you jest: get rid of my books? As my dad would say, and has done on copious occasion: Books are our friends!

Right, so you guys do category and aphabetise within category? SOund good. Do you alphabetise the categories too? I.E art at the begining top, Classics next, Craft next etc etc....?

I would be interested to know. I am not very good at coming up with own systems as I have in the past had personal issues with alphabetising and arranging things and so need to know a normal way to do this. I need to know how far you go in your organisation and where you draw the line....

thanks again!

[CompNut]

mimififi hello. I do alphabetize the categories, yes, and also keep a ledger cataloguing what books I've got and where they are. It took ages to do. Sad, aren't I !
My system is not perfect, I know, but it is one I can live with - and find a particular book I'm looking for, usually! (I try not to get too obsessional about it and go on with it ever more precisely, ad infinitum!) Storing music scores is more difficult, I agree. Favourite scores of mine are in the piano stool, or on top of the piano, or a large wicker box beside it.
Don't work too hard! Good luck.

[dot.hawkes]

LOL, no i was deadly serious, this is why we have libraries. I read a book and pass it on or leave it in a hotel lobby or donate it to the charity shop. The only books I keep tend to be dictionaries and encyclopedia, and the odd book that has been signed to me by the author or first editions. Books are meant to be read not stored on a shelf gathering dust, I gave about 40 classics in paperback to my local high school library, they were glad of them as there was a shortage of copies. it takes all sorts I guess, I am just not a hoarder of books.

[Dingoeater]

mimififi - just wait until every space in your house is a foot narrower all round because of bookshelves. I would have to agree with compnut because that's pretty much how I do it but I'd also dedicate the shelf with easiest access to stuff you use a lot. My shelf contains reference works, complete Shakespeare, the Bible, the Qu'ran etc. and is situated closest to the chair where I do the most um... referring.

[CompNut]

dot.hawkes, yes, I do see your point about sharing books, and you are a very generous lady to do so. (I do give paperback novels I've finished with to charity shops, but they were just airplane journey reading matter, not ones I'd want to keep .)
Are you minimalist with everything, or do you collect some things? I don't keep ornaments etc. and I'd love to have a minimalist look in my house, but I'm too untidy to achieve that, I'm afraid!
Best wishes,

[mike b]

I sometimes have a whimsical idea about a library consisting mainly of vintage Penguins/Pelicans etc. most of the shelves could then be snugly designed to keep the dust off the top of the books, and the primary sorting would be simply by colour - orange, blue, green etc - remember?

[CompNut]

Oh yes, mike b, I have got mine arranged like that. Have you got the Pelican book, one shilling, dated 1946, H,G, Wells' "A Short History of the World" ? Most people seem to have that one. Butler's Moral Philosopy, 2/6d. 1952, and brown Penguin classics, "The Oresteian Trilogy" and The Greek Myths by Robert Graves. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover", 1960 Penguin, 3/6d.All of Huxley's work including "Doors of Perception - Heaven and Hell". Hundreds more, of course, each one a little treasure to me. I've also got a copy of the first Mass Observation Survey in the 1930's, but a friend borrowed it and I haven't seen it since. The first Penguins were only 6d. Have you got any of those?

[mike b]

SNAP! on the H.G.W. CompNut... Don't forget the Latin Classics in Translation, which had purple borders... It's probably a good job that I've never had any original first editions, as I would probably have made the fatal mistake of actually reading them and thus reducing their "value"...

[CompNut]

Hi mike b, you've got me there, I haven't any purple bordered Latin Classic translations - oh dear, a severe gap in my collection ! I'll have to look out for those and buy some. I've got the white and black Penguin Shakespeare, priced 2/6d. circa 1955. Are all yours in perfect condition? Mine are not, I've read them too much and some were bought secondhand anyway, so a bit shabby looking.

Sorry, mimififi, we didn't mean to get away from your library and hog your thread! How are things with you ?
Happy Easter.

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