Susannah Kline, novelist ([info]offwithherhead) wrote,
@ 2008-07-10 23:33:00
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Entry tags:my shelf overfloweth

Bookshelves
Some measure success by finances. Some have a career goal they want to reach. Some want to win an award.

Personally, I will know I've made it when I have enough bookshelves to fit all my books. I won't have stacks of books set aside in the closet. I won't worry about where I'm going to put more books when I buy them.

I will have beautiful bookshelves and they will be stocked full and wonderfully organized for at least a few days before chaos resumes.

And once I no longer have to stow away books somewhere else and have easy access to all my books, I'll know that I've Arrived.

Currently I have a ton of books stowed away in my closet or crammed onto bookshelves that already are doubled up.

What do you do with your overflow? Do you have enough bookshelves? Do you have any grand plans for organizing your books? I want to know!

I worked at a Waldenbooks for four years, and at a library before that, so I'm always interested in book organization.


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[info]immortalsairah
2008-07-11 08:04 am UTC (link)
I always love the bookshelf organising systems in libraries.. Genre, alphabetical by series first and then numerical. I did try going down the author route.. but figured that some titles looked really out of place - especially when I put the Vampire Chronicle series next to Exit to Eden or Sleeping Beauty. I think it works better.

But...I've got 5 storage boxes in my cupboard, full of books that just have nowhere to go - Adam needs some space on my shelves, so I've got to rotate my books by whatever I can be bothered to go fetch out. I'd dearly love a room - I suppose the easiest one for me to describe is the Beast's castle.. I don't NEED it that high to need ladders, but a couple of steps up would be simply fantastic.

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[info]footlingagain
2008-07-11 10:48 am UTC (link)
I've had to have a great clearing of the shelves, recently, partly because of the near disaster with my byootiful bookcase (which merits its own tag).

There are only 2 places in my house where books can live safely without becoming mildewed or food for woodlice. Only one of them is now available and mbb is within it, but....

I long for the day when I can have a house with bookshelves of any description, really. I look forward to filling them all again. In the meantime, the overflow is in the loft and I keep a wary eye out for squirrels *g*

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[info]yelenia
2008-07-11 02:06 pm UTC (link)
I only recently gained enough bookshelves to house my books. My master plan is to have a fiction room and a nonfiction room (two bookshelves are in my bedroom, two others are in the front room).

Because my collection is so lopsided, I don't think I'll break these down more (for now) - because my fiction is predominantly fantasy and my non-fiction is history. However, the battle plan may change once I start shelving. I will have graphic novels separated, probably the first shelf of the first fiction bookcase.

I say all this, but it's quite likely I'll end up with a shelf for classics, historical fiction, catch-all novels, and the rest fall into sci-fi/fantasy. Much of it depends on my ability to fill all(most) of a shelf with a particular genre. I'm not a fan of halfing shelves - it's something I fought tooth and nail to avoid at the store - I'm not bringing the habit home. So, if a genre has (or enough genres have) enough for a full shelf, I may just give it its place of honor.

I'm also hoping to inventory my books, once I get the time to sort/shelve them. For this I'd track title, author, HB/PB, and perhaps year/edition.

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[info]offwithherhead
2008-07-11 04:47 pm UTC (link)
I love my LibraryThing account for inventory. It's fantastic! I have a tag for books I own, so if I want to go through it I just select that tag.

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[info]ashenshadow
2008-07-11 04:34 pm UTC (link)
The only thing I have in my room besides my bed and a corner piece is bookshelves. So yes, I have enough for now but I am running out again... My organizational skills are as such:

Favorite
|
|
|
|
V
Least Favorite

So all my favorites and such are generally on the top shelf and towards the bottom shelves are the stuff I can't be too bothered with. Generally speaking anyway. And then after that it goes by aesthetics and intuition. Its very weird, I know, but no one else can organize my books for me otherwise it just feels wrong.

Edited at 2008-07-11 04:35 pm UTC

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[info]estaliayellow
2008-07-11 07:55 pm UTC (link)
What do you do with your overflow?

Ummm.... they are in bins, boxes, under dressers, on desks, etc. Depends on whose books they are. Hasan has them stacked all over the place by his desk. The kids, on shelves, mixed with toys, etc.

Do you have enough bookshelves?

*dies laughing*

Do you have any grand plans for organizing your books?

But a castle with a 3 story library in it and hire a Brown to organize our books. *nod*

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[info]gillandred
2008-07-12 10:32 pm UTC (link)
I spend so much time at work organizing, and re-organizing books, I find I have very little energy for it when I get home. Basically, I have things shelved roughly by size (horrors!) and it's pretty random.

I try to be brutal and get in there at LEAST once a year for a massive thin-out. I donate a lot to my library. Actually, I have a library across town that I donate to, because I don't think I could bear to look at my books once I've made the decision to get them out of the house.

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[info]miriyaayanne
2008-07-13 01:01 pm UTC (link)
Books and bookshelves are really an excellent measure of wealth. When I am rich and successful n such, I will have a library! With a grand piano in it. And one of those sliding ladders on wheels to reach the highest books. Want :D

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