Book related - controlling book collections

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[Caroline]

....and have an organization system based upon a) subject and b) size.  We have designated bookcases/shelves for each subject we have books on, but within those designated spaces, we organize by size:  with that many books, maximizing our space is important. 

Ditto on the maximizing space. Fiction is alphabetical by author, double stacked, on built-ins down the long side of our guest room. I used graph paper to plot out how many shelves for ppbs, trades and hc would fit in the space. Similar with the built-ins in my office for my ref books. Tallest shelves at the bottom, and they're deeper than usual to accomodate plate books.  Ref books are clustered by author within subject, more or less.

There are few things I'm more possessive about (or more organized about) than my books. My wife says she knew I was really committed to our marriage when I agreed to merge our fiction collections and sell the dups. (It took several years for me to get to that point; merging bank accounts, no problem. Books? Er.... can I think about it?  )

[Caelesti]

On the subject of books, do any of you have a method that you use to organize your book collection?

Christa

Ooh, one of my favorite topics, books & how to organize them! (I've thought about becoming a librarian actually 
How I do it:
I use LibraryThing and even that doesn't have all of them (300+...I lost count at 300)
I have 3 book shelves currently- 1 big one in my bedroom 2 smaller ones in the adjoining closed in porch that I use as a study room. I recently reorganized them so that all the fiction is together on the big shelf, since I have more of it, and all the nonfiction is on the other 2 shelves. Now the Pagan & other books that I frequently reference while writing or studying are handy.

Fiction is sorted by genre & author- I mostly have science fiction, fantasy & some historical fiction. I have almost a whole shelf devoted to Marion Z. Bradley- in her case since it's both sci-fi & fantasy I just put it all together. I started putting them in subgenres that made sense to me- this came up when I decided the Borrowers by Mary Norton didn't look right next to Sabriel by Garth Nix. So Borrowers goes in "Classic Fantasy" next to LOTR, Narnia & Dark is Rising, which phases in Celtic Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, and General Fantasy.
Now they are only *loosely in ABC order by author, it really depends on what fits or "looks right" to me. I still haven't worked the kinks out of the new system however, and some are still rather sloppily stacked up. I'll get there...

Suggestions:
I think how your organize your books is going to depend on how you read/use your books, & obviously how your living space is laid out. To save space, tall bookshelves are better. I find having a shelf for unread books, or ones your plan on reading soon is handy and helps you remember what you're reading next.
Also go thru your book collection at least once or twice a year, and weed out ones you've lost interest in, or are unlikely to re-read, or falling apart ones you need to replace (or not bother replacing) I've been making a pile of ones I don't want that I need to take to the used bookstore. Mostly fluffy pagan stuff, old textbooks, children's fiction that no longer interests me and books that Looked Mildly Interesting & Was Dirt Cheap.

I'm actually not envious of having 3000 some books, to each his/her own, but I want to keep the # under control, limit to around 500 perhaps.

[Eadie]

I'm actually not envious of having 3000 some books, to each his/her own, but I want to keep the # under control, limit to around 500 perhaps.

Wait until you live another few decades - I have 3000 or so, and so does my SO.  Wait until we combine houses....

[Melamphoros]

My current book situation:

I have two bookshelves.  The larger one is for fiction and general non-fiction.  The general non-fiction is on the middle shelf organized by subject (but not by author).  The bottom two shelves are dedicated to my fiction and is grouped by author but not by genre or alphabetical order.  In the author groupings I organize the books by order of release except when it comes to different series.  When it comes to series I group the books together in the order they were released.  Currently my top two shelves are filled with misc. objects (my checkbook, a stapler, loose change, batteries, ect.), trash and the text books for classes I'm currently taking (the ones I don't sell will get their place on the general fiction shelf).  Oh, and a few binders as well.


and the other (the smaller) is for my books on mythology, folklore, religion, and various occult topics such as divination and magick.  Originally all of these were in my main bookcase but I put them on the smaller one (which only has two shelves) when I decided to set my altar up on top of it.  I still have some books on the paranormal on the general non-fiction shelf because they are not apart of my pagan/magickal practice (even though two of them have rituals in them).

After reading this thread, I figure it would be nice to better organized.  I think I will further sort my non-fiction by writer and my fiction by genre and sub-genre.  I know I don't have as many books as many on this thread but I'm only 20.  I didn't have the time to collect so many books

And I like the idea of a shelf or area dedicated to unread books.  I've heard of many people here doing it but never got around to creating one myself.

Thanks for this thread now I have something to do while procrastinating on other stuff

[Jenett]

I know I don't have as many books as many on this thread but I'm only 20.  I didn't have the time to collect so many books

*grin* I owned more books at 20 than I do now. But since then, I've had a move half-way across the country, and two years of living in one room in a shared house with housemates. The first move meant I got rid of at least a third of what I'd owned. The second got rid of somewhere between 6 and 8 shelves worth.

But then - my family's a little weird. My father wrote over 30 books, my sister's a Ph.D in library science (and has written 3 books), my brother owned the only 24 hour bookstore on the East Coast for a number of years, and I'm, well, me. (Oh, and Mom did some work toward her MLIS, too.) They never had to encourage me to read. They did have to limit how many books I bought/took home from the library.
[/quote]

[RandallS]

They did have to limit how many books I bought/took home from the library.

LOL. So did my parents. I could only check out what I could personally carry.

[Melamphoros]

*grin* I owned more books at 20 than I do now. But since then, I've had a move half-way across the country, and two years of living in one room in a shared house with housemates. The first move meant I got rid of at least a third of what I'd owned. The second got rid of somewhere between 6 and 8 shelves worth.

Damn, I only have a little over 70 books on my main shelf (and 13 on my altar shelves -- pathetic, I know).  Then again, I only have about two books that I had since childhood on my main shelf.  A few years ago I gave away most of my books in a garage sale.  They were youth/young adult books and  I did grow out of them.  Plus all I had was the tiny bookcase that my altar is now on and I needed to clear some space for new books.

*glances briefly at the big bookcase that is 2/3 full*  Never again.  When I run out of space, I'll just buy a second one.

[SunflowerP]

LOL. So did my parents. I could only check out what I could personally carry.

Likewise.  They were rather taken aback, though, at how many I could carry - I think they subconsciously assumed I'd interpret it as "carry comfortably".

Sunflower

[SunflowerP]

(and 13 on my altar shelves -- pathetic, I know)

Depends on quality.  A mere 13 mostly-good books is far less pathetic than rank on rank of every piece of fluffy tripe ever published, IMO.  Size is not the most important thing <wicked grin>.

Sunflower

[Melamphoros]

Depends on quality.  A mere 13 mostly-good books is far less pathetic than rank on rank of every piece of fluffy tripe ever published, IMO.  Size is not the most important thing <wicked grin>.

*quickly checks*

Most of it seems good.  OK, some of the mythology books are inaccurate in some place and the book that came with one of my tarot decks seems a bit weird -- it associated the Wheel of Fortune with Sleeping Beauty.  I would only do that if it was Vana White passed out.  I'm not sure why I kept it as I never liked the deck it came with.

The rest is fine, although the information in some of the more academic books may be dated.

[RandallS]

They were rather taken aback, though, at how many I could carry - I think they subconsciously assumed I'd interpret it as "carry comfortably".

I doubt my parents were too surprised at how many I could carry as when this "ultimatium" was delivered I spent days practicing carrying piles of large heavy books from our bookshelf.

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

LOL. So did my parents. I could only check out what I could personally carry.

my parents started with I could only buy what I could carry without a basket.

You'd be AMAZED at how many paperbacks you can get from hands to your chin!

Then they made it one hand.

(my parents used to buy my books, when I was a kid.  until I tried to run them broke with my huge piles. )

[HeartShadow - Cutethulhu]

Likewise.  They were rather taken aback, though, at how many I could carry - I think they subconsciously assumed I'd interpret it as "carry comfortably".

Sunflower

luckily, I was within walking distance to the nearest library.  I just went /often/.

Besides, Mom could hardly complain about MY piles when she took half the large-print section at a time!

[Melamphoros]

(my parents used to buy my books, when I was a kid.  until I tried to run them broke with my huge piles. )

I remember when a B&N opened not far from where we lived.  It was my favorite place in the world and I still have a soft spot for it.  I probably did make them broke.  When we moved we didn't go as often.  Then a new road was built giving me direct access to a Books-a-Million (I was known for walking over two miles both ways down the road to get a few books).

[RDragon]

I remember when a B&N opened not far from where we lived.  It was my favorite place in the world and I still have a soft spot for it.  I probably did make them broke.  When we moved we didn't go as often.  Then a new road was built giving me direct access to a Books-a-Million (I was known for walking over two miles both ways down the road to get a few books).

I buy most of my books online, but I can still wander in a bookstore for hours. Our Books-a-Million always has great deals on the clearance shelves.

I'm glad so many of you have responded to this thread! Lots of ideas and things to think about.

Christa

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