Organization for Book Worms

ORGANIZATION, April 2010, by Jenny McKee


Organization for
BOOK WORMS
Organization for Book Worms


Love to read? Have a great collection of books? Trouble storing them? Can’t find the book you need when you need it?

Time to sort, pare down and organize your reading materials!

Collect & Sort
Find all your books, magazines, and reference materials that you may have lying around the house, under your bed or in the bathroom. Group them by style and type – ie: fiction, non fiction, history, crafts, photography, reference, dictionaries, educational, fun etc. You can also do this with your magazines – teen, fashion, décor… you get the idea.

Assess the Space
How many books do you have and how much space do you have? Are they balanced?  Too many books for the space available? Look at your space and figure out the best way to use it. Do you need another bookcase? More shelves up on the wall? Perhaps some of your books need to be kept with the rest of the family or in another area of your home. Remember, how much space you have determines how many books you can store or keep.

Purge and Pack
If you haven’t read it in a long time, if you doubt you will read it again or if you didn’t really enjoy it in the first place - donate it to someone who will enjoy it! Local libraries, churches and donation centers are happy to pass them on to someone who would.  Do you have a bunch of books from when you were little that you want to save for your kids or grandkids one day? Those could be boxed up and stored somewhere else. Don’t forget to clearly label your name on the outside of the box and what’s inside.

Minimize Magazines
Gather all your magazines and determine if you really need to keep the whole thing, or just a few articles, pictures and ideas. Quite often we hang onto magazines thinking that we’ll look at them later... then when you need the information, you can’t remember which magazine it’s in or where to find it. When you’re going through a magazine, if you find something you want to keep, rip out the page and file it. A simple file folder or binder divided into subjects is a great way to keep things handy.  Keep all the recipes together, decorating ideas, articles for reference, etc. Then they’ll be easy to find when you need them. After the magazine is done and you’ve gotten what you need from it, into the recycle bin it goes! For all the full magazines that you want to keep, consider using magazine holders to keep them tidy and from getting wrecked. They’re also great if you have a lot of different subscriptions and can keep them sorted by style or subject.

Arrange and Display
Now that you’ve figured out what you want to keep out on display, it’s time to put the rest away and looking great. Keep your types and topics together and try arranging them by height and depth. Throw a book end, a picture of your BFFs, a soccer trophy or a plant amongst them to create a homey, decorated feel. Stand back and look at it, does it look balanced and orderly? Are your most important and often used books easiest to reach and find?

Love to read in bed? Keep the book you are currently reading on your nightstand, have a few pillows to cozy up to and don’t forget good lighting!

Most importantly – keep reading! 
Developing a love of books and reading is a great skill to help you in the future and a great way to expand your mind, explore your imagination and get lost in the life and adventures that reading can provide. Your local library can be one of your best friends and resources to fill your mind, learn a new skill and provide you with free material! It’s also great because they do all the storing and organizing for you!!

Happy Reading!

~ Jenny

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