Organizing a bookshelf can be fun for your librarian or hidden decorator side. There are several effective techniques for categorizing books, but there are also ideas that allow you to experiment with aesthetics and functionality.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Organizing the Books
Step 1. Give away unwanted books
Before organizing your entire collection, you may want to discard certain volumes. Put the ones you don't intend to reread or don't have time for in a box. You can resell them or give them away to second-hand bookstores, charities, libraries or websites such as Libraccio.
Step 2. Consider the space
Before coming up with a final plan, be sure to evaluate your specific limits. Some bookcases have shelves of different sizes, so you may need to put paperbacks on one and hardcover ones on another. Textbooks or art books may need to be stacked horizontally for them to fit into the bookcase. Divide the volumes according to the measurements of your furniture and use different organizational tactics for each pile.
Large and heavy books should be placed on sturdy shelves, which are usually the lowest ones. Don't put them on shelves above your head
Step 3. After taking the books from the bookcase, divide them into two piles:
fiction and non-fiction. You'll usually be in the mood to read one genre or the other, so when you get the sudden urge to pick up a book, it'll be easier to search.
Step 4. Divide fiction books by genre or author
A large and varied collection can be broken down by genre, keeping each one on a separate shelf or set of shelves. Within each genre, divide the books alphabetically by considering the writer's surname. If you only have two or three shelves of fiction, or most of the volumes are of the same genre, sort them by surname without dividing them.
Some of the most popular narrative genres are mystery, literature, children's fiction, fantasy and science fiction
Step 5. Sort non-fiction books by topic
Create separate stacks and try to figure out how many volumes you have for each category. In theory, you will need about one to three shelves per category. To correctly follow this criterion it may be necessary to group several books under a macro-category or divide them in more detail.
- There are many broad categories that don't fit into the narrative genre, such as gardening, cooking, history, biographies, biology, and textbooks.
- A specialized collection can be divided into various subtopics. For example, a history collection can be divided by continent, then by country and historical period.
- If you have more books than a library, use the Dewey decimal classification.
Method 2 of 3: Alternate Organizational Systems
Step 1. Sort them by size
If you have books that range from paperback editions to quite large art albums, consider this system. Place the taller volumes on the bottom shelf, gradually adjusting the smaller ones as you go up. In this way you will have an orderly and organized result. For some bookcases this system is necessary, in order to adapt the books to the height of each shelf.
Step 2. Sort them by color
It is a very pleasing system from an aesthetic point of view, but you should only use it if you have only one bookcase. For larger collections it can in fact complicate the search for a book. In addition, it may be necessary to divide the books that belong to a series, because they are not necessarily the same color. Here are some organizational systems based on the color of the back:
- One color per shelf (one blue, one green, and so on). If you have trouble filling a shelf, wrap books in kraft paper.
- A gradual "rainbow" that changes from one color to another or from more saturated colors to pastels.
- An arrangement that creates a flag or other simple image once the library is full. This method takes some time, but the end result will be effective.
Step 3. Sort them by frequency of use
If you frequently consult books to research or find references, this is a great way. Keep the ones you use daily on a shelf at eye level and a couple of shelves below, where you can see and pick them up easily. The books you use only occasionally go to the lower shelves. The ones you hardly ever open on the shelves above your head.
If you have enough books to fill two or three bookcases, put the important ones in the most visible bookshelf. If you have an even larger collection, this system may not work
Step 4. Sort them according to your reading schedules
If you have many books that you would like to read, why not dedicate a shelf to these volumes? In the same bookcase, also keep an empty shelf, so that you can comfortably put the books you have read in it. Once the reading list is finished, you should review the entire organization, but in the meantime, it's a useful system.
Step 5. Create a timeline of your life
Place the books you read in childhood on the top shelf, then add more volumes as you go down, depending on the chronological order in which you discovered them. This method is ideal for books that you associate with very specific memories and for people who have a very good memory.
Step 6. Devote a shelf to your favorites
Whichever system you have chosen, you have the possibility to create a special shelf, which usually corresponds to the most visible one. You can put the first editions, signed copies or books that changed your life into it.
Method 3 of 3: Style the Library
Step 1. Create a dark background (optional)
In this way the bookcase will acquire a greater impact, in contrast with the surrounding walls and shelves. You could paint the back of the cabinet to create this effect.
If the bookcase is open at the back, hang a cloth between the cabinet and the wall
Step 2. Choose possible decorative objects
Before you start filling in the spaces, prepare all the ornamental elements you will be working with. Vases, refined tableware, statuettes, trinkets, candle holders: the choice is up to you. Prepare more items than you might need, so you can experiment with different arrangements.
Objects with straight and vertical lines resemble the shape of books and will create a more austere result. Instead, bowls, baskets or other round objects create a more relaxed atmosphere
Step 3. Start with the larger objects
Set aside the larger ornaments and, if you have any, the books that take up the most space. Distribute them in the bookcase, leaving enough space between each element to create separate focal points. A zigzag pattern will work: on the first shelf put an object on the left, on the second on the right, on the third on the left and so on.
Step 4. Arrange the books in different orientations
To create a more interesting arrangement, vary the position of the books. Stack the volumes on some shelves, while on others arrange them vertically.
Try making a pyramid of books, with an ornamental object on top
Step 5. Create a contrast with small ornamental elements
As you arrange the books, add a decorative object where it feels appropriate. Use colored elements to contrast with the covers of dull hues or vice versa. You can also frame a series of low books with a couple of tall candlesticks.
Step 6. Stop books with heavy objects
Bookends are very useful and come in different shapes. Alternatively, you can stop the volumes with any heavy object of your choice.
Step 7. Leave several blank spaces
Empty spots are often more aesthetically pleasing than shelves filled with books and ornaments. This is especially true for bookcases open at the back and placed in the center of a room, as they need a lot of space to let in light.
Advice
- With the books removed, dust off the empty shelves and the volumes themselves. If they are very dusty, use the smaller nozzle on the vacuum cleaner.
- You can buy white book covers to hide damaged spines.
- Overdoing the decorative elements could make the bookcase look chaotic.
- Beware of old, worn-out books - they can easily get damaged.
