How To Organize a Bookcase

Decide on an organizational method. Think about who is going to use the bookcase and how the case will be used. If you are the sole user, which sort of books do you want readily accessible? Which books do you want closest to your desk or workspace? How are you going to find books in a hurry? Think about the way your brain works, and jot down the rough categories your books fall into.

If you aren't the sole user, you may want to think about ways to organize the books so that they will be easy for others to find, and so that people will be encouraged to put books back in the right place.

Start with basic divisions. Separating fiction and non-fiction is a good way to start. You can further subdivide into categories like children's books, mystery novels, classic literature, poetry, science, history, health, personal care, and so forth, but try not to divide your books too much. You want large, loose categories that will be easy to organize and navigate, not tiny categories with only a few books in each.

You may want to write down your categories on paper before physically dividing your books, and place the pieces of paper around your workspace so that you have designated spaces for each category.

Use the alphabet. It's a tried and true method of organizing books. Most people organize by author's last name, but if you're feeling rebellious, organize by title. Sometimes organizing by title is more useful; you can usually remember what a book is called, but the author's name might not spring to mind so easily.

If you have a lot of books, you may not want to alphabetize them all and then shelve them. Consider picking an arbitrary spot in the middle of your bookshelf to start, placing the top book in your pile in that spot and then alphabetizing other books around it. At the end of this process, you may need to shift books around, but at least they are all on the shelf, and less likely to fall out of order while being transferred.

Get creative. Once you've divided your books into rough categories, you might decide that the alphabet is not for you. Organizing books by size or color can give your shelves an interesting and offbeat appearance, and while it might make it a bit challenging to find books in large collections, sometimes it's worth the unusual look. Organizing by size can also be useful when you have a lot of oversized or unusually shaped books, as you can keep them together, rather than trying to wedge them in with normally sized books.

Keep track of your books. Keep your books organized so that they will be easy to find, and consider keeping a catalogue of your books so that you can keep track of borrowed books and books out on loan. Stay on top of your bookcases to ensure that they don't slip into chaos, especially if multiple people use your shelving.