As an avid reader and book collector, I’ve spent the past years building my personal library. Books are a way for us to travel to different times and places, and for this reason, they have become a source of magic and hope throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. A home library is a place to learn, grow, and escape reality when life becomes overwhelming. I believe that all book lovers should invest some time to build their own personal reading space. Through extensive trial and error, I finally feel that my book collection is both fulfilling and functional. I’m here to share the tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way to ensure your personal library space is perfect for you!
Step One: Look through your collection for any books you can donate, give away, or re-sell.
Some used bookstores will even purchase your books in exchange for store credit, which you can use to buy more books! This is a great, cost-effective way to build your personal library. Another reason to sweep your collection is to get an idea of the books you own, which is essential for step two.
Step Two: Decide how you want to organize your books! Here are some options and their advantages…
a. Organize by the author’s name or (more commonly) surname. This makes your books easy to locate and ensures that your series stay together on the shelves.
b. Organize by colour. Your books may be more difficult to find, but your shelves will be so beautiful that you won’t even notice!
c. Organize by genre or by general categories like fiction and non-fiction. If you’re a mood-based reader like me, this is a great way to find books according to your current interests! I separate my books by general fiction and literature, poetry, non-fiction, and reference/anthology books. Some other genres you can include are romance, history, biography, or graphic fiction.
d. Organize based on the books you’ve read versus those you want to read. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get through a stack of books in your TBR pile.
Step Three: Get creative with your storage system!
a. Take advantage of the vertical space of your reading room. Tall bookshelves are often the most effective use of space. If you’re looking for recommendations, some of my favourites are the Billy bookcase and the Kallax bookshelves from Ikea.
b. Floating wall shelves! This is a great way to display books with a particularly nice spine or cover art. I’ve found that floating shelves can really add to the magic of your reading space.
c. Don’t be afraid to stack books. I pile the books I’m currently reading, so I’ll typically have a small stack of three or four books on the night-table beside my bed.
d. You can store some of your books under a hollow bench or coffee table, adding two bookends to either side so they don’t fall. This is a great way to store your books if you’re tight on space!
e. One way I love storing some of my more aesthetic books is a bar cart. This is a really cute way to show off the titles you’re especially proud to have in your collection.
HERE ARE TWO ADDITIONAL TIPS TO BUILDING YOUR PERFECT PERSONAL LIBRARY:
1. Tip #1: Buy used books!
While this might seem obvious, the most important aspect of your home library is… your books!
There are tons of places where you can purchase your books. Indigo is an obvious choice, but I personally prefer used books, because I know they’ve been loved before. Value Village and other thrift shops have large book sections, with a variety of titles to add to your collection for a very low cost. I also recommend searching the internet for used bookshops in your area to support small and local business owners!
2. Tip #2: Digitize!
Digitizing your library is a great way to sort your books and keep track of the titles in your collection. I use an excel sheet where I catalogue my books by author, last name and book title. I also include information such as genre, number of pages, and whether or not I’ve read it. Goodreads is another great way to document the books you own, books you’ve read, and want to read. Goodreads also has a barcode feature so you can scan the barcode of your books to shelve them in the app!