Name: Spreading the Feast Gathering
Start: 2025-07-11T00:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-07-12T23:59:59-05:00
Location: LaGrange, KY

Tagged: book storage, Bookcases, Library set up, Organizing books

This topic has 9 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 3 months ago by TailorMade.

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)

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March 31, 2011 at 9:02 pm
botanicalbecky
Member
As our collection of books grows and grows, I’m struggling with a way to keep things organized. This topic came up on another forum, and the suggestion was to sort books by subject. Well, that makes sense, but what about picture books? Fiction books?
Also, some of you have mentioned “book baskets”. What are these and how do you use them?
I want my kids (6 & 3) to be able to grab a book off the shelf, but I think its a little overwhelming to them – there are so many. How can I keep some books more accessible? And do I rotate them? And the paperback versions of some books have such a small spine that its hard to read the title. What can we do?
Becky
March 31, 2011 at 9:26 pm
sheraz
Participant
I was seriously considering using the Dewey Decimal system because I am tired of trying to figure out where they go! =) I do have shelves for mine, but the collection keeps growing. I am now wondering about having color coded stickers on them so that everyone knows which shelf to put it back on. If I used a sticker, couldn’t all the ones (picture and fiction) also go on the shelf? (I don’t really want to use a sticker, but I would like to have a tidy bookcase.)
Also, I think a basket is exactly that: a box, laundry basket, or other container to hold some books somewhere the kids can get to them. After a predetermined time (weekly. monthly) you would switch them out. Some people do it by topic, some by season, whatever they choose.
April 1, 2011 at 12:56 am
missceegee
Participant
I shared how I do it here – http://simplycharlottemason.com/scmforum/topic/bookshow-to-organize-bookshelves
Another tip – get a paint stirring stick and paint the end with a different color for each kid. They stick it in the shelf where they remove a book and remove it when they put it back. I don’t do this, but it’s a doable idea.
HTH,
Christie
BTW – I use bookpedia instead of delicious library at this time.
April 1, 2011 at 2:37 am
Sara B.
Participant
Right now, I have 1 dedicated bookshelf that is for their own personal use. It is not organized. They’d never keep it organized, so I don’t bother. LOL I do have a basket specifically for easy readers. They are always in the bookcase and basket, plus they have a basket of their magazines in their room and a shelf of Golden Books in there, as well. I keep all school books on a separate (much larger) bookshelf. However, I am out of room and have books in boxes and double-shelved….. So hubby is going to build me one. Someday. 😛 And that’s all the organized I’ve gotten so far. 😀
April 1, 2011 at 11:04 am
RobinP
Participant
I do use Dewey but I run a homeschool lending library. That’s still an option, but color-coded stickers work great too. You can also make labels of general categories on the computer and adhere them to the shelves with putty. (I do this because it helps my patrons more easily find what they’re looking for.) Some might include Reptiles/Amphibians, Mammals, Human Body, Ancient Rome, Pilgrims, etc. For fiction, I shelve alphabetically by author’s last name. Biographies are shelved by the person the book is about. Picture books are alphabatized by author’s last name. I tweak Dewey a bit in that I put any picture book or fiction book in its place in history or science and mark those with a yellow sticker. Easy readers would have a small green sticker. That way a mom can come in and see all the books on the Revolutionary War together and know at a glance which books are fiction or appropriate for her beginning reader to read.
Valerie Jacobson has an interesting way of organizing her home library here:
http://www.valerieslivingbooks.info/library.htm
HTH
April 1, 2011 at 2:21 pm
botanicalbecky
Member
These are great suggestions!
So, do you just always keep your books on shelves? Do you keep some out that you want the children to read or have read to them? And since you keep school books separate, do you put literature read-alouds on that shelf? Even future ones? Same w/school books – do you keep future books on the same shelf as what you are using currently?
August 6, 2011 at 5:02 pm
Wings2fly
Participant
bump
February 28, 2013 at 7:48 pm
missceegee
Participant
Mine are all out on shelves. All 5000+ volumes in our home library are always accessible.
February 28, 2013 at 8:20 pm
HollyS
Participant
We have done color coding with stickers in the past…I need to update this system a bit! I keep mine by subject (science, art, history, history readers, etc.). I’m trying to reorganize many of our books into CM friendly categories (like poetry, nature study, art appreciation, shakespeare, etc.).

For fiction I have them divided into a few groups, mostly based on reading level:
- series books like Little House or Narnia
- early readers like Frog and Toad
- younger chapter books like Beverly Cleary
- jr high/middle school level books
- high school level books
- historical fiction is on another shelf sorted by time period
I also have a shelf of books I’d like to read aloud to them in the next year or two…many from the SCM literature modules. Picture books are on seperate shelves and not really sorted otherwise. Exceptions to this are our FIAR books and any holiday books.
Mine aren’t as organized as they could be, but I encourage them to read throughout the day and I want a pretty easy system to keep up with.
February 28, 2013 at 11:12 pm
TailorMade
Participant
For our library, I am using Dewey. However, we haven’t officially opened, yet. So, I’ve pulled the books for our history, geography, science, and fine arts from the stacks and they sit atop our piano which is in our dinette area. We usually do our family studies in there, or in the nearby living room. I have them shelved in the order in which they are to be read by category. Once we complete a book, it goes back out to the library. I did this for the year this time. We should open in time for the next “school year,” so I’ll probably pull the books by term to make more titles accessible to others.
Becca<><