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storage baskets for books?
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Our bookshelf is getting out of control. I think the solution is to buy a few baskets for each of us to store our library books in. The books that live here are easier to keep under control. I’ve looked on Amazon for baskets that may work and it occurs to me that I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. Do any of you who organize books with baskets (or something of that idea) have ideas for me about what to look for? For instance, I realize a box with tall sides isn’t going to work well; I want the books to show over the top. I don’t want wicker but I’m not sure what material I do want – something durable and easy to clean/dust. Does anyone have help for me? thank you!
I haven’t used baskets, but I took this years school books and wanted to store them in the living room by the couch since that is where we will need them. For me under the coffee table was the ideal spot. I bought a desk organizer for folders, dark plastic. It has about 3″ space between the plastic walls and it is perfect. I placed them on the carpet and slide book in. Because of the little walls, I can pull books out and nnot worry about anything falling or sliding over. Beest part is I can see all the spines, making grabbing the right book perfect. Kids love it too and have asked to have them put in their room with the books that are their reading level and I think it will work nice. I spent $20 for the 2 I have under the coffee table, but I’m sure you could find them cheaper. Just a thought. I always worry basket will damage the book corners etc.
cdm2kk, can you send a link of something like you have? I can’t imagine it but it sounds like it could work for us, too!
And anyone with other suggestions, basket or otherwise, please share. I’m eager to get this problem solved!
Here is exactly what I bought, but I paid like $9.99 each…
http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/869174/Office-Depot-Brand-Sort-A-File/
I can move them if I need to too vacuum, but it just sits under the table and looks nice I think. Books slide in and out super easy and I just put them in order of how our day is going to go and work through. I use cheap blank index cards as book marks so that I can grab the book and go. I will write ont he card # of pages a day I need to read etc on the card so I don’t have to keep checking the guide book. Works great.
I have large plastic milk crate type office file boxes with books facing the front to flip through. BUy at Walmart or Target for about $5. These are on the floor or on the top of a wide waist high table/bookcase. I also have smaller baskets like these for paperbacks and then I have a wicker/wire type basket in my bookcase to hold smaller books.
I have bought rectangular baskets at Micheals when they are 50 per cent off. I use one for extra supplemental books I have collected over the years that go with our current time period. I use one for library books to keep them together. And I keep one smaller one with the current composer, artist, and Shakespeare resources that I have collected. These sit on an old trunk in the family room. School books are in bookcases in the kitchen where they do the majority of their work. Literature selections and extra resource books we have collected but are not currently part of this years work are in bookcases in the family room. I wish they were organized by some sort of really great system, but they aren’t. So many books. So little room.
I like these bins from Target. They are made of very sturdy plastic and are high enough to hold books, but you can still see the titles from the top. I guess one downside is that you can’t stack them, but they fit nicely on a shelf.
http://www.target.com/p/sterilite-medium-stacking-basket-pack-of-6/-/A-12981148#prodSlot=medium_1_2
Maybe wood crates? They could probably be stacked or placed above or under furniture as needed. I just saw some at Michaels this week. You could even paint them to match your decor if you didn’t like look of plastic stuff.
Thank you for your suggestions. The more I ponder this, the less clear I get about what it is I want! We already have space on the bookshelf (bottom shelf) and I’m concerned that if I buy containers of some sort, it won’t necessarily mean the boys will use them. The hope is the container will both limit their number of library books (and mine!) and also to make the whole shelf look more orderly. It is usually a disaster! The whole shelf poses a problem in using it efficiently. Maybe that’s where the container help comes in. It is two approx 3 feet (or a little more) wide shelves but the boys don’t like to have their library books on the same side. I generally limit them to 8 books a week but with 3 week rotations that means they often have about 24 books each. But that doesn’t take up the whole lower shelf. They don’t want to use one side each so one child and I use one side, the second child has the other to himself…but really there is more space available that doesn’t get used but that makes no sense since the other shelves are overfull. I love the stand alone wooden crates but we don’t have space for that right now. I think the smaller plastic bins (with a link above) will be too light weight and tip over if they are out of the shelf. Hmmm. I’m sorry this post is so boring to read! 🙂
For that size, I think locker size plastic or wire crate bins would work. They would be sturdy enough and three would fit on a shelf. On library day, put each in a large canvas tote bag.
I’ve been collecting cereal boxes to make magazine holders from. I plan on covering them with wrapping/scrapbook paper and dress them up a bit. There are several tutorials for these and they are pretty much free (just the cost of paper if you cover it). I’m mostly picking these up to hold our thinner picture books, but I should probably set aside a couple for library books as well.
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