How To: Organize a home library

How much time have you wasted, wandering around your home trying to find one particular book? Without a good system of organization, finding the book you're looking for can become a hopeless task. Organize your book collection at home by following this tutorial.

You Will Need

*Book collection
*Organization skills
*Library classification methods

Step 1: Organize by genre

Organize your books by genre. Separate fiction and non-fiction works, then subdivide each of these categories. Non-fiction, for example, could be further broken down into reference, travel, and self-help.

Tip: Consider purchasing home-library software.

Step 2: Organize by library classification

Organize your books according to library classifications. The Dewey Decimal System organizes your books numerically and the Library of Congress system groups similar topics.

Step 3: Organize by function

Organize by the book's function. Place your cookbooks near the kitchen, your reference books near your home office, and your fiction close to where you do your leisure reading.

Step 4: Organize by color

Organize your books according to the color on each book's spine. This does wonders for a room's visual appeal.

Fact: After the Library of Congress was destroyed in the War of 1812, the library acquired Thomas Jefferson's personal library as a basis for rebuilding.