An Exuberance Of Books!
Are your books bringing you joy, or are they quietly taking over the room? Books can carry memories, hopes, identity, unfinished plans and more! If you or someone you love has a large collection of books that they love, this case study may resonate!
Key Takeaways ~ Organizing a Large Collection of Books
- A large book collection can bring joy, but it can also create clutter when the books no longer fit your space or your current life.
- Keep the books you love, use, and want to read, rather than holding onto every book you have ever owned.
- Sort books by category, subject, or reading status so your collection is easier to use and maintain.
- Letting go of books doesn't erase the memories connected to them. You can keep the memory without keeping every item.
- Donate or pass along books that no longer serve you so someone else can enjoy them.
Case Study ~ Organizing a Large Collection of Books
I once worked with a fascinating client who had many, many books in his home, and with good reason! Both he and his wife are authors, and he reviews books for both BookForum and the Baffler.
He did some very impressive work during our time together, donating many boxes and bags of books. Others were kept for a variety of good reasons, but were stored and labeled in an efficient manner.
After our work in his office, we sat in the dining room, where books lined many of the walls and were overflowing in what seemed to my eye to be an unruly fashion. I longed to "tidy up" the shelves. During the course of our conversation the client shared that he and his wife enjoy the way the books overflow from the shelves. He fondly referred to the bookshelves as containing "an exuberance of books."
After over many years of assisting folks from various walks of life in decluttering and organizing, I suddenly had an entirely new perspective on clutter, books, joy and the power of words. I am a lover of words and this phrase "an exuberance of books" struck a cord in me. I was able to let go of my compulsion to tidy the books and embrace the idea of exuberance and abundance that my client experienced.
I invite you to look around your home or office and notice which objects make you smile and bring you joy, and which make you sigh and bring you down.
Marie Kondo's phrase "does it spark joy?" resonates with many, as is evidenced by the success of her bestselling book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Though the system outlined in this book does not resonate with me, I am pleased that the idea of decluttering and finding joy in the objects one chooses to keep has become a part of everyday conversations.
If you would like a kinder, gentler approach to decluttering and organizing, I suggest my e-book, Mindful Decluttering: A step-by-step guide to decluttering your space and freeing your spirit! or Stephanie Bennett Vogt's book Your Spacious Self. Both make great gifts for yourself or others who yearn for more ease in their lives and homes.
FAQs About Decluttering and Organizing Books
How do I start decluttering my books?
Start with one shelf, one category, or one small stack. Keep the books you use, love, or plan to read, and set aside books that no longer fit your interests, space, or current season of life.
How many books should I keep?
There isn't one correct number. Keep the collection that fits comfortably in your home and supports the way you read, learn, and live now.
What should I do with books I no longer want?
Donate, sell, gift, or recycle books based on their condition and local options. Good-condition books may help a friend, library, school, community group, or secondhand shop.
How can I organize a large book collection?
Group books in a way that makes sense to you, such as by subject, author, genre, or reading status. Keep the books you use most often in easy-to-reach places, and leave enough space to return books without creating new piles.
Is it okay to keep books for sentimental reasons?
Yes. Sentimental books deserve thoughtful consideration, not automatic removal. Choose the books that hold real meaning, then give those favorites a visible place instead of storing every book out of guilt.
Two questions for you!
What are the hardest books for you to let go of? And what have you learned about how to make it easier?
Discover more ways to mindfully organize your home or office here! >>
I love the title. A murder of crows. An exuberance of books. A collection of professional organizers.
I love that phrase, “an exuberance of books.” It sounds like the house I grew up in, and frankly, we have a lot of books, too. I remember when my mom decided to organize her book collection by room. Art books were in the music room, travel books were in my brother’s room, movie and photography books were in my sister’s room, and on and on. They weren’t organized alphabetically, but by subject and size.
As a book lover myself, I go through my collection periodically to see if there are any I’m ready to donate. Our local library takes used books, sells them, and uses the proceeds to help run the library. I try to bring at least one bag at a time.
I’ve had several book organizing projects over the years. Some have been extremely detailed. Books had to be categorized and then alphabetized by author. I still remember the stacks and piles of books for the big sort first, and then the piles got more detailed as I went.
Believe it or not, I had one client who wanted to get all of the books in the house. I mean all of them and go through them. That was the only way she could feel complete. They were getting ready to move and she needed to do a complete overview. We did start with categories and then take it one category at a time. And she was one of my favorite clients, so I didn’t mind it. But it was a lot of books. 🙂
Books are one of those categories that can either be easy or hard for people to decide about. Having a place to donate them is a definite plus. So far I haven’t come across any books that had real value, but it can happen. I do find that books which have an inscription or have been signed by the author are much harder to let go. Makes me avoid book signings LOL!
We have a local charity in my town that collects certain types of books and sends them to charities overseas, as well as military bases. It’s wonderful, and we can drop books in their foyer 24/7.
Thanks for your comment, Seana! It is fantastic to have easy places to donate books. Our local library takes them, as do many libraries. Back in Maryland, the “Friends of the Library” sold them to help the library budget. And not only did that feel good, but I did buy a book or two there. 🙂
I don’t think I’ve ever run across anyone who found books easy to get rid of, but could be my demographic. 🙂
I am a lover of books, and other than clothing, it’s the category of which I own the greatest number of items. The “exuberance of books” is a reminder that how we wish to create order and reduce excess will not always align with our clients’ views, and so we must ask many, many questions.
I have one client who is fairly adamant that he doesn’t want them categorized or orderly, and only does so much toward that end result so as to keep the rest of his family from flinging him and his books out the window! He embraces that exuberance, but I have noted that gentle discussion, rather than force, can bring about an interest in letting go of duplicates or of content that no longer fascinates him.
Books are definitely one of the hardest categories to downsize, likely because of all of the “potential” contained within. And it’s the category with which I can best empathize with my clients about the difficulty of letting go.
I agree that books can be very hard because of all the knowledge and wisdom that they contain within them! Sometimes I take a book off the shelf, open it to a random page and think, “Oh my goodness, this is great!” That makes it hard to let it go. I’m sure I’d be better off if I didn’t open the book, don’t you think?
I can so relate to this – my sister and her partner are also authors and editors, and they’ve always had an exuberance of books (though they seem to have always been well-organized, with different categories in different places, and alphabetized by author). They’ve been paring down their collection for a few years now and although it feels less cluttered, I kind of miss seeing all those books.
In answer to your question, the hardest books for me to part with tend to be those I’ve had the longest and those that were my mother’s. One way I’ve made it easier is to donate just a few at a time. For example, my mother introduced me to the novels of Maeve Binchy, and I had about half a shelf full, some which had been hers and others which I bought or received as gifts. I started by placing one at a time in a free little library – that was easy enough. And once I’d started to break up the “collection” I decided to donate all but two small hardcovers which had been my mother’s. Now I’m thinking of re-reading them and letting them go too. It also gets easier when you realize the only time you even think about a particular book is when you’re reorganizing your shelves (yet again)!