To many books -way to many books -Help

[imagine]

We have a room in our house we call the library.

It houses all our books ( except the few each one is reading those are in our rooms or were ever we are), the board games, and some musical instruments.

I went in there to day to organize ( it was mess books all over the floor etc) and every intention of letting some go after all some of them are baby books and the kids aren't babies.

So while cleaning I a see a book, I didn't even know we had. We had watched the movie Fantastic Mr. Fox and found out it was a book. Thought we should get it from the public library my youngest would love to read it as she is currently reading that author.
But today I found it in our library.

So if it was so unimportant yesterday that I didn't even know we had it and today it is a good find, how do I know if any of the books can go.

Any ideas? I'm kind of stuck. How do I get rid of books? How do I know which ones can leave?

so hard so hard

help!

[Darlene]

If you are like me having books around you makes you feel all warm inside. That said, it also feels nice when you pass on things along to another. Since you can get just about any book from the library, I'd keep the books that are special and give the others away. Giving them to the library to use in their book sales or add to their collection is a nice way to pay it forward. Also nursery schools, retirement homes, childrens advocy groups are all nice groups that may enjoy your books.
Give them a call to see what they do & don't accept. Good luck & happy reading!

[monkeywrangler71]

I'm not good at getting rid of books and I usually regret it when I do.

Do you have enough shelves to fit the books, or at least most of them? You can start by ordering them by category, so that you have all the childrens, reference, fiction, etc. in the same general area. That way, you'll have a better idea of what you have.

I keep same sizes together so that it looks neat. I used to put some going this way, some going that way, trying to make it look decorative. But I'm not good at arranging things to look nice, so I just lined them all up - wall to wall, floor to (almost) ceiling. Looks like a library.

For purging, I can get rid of adult books that are in poor condition, and children's books that are poorly written (like anything by Disney). Maybe you can start there. Then as you are rearranging on the shelves you may just come across things that you just don't care to keep, and maybe some duplicates that you can get rid of.

[imagine]

I'm not good at getting rid of books and I usually regret it when I do.

Do you have enough shelves to fit the books, or at least most of them? You can start by ordering them by category, so that you have all the childrens, reference, fiction, etc. in the same general area. That way, you'll have a better idea of what you have.

I keep same sizes together so that it looks neat. I used to put some going this way, some going that way, trying to make it look decorative. But I'm not good at arranging things to look nice, so I just lined them all up - wall to wall, floor to (almost) ceiling. Looks like a library.

For purging, I can get rid of adult books that are in poor condition, and children's books that are poorly written (like anything by Disney). Maybe you can start there. Then as you are rearranging on the shelves you may just come across things that you just don't care to keep, and maybe some duplicates that you can get rid of.

Not enough book shelves for all the books (they are overflowing) and there isn't room for more bookshelves either. No many windows in that room for that. They do make it a lovely reading room though.

I started rearranging.

Then another thought came to my mind. What if I end up getting rid of one of the children's favorite from when they were a little? That they would have wanted to share with their children. Books so often go out of print and libraries change over their books. The story might end up being lost forever never to be seen again.

Oh the stress

[imagine]

If you are like me having books around you makes you feel all warm inside. That said, it also feels nice when you pass on things along to another. Since you can get just about any book from the library, I'd keep the books that are special and give the others away. Giving them to the library to use in their book sales or add to their collection is a nice way to pay it forward. Also nursery schools, retirement homes, childrens advocy groups are all nice groups that may enjoy your books.
Give them a call to see what they do & don't accept. Good luck & happy reading!

yes books do make me feel all warm and fuzzy

How do I know which ones are special enough and which ones can be passed on? See where I'm stuck?

[nuisance26]

~I just sorted through our bookshelf this morning and purged 4 things. It is hard and I don't have many books to begin with.
Usually my rules are to keep reference books, things that wouldn't be in our libraries(Christian books) and anything that I tend to read over again(my classic fiction). The kid's books only get tossed when they're in poor condition or passed on when I think the story is isn't worth the time to read.
The books I put in the Goodwill box today were reference books. But I haven't used them in over 2 years since I can find the same information online.
I want to have a library in our next house. My plan is to have some kind of shelving system like the clothes you don't wear system. The clothes you don't wear system is when you turn all your hangers around and as you wear items turn the hanger the right way. So after a while you'll see what needs to be purged. So either a shelf that is accessible on both sides or multiple shelves for books awaiting reading, books read, and books read that are good enough to read again. Maybe at the end of the year have the family evaluate what's on the 'books read' shelf and see if if anyone wants to save it before it's passed on.
I know I'm going to be where you are someday because of the homeschooling. Homeschooling families usually have books coming out of their ears so that's why I've been thinking of a possible system now before I get to that point.~

[monkeywrangler71]

Ask them which their favourites are, and save those. I keep quality children's picture books - good stories, good illustrations, favourites from my own childhood and my children's, and limited run books from local authors. We have many books which are no longer available.

Many early children's books are poorly written and low quality, I toss those when the kids outgrow that level - basically anything with licensed characters. I have two disney books that I have kept, both from the 70s, most others are just poorly written recaps of movies.

For children's chapter books, I have many of my own favourites from when I was a kid. Books that I read over and over. I would be devastated still, if my mother had tossed any of them without first asking which ones I loved. None of them can be found in stores or libraries. With my oldest daughter's books, we kept classics, quality stories, stories she connected with, and books I thought had educational value. We sold a lot of those serial books - Animal Ark, Goosebumps, etc. - but keep things like Magic Treehouse and Harry Potter.

The current bookshelf space is your limit - start by putting on the ones you absolutely can not part with, keep going until they are full. Then see what you have left, probably a lot of books that no one cares about.

[Contrary Housewife]

I have trouble getting rid of books too. I have so many we couldn't even unpack them when we moved in here. I no longer know what I own, and can't get to it because it is behind 6-8 feet of packed boxes and an old car.

But for what is on the shelf that I have sorted through....

I got rid of stuff that was out of date, or written at a superficial level, like Time-Life books, history books from the 70's...

If I had a lot of titles on one subject I kept the 'best' ones and got rid of the least informative or up to date ones.

I got rid of 'introductory' level craft books that I no longer need because my skills have advanced ....

I got rid of books that weren't quite what I expected, a book on the wild west that turned out to be mostly modern pictures and urban legends, not a "good" well researched book. Books that didn't cover what the title suggested it did, etc.

Books on hobbies I am no longer interested in. In this case it was calligraphy and bookbinding.

DH culled all the paperback fiction he thought was "bad", and things he wasn't going to read a second time like Star Trek novels.

We also pulled out duplicate titles, and there were more than there should have been...

I got rid of a lot of books I had bought that sounded interesting at the time, that I actually never even opened up to look at in the past 20 years. How bad is that?

[imagine]

Ask them which their favourites are, and save those. I keep quality children's picture books - good stories, good illustrations, favourites from my own childhood and my children's, and limited run books from local authors. We have many books which are no longer available.

Many early children's books are poorly written and low quality, I toss those when the kids outgrow that level - basically anything with licensed characters. I have two disney books that I have kept, both from the 70s, most others are just poorly written recaps of movies.

For children's chapter books, I have many of my own favourites from when I was a kid. Books that I read over and over. I would be devastated still, if my mother had tossed any of them without first asking which ones I loved. None of them can be found in stores or libraries. With my oldest daughter's books, we kept classics, quality stories, stories she connected with, and books I thought had educational value. We sold a lot of those serial books - Animal Ark, Goosebumps, etc. - but keep things like Magic Treehouse and Harry Potter.

The current bookshelf space is your limit - start by putting on the ones you absolutely can not part with, keep going until they are full. Then see what you have left, probably a lot of books that no one cares about.

Limited run books.

That reminds me of the book our doctor's wife wrote in her Nursing class and the college published. It explains a doctor's visit down to a t. Even using the exact words our doc used at the kids appointments. That book is a keeper.

[imagine]

I have trouble getting rid of books too. I have so many we couldn't even unpack them when we moved in here. I no longer know what I own, and can't get to it because it is behind 6-8 feet of packed boxes and an old car.

But for what is on the shelf that I have sorted through....

I got rid of stuff that was out of date, or written at a superficial level, like Time-Life books, history books from the 70's...

If I had a lot of titles on one subject I kept the 'best' ones and got rid of the least informative or up to date ones.

I got rid of 'introductory' level craft books that I no longer need because my skills have advanced ....

I got rid of books that weren't quite what I expected, a book on the wild west that turned out to be mostly modern pictures and urban legends, not a "good" well researched book. Books that didn't cover what the title suggested it did, etc.

Books on hobbies I am no longer interested in. In this case it was calligraphy and bookbinding.

DH culled all the paperback fiction he thought was "bad", and things he wasn't going to read a second time like Star Trek novels.

We also pulled out duplicate titles, and there were more than there should have been...

I got rid of a lot of books I had bought that sounded interesting at the time, that I actually never even opened up to look at in the past 20 years. How bad is that?

The grown up books are about a low as they can go. Hubby and I thinned those out a while back so that there would be room for the children's books.

The kid's books is what needs to be thinned out now.

I might have to do the box and store for a while trick. You know in case I discover that I really want (or the children really want) a certain book back on the shelves.

[imagine]

~I just sorted through our bookshelf this morning and purged 4 things. It is hard and I don't have many books to begin with.
Usually my rules are to keep reference books, things that wouldn't be in our libraries(Christian books) and anything that I tend to read over again(my classic fiction). The kid's books only get tossed when they're in poor condition or passed on when I think the story is isn't worth the time to read.
The books I put in the Goodwill box today were reference books. But I haven't used them in over 2 years since I can find the same information online.
I want to have a library in our next house. My plan is to have some kind of shelving system like the clothes you don't wear system. The clothes you don't wear system is when you turn all your hangers around and as you wear items turn the hanger the right way. So after a while you'll see what needs to be purged. So either a shelf that is accessible on both sides or multiple shelves for books awaiting reading, books read, and books read that are good enough to read again. Maybe at the end of the year have the family evaluate what's on the 'books read' shelf and see if if anyone wants to save it before it's passed on.
I know I'm going to be where you are someday because of the homeschooling. Homeschooling families usually have books coming out of their ears so that's why I've been thinking of a possible system now before I get to that point.~

Your public library doesn't have Christian books?

[nuisance26]

Your public library doesn't have Christian books?

~Nope. I have 4 libraries in my county and after searching last year I realized that not one of them carried C.S. Lewis books. When you can't get "Narnia" there's a problem! One library had about 100 of that major Christan romance author's books(what was her name...?) up until the mid-90's but they're all gone now. Of course, that library cut their books by 50% to put in a bunch of new computers. Urg. There are plenty of books about Chrstianity but not books by Christian authors.~

ETA: Just looked it up, Grace Livingston Hill.

[imagine]

~Nope. I have 4 libraries in my county and after searching last year I realized that not one of them carried C.S. Lewis books. When you can't get "Narnia" there's a problem! One library had about 100 of that major Christan romance author's books(what was her name...?) up until the mid-90's but they're all gone now. Of course, that library cut their books by 50% to put in a bunch of new computers. Urg. There are plenty of books about Chrstianity but not books by Christian authors.~

ETA: Just looked it up, Grace Livingston Hill.

That is very interesting. It fascinates me how things are so different from place to place

Our public libraries have books by christian authors. (there is even a whole section Labeled Inspirational Fiction with more authors than just Grace Livingston Hill)

There are Children's books by Christian authors too but they aren't separate they are just mixed in with the other Children's books.

They have Christian movies/tv series to check out - adults and children too.

C.S Lewis books too many more than just the Narnia series.

Again Fascinating.

[Grainlady]

You have my sincere sympathy....

Over the years I've collected and housed 9-10 thousand books in our library in the home we live in for 23 years. After two moves in the last 8 years I've donated all but about 3,000 of my "best friends".

The kids in the neighborhood used to do research projects in our library.

The Christian books went to a small church that started up in our neighborhood.

I read about a small town 2-hours away that was starting a library and we filled our car with books that were mainly resource materials, Kansas related and classics and delivered them to a very happy librarian.

My collection of local cookbooks went to the local historical museum and the old school books went to another local museum that moved the one-room school that was started by my great-great-grandparents to the museum, and they used the books in the school.

I've also donated to our local genealogical society, childrens books to an after-school childcare center, local homeless mission, a shelter for battered women, and sent boxes of books to the war front in Iraq and Afghanistan, via our Army Officer son-in-law.

I have donated collectable editions to our local library. They auctioned them off and the proceeds went to help build a new area for children.

The health food co-op got a large boost to their library about alternative health-care, whole foods, healthy cooking, etc.

A pick-up load went to the Book Mart (book sale) given by the Symphony Guild for music scholarships.

Giving up my book collection is one of the worst and best things I've ever done. I still go to my shelves in search for a certain book that is no longer in the collection, but it's great knowing they were given good homes.

[dcompton]

Just because your library doesn't have a book doesn't mean it isn't available. Libraries can find almost anything through interlibrary loan.

Are you going to stop buying new books and just read the old ones over and over? If not, you need to leave some extra room on those shelves too.

Keep the ones you KNOW you (or the children) will read over and over. Some of the other good ones, but if you think a book is really good, probably a lot of other people do too, and it is very likely that your library will be able to get it for you.