Library Chaos! 5 Tips On Organizing Your Homeschool Library

The idea of organizing your books can be an overwhelming feeling for many homeschooling families. If you have a house full of avid readers then the books can begin to pile up faster than you realize. Just the thought of having to organize dozens of books can make anyone want to hide them in piles under the furniture or behind closed doors. Well, if this is how you feel then be sure to read our favorite tips for organizing even the biggest of book collections.

5 Tips for Organizing Your Home Library

1. Put all your books in a pile in the middle of the room.
2. Look through the books and decide if there are any you want to throw out or donate.
3. Create a list of every book such as Fiction and Non-fiction. Categories and Genres.
4. Put similar books together into piles and create a list of what is in that pile.
5. Place all unwanted books in a pile so you can donate or throw them out.

Now that you have sorted your books, placed them into the proper piles, and have a written list of the books you can begin placing them on bookshelves. Keep in mind the age of the children and if you want them to be able to reach the books independently. If you are struggling to find room for your books consider the following tips.

●Unused Rooms - do you have space in your basement, attic, or garage that is not being used? These areas could potentially be used to build bookshelves to store your books. Bookshelves do not need to be fancy and can often be made with scrap wood and ‘L’ bars from the local home improvement store.

●Bedroom Space - do your children enjoy reading at bedtime? If so, do they have space under their beds or in their closets? You could allow your child to check out one book at a time and then return it to the main bookshelf.

●Entertainment Stands - oftentimes a television stand offers shelves, and that area could potentially hold smaller books or books that the younger children can reach on their own.

●Keep Inventory - there’s nothing worse than wasting money purchasing a book you already own. So, keep a running list of the titles you own in digital form and even print that list and hang it in an area everyone can see.

To keep the bookshelves orderly, consider assigning the task to an older child. This will give them the opportunity to learn organizational skills and a sense of responsibility. If you see that some books are no longer of interest then donate those to your local library, homeschool group, or even thrift store. Home libraries can be any size and be held in several rooms or one main room within your house. Many homeschool families allow their children to keep certain non-text books in their own bedrooms. Give your children the option to decorate their bookshelves and create a comfortable area to enjoy their books.