Comments on: Dewey, LOC, Color

By: Brent Hanner

Brent Hanner — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:34:22 +0000

One problem with Dewey on Library Thing is that more books have LOC codes then Dewey.
But if you go with a decimal system I’ve been developing a spine label system that takes decimal like Dewey and maps it to a subject map and puts both on the label.
http://informationist.co/projects/SSD

By: Liz B

Liz B — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 13:32:22 +0000

Charlotte, I like your system! But imagine the authors who come visit to your house, eyeing the bookcases, wondering if they’re in a good place or not!

RM1, interesting to have the paperbacks on a higher shelf. I’m not sure I could shelf by genre because I would drive myself nuts trying to decide which genre to use.

Chris, my holiday books are packed away with hoiday decorations and I take them out with the ornaments etc.

Sondy, trying to figure out where to put another bookcase, always fun. I guess that’s another question, what furniture to put in front of a bookcase…

By: Sondy

Sondy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:42:40 +0000

Oh, this was fun. My almost-17-year-old son just completed a summer project of cleaning his room. He said, “I have too many books. I don’t know where to put them. My bookshelves are full.” I’m afraid I just laughed. Then I said, “There’s not room for another bookcase, is there?” He thinks maybe there is, now that he’s moved some of the piles! So he may get a bookcase for his birthday. Like we don’t have enough… But I figure that means I raised him right!

By: Sondy

Sondy — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 20:39:56 +0000

For the really really loved paperbacks, I do keep them on the bottom shelves of the bookcase with those books. (Example: favorite children’s fiction bookcase). Of course, I’ve got the pretty hardbacks on the more obvious higher shelves. I don’t worry about specific order on the shelves except putting an author’s books together.

For other mass-market paperbacks, I actually have a small out-of-the way bookcase with them stacked on their sides and some in front of others. (I know, horrors!) Mostly, though, the paperbacks are in the piles… (Argh! I’m starting to feel guilty about my book warren.)

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:52:36 +0000

We have four seven-foot-high bookcases in our living room…still overflowing with books all over. They are shelved mostly by subject/genre: fantasy, manuals and handbooks, spiritual, oversized, holiday (they take up two shelves–Santa brings a new Christmas book each year), kid’s fiction, classics, yearbooks, cookbooks, and picture books. Of course, the coffee table, floors in bedrooms, and my desk are just a mess of books!

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:06:35 +0000

Oh, yes – mass-market paperbacks on the upper shelves, hardbound and trade paperbacks on the lower, but otherwise as above. And the Britannica and OED will probably be in the living room, not the library.

By: RM1(SS) (ret)

RM1(SS) (ret) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 01:04:23 +0000

Definitely sort the books on the floor before starting to put them on the shelves! As for order, when we finally get the bookcases assembled the cookbooks will go on the shelves closest to the kitchen. Other nonfiction will be roughly sorted by Dewey (no sorting finer than 920, 930, &c), and fiction will all be in one single run by author (no separate sections for genre, and kid’s books mixed in with adults’).

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:19:39 +0000

I shelve my books based on my personal feelings about them (the authors I love get to be closest to the bed). Alphabetization has never darkened my doors–once away from the bed, it’s all based on genres and sub-genres and sub-cataories. Like the British books about ballet shelf, or the wholesome American classics (Betsy-Tacy, Beany Malone) section.

The non-fiction does something along the lines Gretchen describes–waves of subject flowing gently into each other–chickens to compost to Darwin’s book about worms to natural history observed (ie Annie Dillard) to other science things (ie Oliver Sacks)….etc.

By: Liz B

Liz B — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:11:46 +0000

Ilene, floor to ceiling bookcases… Is there a ladder? My dream house has a library with a ladder to get to the high shelves. Good point about oversize books; I also tend to sort/shelve depending on the depth of the bookshelf. Some are better for coffee table type books, others for paperbacks. I’m wondering, when was the last time NJLA had a home library program at their conference? I know they’ve had them but am blanking as to when and who did it.

By: Liz B

Liz B — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:06:59 +0000

Kristi, I think I may be able to have some cookbooks in the dining room. I also may pull the historical ones (like Medieval cooking) and interfile them with my history books. I’ll play with RedLaser — or, rather, Tom Sawyer my niece and nephew into thinking scanning all my books into the computer is as fun as painting a fence.

Gretchen, ha, my nonfiction also tends to be weird to everyone but me in organization. And I forgot about graphic novels; I don’t have a lot, but it makes sense to shelve them in their own area.

Melissa, ZBar sounds…. complicated. Honestly, I haven’t used any of the online places very much, but it just feels like creating a catalogue for my books could ultimately make my life easier.

Melissa, I’ll probably/maybe/not sure will separate kids, YA & adult. Well, picture books for sure.

lawral, such a relief to know i’m not the only one who thinks about these things! like, I want all my Sylvia Plath stuff together (yes, I’m one of those. or at least was.) so her book, poems, books about her, all have to be together regardless.

lisa, I’m sure you have the prettiest shelves!

misti, thanks! I know I have to have some order, just to stop me from the infamous buying a book I already known purchases. I cannot be the only one who has done that.

sondy, those are some serious moves.

hm, you all have me wondering — what do you think about hardcover and paperback? filed together or apart?