One of the biggest challenges we bibliophiles face is cleaning out our bookshelves during "spring cleaning." We take pride in our personal libraries; however, we need to remind ourselves we do not have the space for that dream library Belle had at her disposal in Beauty and the Beast.
As the first day of Spring approaches, we decided to share some of our own book separation struggles to show you are not alone. Hopefully, some of these stories and tips will help you decide which books stay and which books must go to a better home.
Alex: "Last spring, I made room on the baker's rack I have in my living room. Before this, my books were scattered around my apartment in no particular order. Some lived on the coffee table, while others were tucked away in drawers. Now they are all together neatly displayed."
Brittany: "I love organizing my books by spine color. Whenever I move to a new apartment, I find myself donating the books that I don’t read or need anymore."
Kristen: "Pick a few books that you read and loved, but probably won’t read again anytime soon, and pass them along to someone who you know will love them, too."
Lia: "I HATE getting rid of books. I take the books off the shelf, dust them and put them back. Anything that I really don’t want I’ll give to the public library, but I’m usually pretty emotionally attached to my books. Plus, now that I have a Kindle, the spring cleaning process isn’t as intense as it used to be."
Megan: "I'm sending a big box of books home to my parents' house. I don't have room for more than about 50 in my apartment, but I don't want to give them away just yet. Still, I do try to part with a few to donate."
Morgan: "I tackle my bookshelves like I tackle my closet. For clothes, if I haven't worn something in two years, I donate it (some exceptions apply, of course). Same goes for books: if I haven't picked it up or thought about it sometime in the past two years, I donate it. This year, I realized I have three big hardcovers that have been on my 'TBR' (i.e. "To Be Read") pile for eight years. I think it's time I acknowledge I won't be reading them and donate them to a good home."
Nadia: "I have to confess, I love having a full bookshelf. 'Spring cleaning' my books is tough for me. Lately though, I’m trying to keep my shelf to 'books I love' and 'books I realistically plan on reading.' I’ve pulling out books I bought ages ago because it looked okay at the time, but now there are 10+ books I’d rather read first."
As for me, my biggest turning point was moving into a new apartment. It took me over a week to decide which books needed to be donated. Luckily, I narrowed it down to what my mom calls the "Five Rule" - pick 5 items from different stages of your life to keep a memorable and managable collection. I was able to narrow down five books from my childhood, five books from my teenage years and five books I loved as an adult as my curent library. It's a small collection, but I have no regrets. Also, a library card does not hurt to keep the clutter down.
State Library of Victoria's Collection
