Organizing Books

I love books- How do I get myself to part with them?

Books bog down more people than you think. They hold so much information and knowledge. Sometimes keeping books shows us how much knowledge we’ve accumulated and we’re proud of that. So giving them up would inflate that pride and prevent us from “showing others” what we’ve read and know. Other times, it’s plain as, what do I do with the books? How do I get rid of them? That question is not uncommon. On top of that, books are heavy and not easy to move around. Here’s some ideas of how to downsize your library and where to donate them?

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 How to Downsize Your Book Collection:

• Count the number of books you have- yes, that’s right. Either one shelf at a time, one box at a time, or every book you own. Now you have that number in your head. Set a concrete goal- I’d like to get rid of 30% of my books, 20% of my books, etc. Now calculate the math. If you have 100 books, getting rid of 20% would be 20 books. Go back to your bookshelves or boxes and just pick 20. Count aloud as you do it. You’ll be surprised how easy this exercise can be.
• Get rid of the books you’ve read, keeping only the ones you haven’t. That’s an easy way to eliminate books if that’s the standard you set before sorting.
• Check publishing dates in the front cover for medical reference books, travel books, and any type of book that would go “out of date”. Promise yourself you won’t hold onto anything that is “x” number of years old. You set the bar. Don’t be too generous though- anything older than 2003 or 2004  should go.
• Ask yourself this question, “When I need an answer about this topic- am I going to come to this book on the shelf? or am I going to go to the library to find a book on it? or better yet,  I’ll look it up on the internet.” Answer honestly. Most often you won’t think to go look on your shelf. 
• Don’t allow yourself to make room by packing up boxes of books and leaving them in a storage room or basement. You’ll forget what you have and won’t want to go shuffling through box after box looking for the one book you’ll need. Besides, you’re just moving clutter, not really making a decision about clutter- to get rid of it.

 Where to Recycle/Donate them:

• Try calling your local library(s) in your community. Ask if they take donations. Most do and many have summer book sales.
• If your local private or public high school has a library, they’d appreciate books that would be useful to students. Such as historical or biographical books.
•  If you’re computer savvy- sell your books on Amazon.com, Half.com, and Ebay.com. Yes, it does really work- if you have the time and energy. You could get back some of the money you shelled out.
• Get cash for your books at http://www.cash4books.net/. There website can answer many of your questions.