To keep or not to keep: how to organize your growing home library

Home organizer Megan Arthurs joined us with a few solutions to keeping your home library organized.

Arthurs says she knows how challenging it is to sort through books and make hard decisions about which ones stay and which ones go.

“We do all carry this emotional attachment to our books, we invest a lot of time into the characters and the setting and the plots,” said Arthurs. “I’m excited to show you how to spruce up our home library and make personal collection functional and accessible.”

She says the first step is to figure out how many books are around your house and start purging. This can be difficult for many.

“It’s really not as simple as ‘should you keep the book, or should you give it away,’” said Arthurs. “I always ask questions that hone in on what the books mean to you, so you can evaluate its purpose in your home and in your life.”

Some of the questions Arthurs recommends to ask yourself while purging books are:

• Would I read this book again?
• Did this book add value to my life?
• Am I holding onto this book for educational purposes?

After purging, Arthurs says the next step is to start sorting. She says the goal is to sort so you can find the books you’re looking for when you need them. There are a few different ways to sort.

Colour Coordination

Arthurs says to look at the spine of the book and match similar themed colours.

“If aesthetics matter to you or if you have large open shelving, this is a great option,” said Arthurs. “This is also great for children…they tend to gravitate toward colourful things and rainbow items.“

Alphabetizing

Arthurs recommends alphabetizing by author or by title. This is especially useful if you read a lot of the same authors.

“What resonates with me is sorting by genre,” said Arthurs. “It makes it really accessible so you can quickly find the book you want when you want to read it.”

Arthurs never recommends buying a book just as a decoration, but she says they definitely are important when it comes to home design.

“You can let your books speak to your living environment,” said Aurthurs. “If you can open shelving, put your books on them with book ends and decorative items, it is a way to spark up conversation but also encourages you to gravitate toward a book that you might not have read yet.”

Follow on Instagram.