This is an informal blog post, but it should probably come with a warning: this post will likely be of no interest to those who don’t have an unhealthy obsession with books. But for fellow book nerds, read on. I delve into my personal library organization system, which, if I say so myself, would impress Marian Paroo.[1]
I can organize all these books, yet I apparently can't take a straight picture of a still object.
I feel it’s first necessary to justify having a personal library in this brave new virtual world where electronic media reigns and attention spans don’t. It’s really quite simple: I love knowledge, but I hate leaving my house. A hermit surrounded by books?! Shocking, I know. But what about eBooks? Sure, I have them—I’ve got gigs of them. For me, and for many others, eBooks will never replace the joy, the texture, the readability, and the satisfaction of the printed word. Besides, how long can one stare at a screen anyway?
Another relevant question is: how does a person on an extremely limited income and a budget tighter than skinny jeans after Thanksgiving afford to fill her home with books? Two words: buy used. I’ve found great copies of books for fifty cents to a dollar at library sales, and, with the all-mighty internet, online used bookstores abound. Mostly though, the personal library has been a life-long process of collecting. It all begins with an appreciation for knowledge itself—this wacky idea that knowledge is a valuable thing. Once that appreciation is there, the urge to surround oneself with literature directly follows.
Catalog it. Catalog it all.
Every book (and movie and record, for that matter) in my library is cataloged digitally through Libib. Libib scans the barcode on physical media and uploads all the relevant information (author, title, ISBN, etc.) with a picture. With Libib, I can search for titles to make sure I don’t get duplicates, and I can tag titles with keywords. For instance, if I want to research music from the 1960s, I can simply search my Libib account for relevant tags like Sixties or Bob Dylan to see what is available in my library. Plus, if my house ever burns down,[2] I have proof of my obsessions and compulsions to give my insurance company.
Music books share the record shelf, which I felt was an appropriate use of space.
My System
Library of Congress? Dewey Decimal System? Universal Decimal Classification? Too much to choose from! It’s quite difficult to make a linear system, especially when so many subjects are interdisciplinary. I wanted to maintain a diverse library so that anyone who visits can find books they’d enjoy, but I also needed it to be functional for my own personal research. For example, I do not have a specific section for biographies, but instead, I have biographies next to their most relevant subject. That means that the P. G. Wodehouse biography is not in history, but is next to Jeeves and the Tie That Binds. So, a dozen bookshelves later, here it is—Shalon’s library organization system.
To see the books I have read, visit my Goodreads page. I don’t own every book I read. I usually read an average of 100 books a year.
A. History
General world history and geography
Historiography
History of science and technology
African history, ancient through early modern
Asian history, ancient through early modern
Middle Eastern history, ancient through early modern
European history, ancient through early modern
Industrial history
Military history
American history
Mesoamerican history
Latin American history
Native American history
U.S. Colonial, Revolutionary, Frontier
U.S. Slavery, Civil War, Reconstruction
U.S. Progressive Era, World War I, Depression
U.S. World War II, Postwar Era
Cold War history
African American history
Civil Rights history
Contemporary history (some contemporary history may be under the Politics section)
Cultural history, general humanities
B. Art
General art history
Aesthetics and philosophy of art
Art theory and criticism
Specific art movements
Specific artworks
Specific artists
C. Film
General film history
Film theory and criticism
Specific film movements
Specific films
Specific directors
D. Music
General music history
Music theory and composition
Specific musical styles
Specific musicians or bands
Songbooks, compositions
E. Literature
Literary anthologies
Literary criticism
Theater theory
Fiction literature (fiction literature organized chronologically from ancient to modern and includes novels, poetry, and plays)
F. Anthropology/ Cultural Criticism
General cultural studies that fit best in its own section
Psychoanalysis (Freudian, Jungian stuff that’s best for cultural criticism is here, but psychology of the functional social kind is in the Sociology section)
Modernism, Postmodernism
Feminist studies
Anthropology
Folklore, Mythology (some mythology is in Religion, some in Literature—it depends on the nature of the work)
Linguistics, Languages
G. Religion
General religious history
Philosophy of religion
Specific religious traditions
Religious texts
H. Philosophy
General philosophy
Ancient philosophy
Medieval philosophy
Metaphysics
Logic
Epistemology
Pragmatism
Philosophy of language
Philosophy of science
Philosophy of mind
Aesthetics (if it’s more art-focused, aesthetics is in Art)
Ethics
Applied ethics
Specific ethics issues
Continental philosophy, Existentialism
I. Law
General legal
Specific legal issues and cases
Criminal justice
J. Politics/ Sociology
General sociology
General psychology
Race/ gender studies
Specific sociological/ psychological issues
Comparative politics
Political philosophy
Political science
Political systems
Specific political issues
Economics
Marxist studies
K. Science
General sciences
Astronomy
Physics
Earth sciences
Biology
Health, Fitness, Medicine
Mathematics
L. Instructional Texts
How-To Manuals
Recipes
M. Entertainment
Children’s books
Humor
Games
[1] ♫ “It’s a long-lost cause I can never win for the civilized world accepts as unforgivable sin any talking out loud with any librarian such as Marian Madam Librarian.” ♫
[2] Knock on cheap particle board shelves.
By Shalon van Tine