how to organize home library

[roseannvj]

I am looking for input on how to organize all these books. I am absolutely loving HOD! However, especially with using the extension packs, I am accumulating a lot of books, and am beginning to have difficulty finding them quickly. How do you organize your homeschool library-- by subject, author, grade/curriculum guide it belongs with? If you keep all your materials together that go with each individual guide, what do you do about the few that corespond with more than one guide?

[StephanieU]

I have found washi tape to be helpful in labelling HOD books. Washi tape is a paper tape very similar to painter's tape that comes in lots of patterns and colors. I try to find one that is similar to the cover of the guide. So, when I received Bigger recently, I used yellow washi tape. I put a strip at the bottom of each book. I then used a permanent marker to write on the washi what the book was for (Sc for science, H for history, and St for storytime). I also used green washi tape for DITHOR. I put the level in permanent marker again (2 this time). That way I can easily see what the book is for just by glancing at the shelf. I try to keep the books sorted by guide, and anything for the 3Rs together as well.

[roseannvj]

Great idea StephanieU! Thanks!

[Nealewill]

I have a bookshelf for only school books and I put each child's books on their shelf. I also store things in boxes and label them when they aren't being used. This has helped me tremendously.

[Gwenny]

I have all of the DITHR books that I have for all levels all together on a shelf in the school room closet. Also, all books related to a certain guide, including story time selections are all together. We have all of the guides from LHTH to Rev to Rev, so it's quite a few books. I have the Emerging Readers and supplemental titles on a shelf in my school room all together also. My children all have a tub with the books they are working on and when one is finished it goes back on the shelf with the other books in that guide and we grab the next one or two.
It makes me crazy to have to spend my time looking for a certain book! I feel your pain there.

When I didn't have the shelf room, I had used big containers from The Container Store in which to keep each guide and ALL related books. When we pulled out that set, another guide and its books went in the tub.

[countrymom]

A lot depends on what kind of space you have. I have no bookcase space or shelving, so what has really worked slick for us is to put each guide in one of those large, flat bins that you can get at Meijers or Wal-Mart. I don't buy the real deep ones, but not the real shallow ones either (although for extensions you might want the deeper one). I put everything we aren't using at the moment in those, each one labeled according to guide. I have one of those large carry bins with handle for the books we are currently using. I do have a small two-tray bin area that I have turned into a small shelf for notebooks, etc. This has worked well for us, but of course you need space for the bins. I stack them up and put them at the end of our school room. Prior to our recent move they were stack in closet shelves.

[jhperry]

This thread might help viewtopic.php?f=6&t=10003