13 Organisation Tips for Your Books and Book Collections

If you’re guilty of carelessly stuffing your books wherever there’s a spare gap on the shelf space, it’s time to step up your home organisation game and get your book collection organised once and for all!

A practical book organisation system won’t just make it easier to find what you’re looking for - it’ll also make you more inclined to actually pick up a book and get reading.

Organising your favourite books needn’t be time consuming or overly complicated, either. We’ve rounded up a list of 13 easy, smart and fun ways to get your book collection organised and looking great.

1. Organise books by the rainbow

If you’re into the idea of a statement bookshelf, consider organising your books by colour.

Organisation by colour works especially well in areas where the books are going to be highly visible or where order isn’t a top priority, for example a playroom. And whilst it’s a less traditional way of ordering your book collection, your brain will like it; you are likely to remember the colour of the book you are looking for before you remember the title.

2. Organise books by category

When it comes to organising your home library, creating categories (genre, subject) works well. Think about how a bookshop or library has sections (travel, fiction, kids); you can create the same with your home book collection. Perhaps you can group recipe books in the kitchen, business books in your office and kid’s books in the playroom.

Organising books by subject matter is a fantastic method for categorising your book collection because it's likely the way your brain is going to categorise the book you are looking for. It’s not always easy to remember the exact title or author of a book but narrowing it down by subject matter will make it much easier to find what you’re looking for.

3. Give your favourite books centre stage

Rather than mixing your favourite books in with all their average peers (then desperately scanning the shelves everytime you want to reread them), display them prominently on your bookshelves where you easily see and access them.

4. Organise books by Author: contemporary or classic

If you have a diverse collection of old and new books, you might consider organising your collection by author, splitting the collection between contemporary and classic.

It’s important for you to define contemporary and classic however suits you and your specific collection. You could choose to split between living and deceased authors, books published during specific time periods or books written before and after a certain date.

5. Group together books you haven’t read yet

Create a section for books you are yet to read. Gather these books together and place them in their own special category and location so they don’t get lost among the other titles. Now you’ll always have a few books to reach for when you need a fresh new read.

6. Don’t be scared to stack books

Keeping all your books in orderly rows is a thing of the past. If you have a small category or simply a group of select books you’d like to stand out amongst others, stack them!

They can be stacked by size, cover or theme and can be stacked on their own or used to add some variety to the aesthetic of a bookshelf.

7. Create a rotation

This tip is particularly useful for the young readers in our lives. Like toys, if kids have access to all of their books all of the time, they’re likely to lose some of the appeal.

Setting up a rotation of books is a great way to keep things fresh for kids. Just keep a sealed container on the top shelf of a cupboard, in the basement or garage with extra books and swap them in and out of your kid’s bookshelves every few weeks/months.

8. Utilise a drawer

When it comes to storage options for books, drawers are often overlooked however they can be a fantastic solution! Similar to how file folding t-shirts or jeans allows you to see things more clearly in your wardrobe, organising books spine side up in a drawer will enable you to easily peruse a large number of titles in one go.

9. Arrange books by height and size

For a great aesthetic and an uncluttered feel, arrange and organise your book collection by grouping books of similar height and size together. You should aim to create even, straight lines with the top of your books and avoid the staggered uneven look.

10. Remove book dust jackets

If you’re looking for a way to quickly make a bookshelf look tidier, removing the dust jackets from your books could be the answer. Dust jackets are usually designed to catch the attention of a potential reader, which is the last thing you need on your bookshelf at home, and they are easily damaged and quickly become tatty. A book free of its dust jacket will look neater and more organised on display.

11. Utilise bookends

Keeping your book collection looking neat and tidy is often just as much of a challenge as deciding how to organise books. Bookends are a brilliant way to keep your book displays in place, and choosing bookends that fit with your home’s style and aesthetic will help to tie in your book collection with the overall look of your home.

12. Avoid overfilling your bookcase

The easiest way to ensure your books look good regardless of whether you've organised them or not is by not filling each bookcase to the brim. When it comes to a stylish and organised bookcase, often more is less. If your book collection is large, try to spread it out throughout your home using bookcases in each room.

Not only will this add character to each room in your home, you will also find it far easier to locate the book you’re looking for when the shelves are uncluttered.

13. Declutter your books

If you have tried everything and are still feeling overwhelmed by your collection, decluttering is always helpful. It’s common to have many books that you will only read once, and you really don’t need to keep hold of forever. If the task is too big to undertake alone, don’t forget Homefulness is here to help!