Once you have decided on the room/s for your home library / book collection it is preferable to break down your collection into categories, and it seems that we do this in many different ways.
“Is your home library looking a little tired? Is it time to reorganise?”
Chronological order: organized by time line, which can be either with most recent at the beginning and going back in time (called reverse chronological order), or conversely, starting with the beginning and moving forward, depending on what it is. History in general likes to start at the beginning and move forward.
Genre: The distinctions between genres and categories are flexible and loosely defined, often with sub-groups. The most general genres in literary terms are tragedy, comedy, epic and creative non-fiction
They can all be in the form of prose or poetry and can often span a number of genres. Books can also be arranged by the general cultural movement of the historical period in which they were composed. Genre should not be confused with age categories, by which literature may be classified as either adult, young-adult, or children’s. They also must not be confused with format, such as graphic novel or picture book.
Author: This seems a very logical approach to book organization and once again can be broken into sub- categories, such as sets, novels, novellas , short stories, poetry or chronologically.
Colour: Some interior designers (rather than bibliophiles and collectors) have been known to arrange their collection by colour which can be quite theatrical and pleasing to the eye, even covering the books with the same coloured binding. However, as interesting as this may look it is certainly not the trend taken by booklovers that want to get to a publication in a hurry.
Size: Although giving a uniform appearance, and, with the use of a leather edging, can eliminate the build-up of dust on the top of your treasured collection, as with the above, this can prove to be tiresome in locating a particular volume.
You may also choose to store your collection throughout the home, so pay attention to its distribution. Considering the function of the room which houses your collection, in the home library / office for instance it would make a good deal of sense to place reference books closer to the desk space, current reading material should be next to a comfortable reading chair, cook books in the kitchen and perhaps art books and picture books in an arrear which is in easy reach of visitors. You may have a small but varied assortment in a guest bedroom for the enjoyment of your invitees. It can be very comforting browsing a selection of your host’s books, perhaps short stories, anthologies and curiosities.
For those of you considering, or embarking on a library design fit-out, particularly in an older style residence, careful attention should be paid to adequate sub-floor ventilation and adequate sub-floor drainage as well as providing sufficient airflow for all the bookcase cabinetry or built in furniture components.
For all your library design needs contact Groth & Sons, the bespoke library outfitters.
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