Building A Home Library On A Budget
When people hear the words home library, they may picture an entire room filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, a cozy reading chair, and thousands of beautifully displayed books. While that sounds wonderful, you don’t need a dedicated library or a huge budget to create a special collection of books for your family. A home library can start with just a few books and grow over time. The most important thing isn’t how many books you have. It’s creating a space where books are easy to see, easy to reach, and, most importantly, inviting to read.
Most adults who love to read usually have a collection of their favorite books. Some may have a collection of books, including ones they have read and ones they still need to read. I, for one, like to buy my books as opposed to checking them out from my local library. Why? Usually, I can tell from the blurb what the book is about and whether I’m going to like it. If I like it, I want to keep it for my library. Like most people, I also have my favorite authors who consistently write books I love. What happens if I don’t like the book? Very rarely does this happen, but if I were expecting a great story from the blurb, the book missed the mark, and I happen to not like it, then I donate it. Besides the books that I bought that I have not gotten to yet, I only keep those I love in my home library.
Below, I have listed a few pointers for those who would like to have their own library but either don’t think they have enough books, think they need a huge space, or think they have to have a lot of money in order to do this. First, let’s define what constitutes a “home library.” A home library can be any space that you create to hold your books. For some, a couple of bookshelves suffice in their living room. For others, a home library might mean bookshelves lining the walls of an extra bedroom that has been turned into a home library or office. And for others, a home library might mean stacks of books in a corner of a room. In other words, you define what a home library means.
1. Start With What You Have
Before you start shopping for books, take a look around your house. You may already have more books than you realize. Gather the books you have tucked away in closets, stored in boxes, or sitting on different bookshelves. Put them together in one place and see what you have. You might be surprised by your collection! This could be turned into a fun family activity. Have everyone go to their rooms and get out all of their books to bring to one location. For instance, a living room is usually the central location of a home. No matter where you are going to put your library, I would have everyone bring the books to that central location. Have everyone keep their books separate from everyone else’s.
Next, ask everyone to sit down on the floor next to their stack of books. Ask which books they enjoy reading and which ones they have outgrown. Older children should be able to pull those books out of their pile, while younger children might need help. Have each family member (including adults) put the ones they have outgrown or do not like in a separate stack. Now, each family member should have two stacks (or more). One stack should be the “keep” pile, while the other should be the ‘not liked or outgrown pile.’ Keep the books that still have meaning or that your family enjoys, and consider donating books that are no longer being read.
2. Create a Cozy Reading Spot
You don’t need expensive furniture to create a reading area. A small bookshelf or two, a basket of books, a comfortable chair, or even a few pillows on the floor can create a wonderful reading nook. If you have small children, you will want to place their books at the bottom of the bookshelf(s), or consider having a separate bookshelf or basket so they can reach their books easily.
If using bookshelves, place the books with the spines out toward the room. When books are displayed in an inviting way, children are more likely to pick one up, especially when they are easily accessible. If you are tight on space, you can even rotate the books throughout the year. Put seasonal books out during the holidays or bring out books for each season. For instance, put out books about spring when the weather starts warming up, or books that are about snowmen, winter attire, and hibernating animals during winter. During months when there are no holidays, put out books about a topic your child is currently interested in. It is also nice to rotate books, especially for children, if they have a huge amount of books, so they do not get tired of the same ones over and over.
Adults can also do the above, especially if space is tight, or if they are sharing the space with another adult and/or children. If the space can accommodate several bookshelves, for example, like an extra bedroom that has become your home library, continue to keep adult books in one section and kids’ books in another. Remember to keep children’s books at a height that they can reach.
If you really want to get creative, you can make labels. For example, you can separate the books into genres so that they are easier to find. This is helpful when you have a lot of books. This will also save you time if you are looking for something in particular and want to access it quickly.
3. Don’t Be Afraid of Used Books
One of the best ways to build a library without spending a lot of money is to buy used books. A book doesn’t have to be brand new, and books you haven’t read before don’t have to be new to become a favorite. Thrift stores, garage sales, library sales, used bookstores, and community book sales can be great places to find books at a fraction of their original price. You never know what treasure you might find! I love finding books this way! Usually, I have several books in mind before I go, so that if I run across one of them, I can buy it. You might not find all of the books you want, or more specifically, in one place, but this is part of the fun!
The same goes for children. A book doesn’t have to be brand new to become a favorite. Some of the books that become special to children are the ones that have been loved by another child before them. If you take your children with you to used bookstores, garage sales, etc., they learn too that books aren’t as expensive and that they can usually get more than one since the prices are lower than buying new.
4. Build Your Collection Slowly
While most of us who love to read probably have a good start to collecting, it is important for those of you who have just recently found a love for books to know that you don’t have to buy twenty books at once. In fact, building your home library slowly can make the process more meaningful.
Consider buying one or two books each month. You could even let your child choose one book, and you choose another. This is the same concept if you do not have children and your home library is strictly adult books. Over the course of a year, that’s already a nice collection of new books!
Your local library is a wonderful free resource, especially if you are trying to build up children’s books for your home library and/or perhaps do not know where to begin. Sometimes, your child or children might be between stages of books for their age, or they are not sure what genres they like, so taking them to a library for story time, or involving them in a book club will help them discover what types of books they enjoy before you spend money adding those books to your home library collection.
Libraries aren’t just places to borrow books. They often have children’s programs, story times, book clubs, summer reading programs, and special events. Visiting the library regularly can also help children discover what types of books they enjoy before you spend money adding those books to your home collection. If your child absolutely loves a particular book, that’s when you might consider purchasing a copy for your home library.
Birthdays and holidays can also be opportunities to enhance your home library. Keep a running list of books that you would like (adults’ and/or children’s). Then, when someone asks what you would like for a gift, you can ask for a book.
5. Look for Books That Are About Quality Over Quantity
When you are building your home library, first think about quality rather than quantity. Look for books that you may have read and loved before, and that you may want to read again. Also, look for classics. It is always nice to have a few in your home library, even if you do not intend to reread them. This goes the same for children’s books. Coffee table books that are beautifully illustrated or that are made up of photos are always nice to have among a collection of books in your home library.
Again, you don’t need hundreds of books to create a meaningful library. A carefully chosen collection of adult and children’s books that includes a variety and reflects each person in the family’s interests can be much more valuable than shelves filled with books that never get opened.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember from this blog is that your home library doesn’t have to be perfect or look like something from a magazine. Utilize the space that you have. It may be a combination of new books, used books, library books, hand-me-downs, and books that have been passed down through your family. That’s okay.
A home library isn’t measured by the number of books you own or how much money you’ve spent. It’s measured by the memories created around those books. Some of the best books we have read hold special places in our hearts for one reason or another. You and/or your children years from now may not remember exactly how much a book cost, but you will remember how the book made you feel, or your children will remember sitting beside you while you read it.
That’s the real value of a home library. So start small. Buy a used book. Visit your local library. Add a book on a birthday. Make a cozy reading corner. Read together. Little by little, page by page, your collection will grow. Before you know it, you’ve built something much more valuable than a shelf full of books. You’ve built a home where reading belongs.
