Organizing home libraries is a great way to display what you want, store the rest, but keep track of everything you own in your home library. Much of how you get organized for this area of your home depends on how much space you have for your books. Maybe you have just acquired or inherited a sizable amount of books or moved to a smaller space and have less to work with. It could even just be that you have stacks of books that are still unpacked from the last move and you are ready to get proactive in your organized living. Whatever the reason, it is time to sort through those books and make sure they are organized to prolong their shelf life, as well as your sanity, and Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management can help you get your home library organized.
Why get organized when it comes to your book collection? Well, for one thing, it is easy to lose track of exactly what you have in your book collection. If you need to reference that home repair book but don’t know where it is, you may end up having to buy another copy.
Another reason to establish an organization system for your books is for your peace of mind. Clutter can be a real cause of the added stress you feel. Getting your life in order and making sure your collection is stored in a manner that will prevent damage, in addition to being able to actually find the book you need without having to search in different places can set your mind at ease.
Don’t forget also, your book collection can become a family heirloom, a collection of literary treasures to hand down to the next generation. Should something happen to you, it is good for your family to be able to have an understanding of the filing system you implement for organizing your home libraries.
To get organized when it comes to your book collection, the first thing to do may be to determine what you would like to keep on display among the shelves, and which books you might want in other rooms. For some people, this is a stock of books they refer to a lot, plan to reread or just like to have on display. This inventory of display items can also be rotated or changed on a regular basis, if desired. Or, when a new book comes in, it may be time to retire an older one to storage or another room in the home.
After you have decided what to display and what to file away, it is time to box up the rest or keep it filed in another part of the home. To keep track of what books go where, it is a good idea to use a filing system or document management software in which you can index your books based on the location you are displaying them. This will enable you to get organized enough to be able to easily look up which of your favorite reads are located on shelves in the home, which have been boxed up and put in a closet and even those books being stored outside the home or borrowed by someone.
After you have divided your books and decided where each stack will go, you can then start a location in the software database to match the physical location where each set of books will be located. Once you have named the first location, you can begin to index each book, similar to how you might file paper files, with the book title as the item name. Then add keywords with the author’s name and maybe some information about each book, and the shelf number or box number where you’re going to place the book. For each book you add to the respective location, the software will assign an item number to that book. You would then affix a label or mark the number on the book itself to match the assigned item number.
You can categorize your books in the software by book type, such as Cookbooks, Home Repair, Photo Albums, Marketing, Finance, Business, etc. When you’ve indexed all of your books, you will be able to conduct a Google-like search in the filing system database, and the software will tell you exactly where the book is located.
You can also print out an item list report with your list of books and where they are located, either by item number or alphabetically by book name.
Paper Tiger Filing System Software for document management can help you get organized so that you can find the book you need, when you need it – quickly!
Tags: books, Document Management, document management software, document management system, filing system software, get organized, home library, Paper Tiger "finding" filing system
I have my business books indexed in the Paper Tiger. It is so helpful to know what you have and where to put your hands on it in seconds. I’ve also created a location called “Books I’ve Read” and I am keeping a list of the books that I have read there to avoid checking them out again.
Natalie, thanks so much for giving everyone a personal testimony as to how well Paper Tiger works when indexing your books. Works as well in the home as in the office. We appreciate you spreading the word about Paper Tiger!