Books are memories. Who we are. Who we were. Who we wanted to be. Who we became.
If you visit someone with a well-stocked library, you can “read” their book shelves like you are reading their biography. There are the books on pregnancy; on parenting; on study skills; on choosing a college. A section on travel. The hobby sections — gardening, photography, learning a new language. Shelves and shelves of books that were read by book clubs.
It’s possible to cobble together the stages of someone’s life by looking through the books in their home library.
Often one of the hardest tasks of my business is helping people edit their massive book collections, most which have taken decades to accumulate. Usually, there are books lurking in places beyond the main collection — books on nightstands, books used decoratively, books on the shelves of the bedrooms, books in the office. Even boxes of once-loved books in the attic that were stored away for the next generation.
The reality is, that when we are thinking about downsizing, saving, moving, and storing books for our children and grandchildren is not the smartest use of valuable shelf real estate. And if you have stored away a book, you are probably not going to read it again yourself.
More and more books are now read on a kindle-type device, or even on a phone. Penguin Random House reports that 20 percent of Americans have read an ebook, and 60 percent of those ebook readers are under 45. So if you want to share your love for Anne of Green Gables or Little Women with your granddaughter, she will likely want to read it electronically.
Downsizing Your Book Collection
So, how do you pare down that collection to get ready for your move?
The straightforward answer is to keep only your absolute favorites and donate the ones that don't serve you any longer for someone else to enjoy.
Start by taking all of the books in your home and putting them in one central place.
Just like with your clothing and treasured keepsakes, create piles — keep, donate/give away, and toss. Use a sharp paring knife!
When downsizing, paperbacks really should not make the cut.
Neither should books that may have been stored in a basement and might be mildewed or damaged.
Any books that might have actual value — like first editions — that you aren't sentimentally attached to can be taken to a book dealer or auctioned off on eBay.
Cookbooks are a whole topic in itself. If you use them, great, but if you find yourself looking online more and more for recipes, donate these as well.
College textbooks belong in the same category. They are most likely outdated, and more and more courses use online textbooks. Put these in the donation pile.
If you're anything like me, you will probably uncover a large number of books that you never got around to reading. Do you really think you will? If not, put them in the donate or giveaway pile.
Contact me for some help with minimizing your book collection. I can make it less of a daunting task.