I really love books and periodically my shelves get so full that I need to weed them out. Here are some strategies to clear some space.
Decide where to donate your extra books
- Many of our local library branches collect donated books for sale. Check out your branch’s website to see where and when they accept donations.
- The annual Book Bonanza benefits local libraries, education and literacy. They collect donations year-round for the summer book sales: berks.lib.pa.us/sco/support/index.php?id=htm&page=bonanza
- The Opp Shop accepts book donations and the proceeds benefit Opportunity House: opphouse.org/oppshop
- Operation Paperback gives them to American troops serving overseas: operationpaperback.org
Weed out books on your shelves
- Donate or share any book you haven’t read in the last year or two.
- Give away text books and reference books. They get out of date quickly, and many textbooks are now in electronic editions.
- For cookbooks: move along any books where you use less than 30 percent of the recipes.
Strategies to reduce book clutter
- Invest in an e-reader like an Amazon Kindle or Barnes & Noble Nook or use an e-reader app on your mobile device. You can fit a whole library of titles onto one device.
- Borrow from your library before you purchase a personal copy. Only buy your own copy if you know you will read it again.
- Set up a book swap with friends to trade titles.
Rachel M. Gambone is the owner of ReOrganize with Rachel, LLC. In addition to general home organizing, she specializes in helping you organize your office, papers and digital information. Her signature approach is positive organizing where she builds on your strengths, helps you find your treasures, and teaches you life-long organizing skills. See more organizing tips and a link to her free podcast at www.reorganizewithrachel.com.
