![]() ![]() Try to get an idea from pictures how many books can fit across the width of a single shelf, then multiply by how many shelves there are to get an idea of how many books a case can hold.Ĭheck out any pictures that users have provided, or do a Google image search for the specific model of shelves you’re thinking about purchasing. As a general rule, paperbacks generally take up less space and weight than hardcovers. (4) How many books do you want to shelve?įourth, how many books are you looking to shelve? If it’s complete chaos and you’re tripping over stacks of books like I am all the time, you’re going to want to buy bookshelves that can hold a lot. We’ve got loads more ideas for shelves for creating your own personal home library with style and some money leftover for books. Plus, the wood looks nice and is quite sturdy, and there are different options for the finish you want. Draft a cheap bathroom shelving unit like this one from Target into service and you’ve got a nice looking unit to showcase one of your niche or special collections, or just fit in a skinny space.Ī shelf of heavy library books on my vertical folding bookcaseīoth of these shelves fit your needs, whether you want something horizontal or instead a nice little vertical shelf to fill a corner. These shelves are usually much less expensive than a bookcase. That’s where I keep my romance novels, and grouped together like that they form a nice little genre-specific bookcase. Multimedia shelves, which are designed to hold DVDs and Blu-rays, can actually pack a lot of mass market paperbacks or shorter books that you don’t know what to do with, so they don’t to take up space on precious bigger cases you need to store big, heavy hardcovers. There are also some creative ways to find shelving to store your books using unconventional, cheaper storage options. Unless they are falling apart, you know they’ve already stood the test of time holding another reader’s books. Not only is this a great way to save money, but you also don’t have to put these shelves together since they’re already assembled (you might need a car or a truck to transport them, though). Thanks to a hot tip from a friend, I got this bookcase from Goodwill for $15 during the Black Friday sale. Look at thrift stores, on Etsy, and at flea markets and church or synagogue rummage sales. ![]() If there are local colleges near you, keep an eye out for curb alerts from students discarding cases they can’t take back with them. Try Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Nextdoor, or even a quick “SOS: I Need Shelves!” message on social media. There are many ways to find free or low-cost secondhand bookcases near you. When a friend alerts me that there’s a bookcase at the Goodwill near my house, you better believe I dash over there to scoop it up. Some of my best bookshelves I got secondhand, and it’s a great way to go about building a home library on a budget. Also ask yourself, what can you afford to pay more for: as much shelving as possible, or a nice “showcase” unit to enhance your room’s aesthetic? get thrifty For instance, do you want or need three new bookcases? Or can you get away with two? I have both bought too many cases at once and bought not enough, leading to some awkward situations with overstuffed or skimpy shelves. Building a home library on a budget is definitely doable, but you’ll want to figure out what you want the most. ![]() (1) How much can I afford?įirst, you’ll want to get an idea of how much you can afford or want to spend. Go through these prompts and create a wishlist to help you formulate a plan to build a home library of your dreams. So before you dive in and get going with your DIY home library, ask yourself a couple of questions first to get organized. As a librarian, I have a particular soft spot for geeking out about building a DIY home library, so get ready: this is some next level bookshelf and bookcase nerd. Although it’s never a bad thing to have an extra bookcase lying around, a little organization ahead of time can help you save money and thoughtfully think about how to decorate your space with book storage. When you’re getting ready to build a home library, you might want to do a little planning before you jump in. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |