HOW TO | EASY WAYS TO BUILD A HOME LIBRARY

A house full of books is a house of the learned. Books bring wisdom much needed to help us move on in life; without them, the world seems bleak. Our imagination wouldn’t have the fuel to burn bright or run right. There’s no arguing that a book on the shelf is a bankable friend, when alone or shared with company. So without ado, here are a couple of dos and don’ts to help you set up a home library.

Define the space | You need to ascertain the size you wish to have, and it would depend on the amount of physical space you can afford to dedicate. It can vary from a free wall to a spare room. Decorate with a stuffed chair, art on the walls, and warm lighting to enhance the beauty of the space.

 

Start small | We aren’t asking you to run out and collect every book you ever loved, saw or read; begin small and grow. Don’t clutter the space with books to make it look like a library. You would need five books at least that stirs your passion and interest to begin with. As they grow on you, add five more that resonate with you. This would eventually grow into a mini library; so don’t hoard or overfill the shelves with books you would never read!

Know your sources | Quite often, local libraries will cull what they have, and sell off hardbacks and paperbacks books dirt cheap. Head on to such centres to scourge for your favourites, and build your library accordingly. Be selective and realistic, and understand that you cannot hoard because clutter is never attractive.

Things to ask yourself when setting up a home library | When setting up a home library, there are a couple of things you should ask yourself. Be very honest in answering them, because this would allow you to set the base for your library to grow.

When setting up a prime section in your library, place books that stir your passion right in front. This will form the core of your mini home library.

 

Ask yourself what you would like to learn or gain more knowledge about. Answering this will help in building the secondary section of your library.

Think about stuff that fascinates you, and those that help open your mind to broader perspectives in life. A good number of books on these lines would form the tertiary section of your library.

Finally, don’t forget to dust, clean and place the books back in the right section everyday. If the library is wall-mounted, you may want to have a table and a chair below it for reading. If it is by the wall, a chair, wooden table with a lamp and vase of fresh flowers is quite enough!

Enjoy your read!