No matter how many new tablets or gizmos there are in the world to read books on, some of us just prefer a more traditional approach. And as nice as it may be to amass a big collection of your favorite old books to revisit later, this does lead to a small problem - they all have to go somewhere, right? If you’re lucky enough to have the space for a home library, whether in a spare room, the garage, or wherever, you still might find yourself needing to reorganize and tidy up your library collection every once in awhile. Don’t know where to start, or maybe you keep getting buried under books every time you try to open the door? Here’s a few tips for organizing your home library and keeping your books so tidy, even Barnes & Noble will get jealous: Sorting: One of the hardest things a bookworm can do is have to get rid of books, but sometimes this is the easiest place to start organizing. A sequel to a favorite book that you didn’t like as much? Something you bought on a whim at the airport that you’re never going to finish? That goofy young-adult novel you bought when you’re younger but are a little embarrassed by now? Try to weed out what you’re never going to read again and donate them to a thrift store, second-hand book shop, or anywhere you can find that will give them a new home. Cataloging: The next step, once you’ve figured out what you’re going to keep, is to help get it all cataloged and listed. Open an Excel spreadsheet (or even make a hand-written list if you’re feeling adventurous) and make a list of every book you’ve decided to keep, and sort them by title or author or whatever helps you most. This will help you get a better idea of what you’ve got left in your collection, and how to start organizing it when you put them away! Location: This might be a slightly bigger one, but in many occasions, re-locating your book collection might be helpful while re-organizing. Try to find a room with sufficient space without a lot of windows - as we all know, sunlight is an old book’s worst enemy. A few extra bookshelves would probably be handy here, and for anything larger (graphic novels, video game strategy guides) you might want to consider wire shelving for their size and durability. If your books wind up in the garage or attic, you’ll want to be extra diligent about dusting them to prevent damage. Speaking of… Protection: Depending on where your collection is being stored, there are a few things you can do to prevent damage from sunlight, dust and more. Many bookcases can have doors or protective fronts added to them to block out sunlight, clear book jackets are available to place over the covers of books to further block out the sun, and frequent vacuuming and dusting will help to keep the dirt and bugs out. Once all this is done, all that’s left is for you to pull down an old favorite from the shelf and get to reading!