Book shelf brush up

Looking to reorder your books over the holiday break? I know my IKEA Billy bookcases could use a freshening up!

Here are some great tips for organizing your shelves from syndicated columnist Marni Jameson, http://www.marnijameson.com/ (Love the last tip!)

• Lose the jackets. If you can tear yourself from them, do. Save the covers if you like for future reference or if you ever loan the book.

• Separate hard from soft. Place hardbacks on prominent shelves. My loft has a wall you see when you walk in (hardbacks), and one less visible (paperbacks).

• Line 'em up. Don't smash books along the back wall. That creates a jagged profile. Create a clean line by pulling books evenly to 1 inch from the shelf's front edge.

• Create a system. If looks matter more, or if your collection is small, arrange books by size, tall to short. If finding a book easily matters more, and your collection is large, arrange alphabetically by author.

• Purge. When I learned that Cash4books.net bought used books, I was motivated and cleared 55 from my library. But, when I entered the ISBN numbers, the company would buy only four. For those a check for $8.72 is on the way! I donated the other 51 to the thrift store.

• Follow the thirds rule. When arranging bookshelves, shoot for one-third books, one-third art or photos, and one-third open space.