The following is a guest post from regular contributor, Rachel at Useful Beautiful Home.
Update: Unfortunately the pictures for this post were lost and unable to be retrieved. Sorry about the inconvenience.
I’ve got more kiddie organization coming your way today in this Organizing Concepts for Kids series. Just one small topic to address, but it was a big problem in our house… Library Books!
Oh yes, we had a problem in this area that almost always ended in overdue fines (sheepish grin). Books got misplaced, mixed in with our own book supply, or simply forgotten about on a regular basis. They needed their own dedicated space, so as not to be overlooked or neglected.
A dedicated area for containing library books is a great organizing tool. It helps to prevent intermixing of rented with owned books and is an easy grab & go when it comes time to return the borrowed treasures.
For our dedicated library station, we installed two Ikea Ribba picture ledges at kid height in our back hallway. Although they’re meant to hold picture frames, they work perfectly for displaying books.
Outfacing displays are nothing new when it comes to shelving books. It’s a popular and excellent idea for organizing a small stash (like those from the library) for children.
Open faced shelves encourage independent reading (or picture looking), attractive book retrieval, and easy re-shelving for children. I especially love how they keep books organized and contained in a kid-friendly manner.
Kids seem to be naturally attracted to books on their level with openly displayed covers. I’m reminded of this when we meander the outwardly facing book shelves in the children’s section of our library. (It works on adults too, at least it does for me when it comes to featured book displays & magazine racks – haha.)
I turned our little shelf system into a mini library by tossing down a fuzzy rug, some fun floor pillows (that can perch on the shoe bench when not in use), and a cozy blanket to add extra kid appeal. I also whipped up a little banner for a cute label that is subject to wear and tear. You can find my tutorial on that here.
For the most part, our library books remain on the shelves or are used in this hallway. It’s located off our family room, so when I read books out loud (and not in the mood to crawl around on the floor), we sit together on the furniture. However, this is what I find most often…
As a side note, all our owned books are housed in other locations, so it’s easy to keep the rented versus owned books separated.
When it comes time for the due date and I’m headed towards the library, we scoop up the books on our way out the door. To avoid dropping any along the way, I use a bag to tote everything to and from the library.
Ever since we incorporated this organized space, we haven’t had a single overdue fine. I consider that an organizing success! 🙂
I know it’s already been said, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to wish you all a happy (belated) Canada Day or 4th of July! I hope you’re enjoying some weekend festivities. 🙂
In the professional world, I’m a nurse by trade. But, around our house, I’m known as Mommy to our young daughter. My two worlds collided and began shaping into a blog. Useful Beautiful Home represents the hours I’ve dedicated to managing my household as efficiently as possible. I offer you motivation to keep your home healthy, organized, and welcoming. My goal is to share what I’ve implemented in my home to inspire you with fresh ideas and to encourage you to keep up the good work in yours!
Molly Smith says
This is such a nice idea and it looks gorgeous in the hallway. Love the comfortable looking reading nook. This has inspired me for another idea (no kids at home). Thanks for sharing 🙂
Rachel@Useful Beautiful Home says
So happy this inspired new ideas! I love when that happens… making something useful apply to your situation. Love it! Thanks for sharing.
Melinda says
That is a great idea! My mom did something similar when my sisters and I were young. She had a library book box that sat in our hallway where all the library books belonged. It worked well.
Rachel@Useful Beautiful Home says
Yes! A library box is another great solution. I debated about including that here but I didn’t have a good picture to share. 😉 Thanks for mentioning it!
Melissa D says
We have an IKEA rail also that I use for library books, but I love that you have two and your banner is adorable! My toddler is still a little rough on “real” books, so we only keep the board books down on her level and keep all the rest of our books up high. I think it makes our five year old feel BIG to be able to reach the library shelf. 🙂
Rachel@Useful Beautiful Home says
Aww, good Mama! Adjusting to the kiddos needs is most important. I remember the board books stage. 😉 Thanks for sharing!
Anna@stuffedveggies says
I LOVE this idea! We have kept a “library bag” that works pretty well for avoiding fines – but not so well for getting the books viewed and read (not even by me!). I love this way of making books (and DVDs) attractive & available : )
Melissa says
Love these ideas!
So creative for the little ones to enjoy their library books!
Demetria@MomZest says
This is such an awesome idea for our library books. We always end up with overdue books- even some the kids never got around to reading. I love the Ikea idea with the box beneath to drop read books into. Great ideas! Thanks for this post.
Kimberley says
Great idea! We use the library quite extensively in our house, my son typically gets 20 to 30 books out a week. I put them on a separate shelf and I have a bag dedicated to just returning library books, when he is done with a book he puts in the bag. Happy to say it keeps us organized enough we have avoided late fees as well!!
Sue Pate says
When I was a child my mom always wrote on the calendar on the day library books were due back our name and how many we had out. Then when the day came for us to go back she always knew how many each of us had. When I had our 6 children at home I continued to do this and it proved a lifesaver as well as money saver from overdue fines. I like your idea and think my daughter might use this in her reading center at her house. Sounds nifty!
Douglas Brent says
Oh, my what a wonderful library for kids that is. The children are naturally attracted to the pictures of the covers so, yes, organizing the library in that manner is really great idea, Rachel 🙂
Monica says
I love this idea and have a similar set up, but not low to the floor for easy access. Instead, my shelves are up high for decoration. But I really think the lower shelves work better and actually encourage reading. You have inspired me to write a blog post and I will be sure to link back to your blog.
Rachel@Useful Beautiful Home says
Glad this post brought you inspiration! Thanks for the link love. 😉
Katie says
Great ideas! Here’s another idea to prevent overdue fines – have your children select and check out the same number of books each time you visit the library. That way, when it comes time to round up the books and return them, you’ll be sure you got all of them.
Rachel says
That is another great idea! Thank you, Katie! 🙂