How do you build a home library?

As many of you know, this blog will be the place where I answer a variety of questions that I receive from the bookshop--from moms who are homeschooling, and from my interactions with so many of your sweet families on instagram or in real life. Today's question is one I receive often, in a variety of forms. Many ask the question, "How do you know what to buy and what to borrow?", or even, "I am so overwhelmed at the number of books everyone says I should own---do I really need them ALL?" I am here to say (even as a bookseller) that the answer is NO---you certainly don't need to own them all.  I am also here to say that no one else can really be the builder of your library!

That's because each of our families will answer this question differently and your library will be completely unique to YOU!  Not only are each family's priorities different, but the space we all have, what we can afford and what books we value will vary as well.  So, here are a few thoughts I have about having a home library, what it could include and how you could get started!

• THE (BOOK) WORLD IS CHANGING: A home library does seem to be increasing in importance, as our world and its values change. The books that we could have easily found ten years ago, are no longer lining the shelves of libraries or bookstores. Many of us realize that what we own and treasure might very well be the only copies that our grandchildren can find of some of the most beautiful stories available!   (For that reason, I actually collect three copies of our most cherished books---one for each of my daughters to have in their own homes someday!)

• YOUR SHELVES ARE A TEACHER!  A home library also shows our children that reading, and treasuring books and the messages found within them, is a family value we hold high.  There is an abundance of research that supports the correlation between level of success/value placed on reading and the number of books/quality of the literary life within the home.  Our kids know what we value by what we are willing to spend time doing, what we give and receive as gifts, and what we spend our money on!

• YOU ARE BUILDING FAMILY COLLECTIONS...of MEMORIES! There is something very sweet and nostalgic about the books that our children treasure most having a place on their shelves through their growing up years.  This has certainly been true for our family!  Each of our daughters have a connection to the books they have collected, whether they received them as gifts, or found them on their own at thrift stores or book sales or bookshop visits while traveling.  One story I often tell is of our third daughter, who made a habit of bringing home the tiny Beatrix Potter books from the library EVERY time we visited.  Much to her surprise, she received her very own box set for Christmas one year, and she just sat staring at them, speechless, as a tiny preschooler.  What had become special to her through library visits, is now a part of her permanent library, AND a part of our memories forever.

• LET YOUR KIDS BUILD ALONGSIDE YOU!  What an opportunity it is to treasure books with one another!  Your kids will be GREAT at this and will probably be more decisive than you are.  My girls knew exactly what was worth owning and what was not.  What books do your kids check out from the library again and again?  What authors have they fallen in love with?  As you borrow books (from excellent booklists!), certain ones will rise to the top of the stack for your family.  And, those are the ones I would start collecting!  

• TRUST THE BOOKS THAT HAVE ENDURED! When considering where to start, I encourage you to look first at the developmental stage your kids are in, compare that to the booklists I mentioned in my last blog, and pick a few that seem to be most common among the lists.  Here in my bookshop, that's exactly the work I've done.  If they are here in this shoppe, they have endured---through time, amongst booklists, and in my own family's reading life!  Choose a couple to give as gifts or to begin little book baskets around your home...if the books are found on multiple lists that can be trusted, they will most likely stand the test of time in your home as well!

• TRUST YOUR OWN INSTINCTS AND INTERESTS! What do you love or find beautiful?  Maybe it's vintage nature books (a personal love of mine) or art books for the coffee table.  Perhaps you have a favorite series from childhood like Anne of Green Gables, Winnie-the-Pooh, or Encyclopedia Brown that you want to make sure your children know about as well.  Whether it's bird books or poetry, chapter books or hobbies, a library is only as charming and creative as the collectors who live there!  Allow your interests to shape your shelves, and I promise it will inspire your children to care deeply about the things they love, too.

• YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO BUY PAPERBACKS! This is a strategy that I share often and used myself through the years.  Buy in paperback what you might want a better copy of eventually.  Paperback books are much more affordable and an easy way to start collecting without investing big money to do so. You can still display them beautifully on open-faced shelving or in baskets, and if they get worn out by little hands who love them, you haven't invested beyond a few dollars. We started with paperback copies of almost everything, and have slowly added original editions of the ones we love most (which make them even more special).

• GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME, AND MAKE IT MORE MEANINGFUL! Lastly, don't stress or try to build an instant library!  This is one of those beautiful things that takes years and the investment of time is actually what makes it so special.  Our home is a collection of precious books that have crept into every single room, an extensive library that was built over my children's lifetime (which is almost 22 years!).  Take your time and enjoy the process of collecting.  It makes each book you find mean more to your family! 

Happy reading, happy collecting, and happy library building, sweet friends!