Organizing the library

 YouGov reports that 24 percent of Britons own more than 100 books. Of those who do:

• 45 percent don’t organize them.

• 19 percent organize by size.

• 17 percent organize by genre.

• 11 percent organize alphabetically, by author.

Others have other methods. (Those surveyed could choose more than one method, so the percentages don’t add to 100.)

Most libraries use more than one method. All the libraries I’ve visited have a space for oversized books and so do I.

But I’d be among the 17 percent who start with genre.

My collection is loosely organized. I’ve vowed several times to catalog it but failed. There’s something inside me that wants the collection to be a little organized without being regimented.

Maybe that reflects some character flaw, but Ronald Blythe says there’s such a thing as a read-me-first book. It’s the one that you’d forgotten you own and falls off the shelf when you’re looking for something else. Sometimes, it turns out to be the right book for the moment.

• Sources: Dylan Difford, “40% of Britons haven’t read a single book in the last 12 months”; YouGov, March 5, 2025. It’s here:

https://yougov.co.uk/entertainment/articles/51730-40-of-britons-havent-read-a-single-book-in-the-last-12-months

I found out about it by reading Julian Girdham’s The Fortnightly, https://www.juliangirdham.com.