Library organization by theology?

[DanSSwing]

I browsed through a couple of the existing library organization threads and didn't see this topic addressed specifically: Do you take into account the author's theology when organizing your personal library by subject?

I have a number of books I used to agree with as well as some that I have never agreed with. Do you bunch them together as long as they are on the same topic? If not, do you separate out all non-Reformed (which would be nearly half of my current Christian books), just the REALLY bad Christians, or just those who are not even remotely Christian?

 

[Deleted member 12431]

I have a “representative” section for those who are not of the Reformed tradition in my personal library. I organize their works:

1. By the tradition they represent
2. By the category of their work (systematic, practical, historical, etc)
3. By various loci, periods, or issues under those larger category umbrellas

 

[Guido's Brother]

I just generally lump everyone together. Except the really bad ones. They get relegated to the bedroom closet library overflow.

 

[Logan]

Hmm, I don't think I keep any bad books. The books I keep are typically
1. Reference books (Calvin's commentaries, Matthew Henry, Reformed Confessions)
2. Books I think would be great to have available to lend to someone
3. Books I can't get digitally

Anything I'm not going to touch again or would not lend, I get rid of.

My organization system is:
a) Commentaries
b) Everything else, alphabetically by author (with the exception of my Naphtali Press books, which go under "N", because I like to have them all together)

 

[ReformedChristian]

I browsed through a couple of the existing library organization threads and didn't see this topic addressed specifically: Do you take into account the author's theology when organizing your personal library by subject?

I have a number of books I used to agree with as well as some that I have never agreed with. Do you bunch them together as long as they are on the same topic? If not, do you separate out all non-Reformed (which would be nearly half of my current Christian books), just the REALLY bad Christians, or just those who are not even remotely Christian?

I usually organize my library the following way:

World Religions
Apologetics
Doctrine and Theology
Bad Theology and Doctrine

I usually for the last one have a separate section on my bookshelf for all the bad stuff. While the sound stuff goes into my Doctrine and Theology section.

 

[Jack K]

Y'all are way too organized. Aside from a few shelves of mostly reference books I refer to often, my "system" is as follows:

• Books for kids or about children/youth ministry or parenting
• Books I had when I was a young man
• Books my wife brought to the marriage
• Secular books
• Books I got after buying a new bookcase in the mid 90s
• Books I got after buying another new bookcase around 2010
• Recent books that live on or under my desk because all the shelf space is currently full

So that sort of fits the idea of more recent, theologically-better books grouped together, accidentally. But in my case, the stuff I read as a young man was mostly pretty solid already. And if I were to reorder it to make it more topical, I would not be able to find anything.

 

[jwithnell]

General history has its place, church history another, commentaries are lumped together then theology by topic, etc. If it's weak theologically, I don't keep it unless the book is historically significant or has particular meaning to me. References like atlases are generally larger and have their own space. This organization isn't fussy but it helps me put my hands on what I want faster. My husband is 100 percent electronic.

 

[JvMill]

My books get treated like liquor at a bar:

There’s top shelf. There’s the cheap stuff (heretics). There’s everything in between.

And that’s how it’s organized on the book shelf…

 

[Logan]

Y'all are way too organized. Aside from a few shelves of mostly reference books I refer to often, my "system" is as follows:

• Books for kids or about children/youth ministry or parenting
• Books I had when I was a young man
• Books my wife brought to the marriage
• Secular books
• Books I got after buying a new bookcase in the mid 90s
• Books I got after buying another new bookcase around 2010
• Recent books that live on or under my desk because all the shelf space is currently full

I didn't realize that the study of theology could incorporate geology as well! Are these considered sedimentary or sedentary layers?

 

[alexanderjames]

Visitor looks at my not insignificant collection of reference and theology books..
"Have you read them all?"

 

[alexanderjames]

I have a “representative” section for those who are not of the Reformed tradition in my personal library. I organize their works:

1. By the tradition they represent
2. By the category of their work (systematic, practical, historical, etc)
3. By various loci, periods, or issues under those larger category umbrellas

I do this too. Any bad theology books would go to their own place, if I had any (I can only think of a Rick Warren book I have).

 

[MyCrows]

I do this too. Any bad theology books would go to their own place, if I had any (I can only think of a Rick Warren book I have).

You mean the trash can? Maybe I'm alone in this lol.

Organized by author, all the way.

 

[iainduguid]

You mean the trash can? Maybe I'm alone in this lol.

Organized by author, all the way.

I took Alex's use of the phrase "to their own place" as a reference to Acts 1:25, and the destination of Judas....

 

[Solparvus]

I do have something of a theological ordering, with exceptions.

On one side of my room:

• My wife's books
• Books I've received but not organized yet
• Books from the school library
• Bibles
• Musical books (psalters and hymnals)
• Greek, Hebrew, interpretive resources
• Christian philosophical works
• One miscellaneous section where I keep non-Biblical language resources and other secular works
• Books touching on Christian life and pastorate and offices
• History books (organized chronologically)
• Specific subject books, ordered by place in Shorter Catechism, and sub-sorted by author

Then on the other side of the room:

• Systematic theologies
• Broad commentaries (ie. volumes on whole of Scripture like Barnes)
• Single-book / section works (eg. commentary on X or Y book, or X or Y chapter); I'll include any reference works related to that book among these

I have another shelf where I place books of immediate interest (eg. books I'm reading for class, or I need for some other project).

My downstairs shelf has no organizational pattern.

Calvin has a nice place on the fireplace mantel. Looks great there.

My books get treated like liquor at a bar:

There’s top shelf. There’s the cheap stuff (heretics). There’s everything in between.

And that’s how it’s organized on the book shelf…

Put the heretics right where the kids can get them. Smart.

 

[MyCrows]

I took Alex's use of the phrase "to their own place" as a reference to Acts 1:25, and the destination of Judas....

Literally what prompted my comment, but I wasn't sure that was his intention.

 

[Andres]

Hmm, I don't think I keep any bad books.

Same. Shelf space is a premium in my home. Although I do own a copy of Osteen's magnum opus, "Your Best Life Now" which I keep for humility purposes for if not for the grace of God, I may think that book to be beneficial.

 

[ZackF]

Organized? I have to bow out immediately.

 

[MyCrows]

Same. Shelf space is a premium in my home. Although I do own a copy of Osteen's magnum opus, "Your Best Life Now" which I keep for humility purposes for if not for the grace of God, I may think that book to be beneficial.

Which books are the T-Rex guarding?

 

[Andres]

Which books are the T-Rex guarding?

Good eye. That's kind of a mishmash shelf of random RHB books and Puritan Paperbacks.

 

[JvMill]

I do have something of a theological ordering, with exceptions.

On one side of my room:

• My wife's books
• Books I've received but not organized yet
• Books from the school library
• Bibles
• Musical books (psalters and hymnals)
• Greek, Hebrew, interpretive resources
• Christian philosophical works
• One miscellaneous section where I keep non-Biblical language resources and other secular works
• Books touching on Christian life and pastorate and offices
• History books (organized chronologically)
• Specific subject books, ordered by place in Shorter Catechism, and sub-sorted by author

Then on the other side of the room:

• Systematic theologies
• Broad commentaries (ie. volumes on whole of Scripture like Barnes)
• Single-book / section works (eg. commentary on X or Y book, or X or Y chapter); I'll include any reference works related to that book among these

I have another shelf where I place books of immediate interest (eg. books I'm reading for class, or I need for some other project).

My downstairs shelf has no organizational pattern.

Calvin has a nice place on the fireplace mantel. Looks great there.



Put the heretics right where the kids can get them. Smart.

Don’t have to worry about that as of now (no kids)

But perhaps there is some wisdom to treating heretical books like loaded guns…

 

[greenbaggins]

I organize my library by division of theology, then sub-division, then alphabetical by topic within the subdivision. I do not keep my heretical books in a separate section.

 

[Northern Crofter]

My wife has put her foot down - every new book on a shelf must mean getting rid of one from a shelf. I have been able to get around that somewhat by moving bits and pieces of non-theological tomes to my shop/barn. "Getting rid of" sometimes means giving away (especially if it is a good one - I had several copies of Pilgrim's Progress throughout the house - study bookcase, living room shelves, kids' shared bookshelf, guest room bookshelf) and sometimes means helping to fuel our wood-burning furnace (I think a copy of Ryrie's Basic Theology was the last victim...).

 

[KevinE]

I WISH i had a barn. Lessons from my father. I have an entire bookshelf for Spurgeon and Pink, but organization is a pain. I can't my Gill on there.

 

[DanSSwing]

Thanks, all. I ended up going with shelves of:

Systematics + Bible-study helps
Bibles + current seminary books
Theology
Commentaries
Commentaries + preaching/pastoral
Apologetics + Family + Personal development
Christian living + Missions
Inspirational + History/bio

I went ahead and kept the non-Reformed stuff in the mix, except for the ones I don't find useful anymore and plan to get rid of. And I moved my science/Genesis-related books over to my regular science bookshelf.

 

[arapahoepark]

If I have a free spot, whenever it is, there is where the newest book goes.

 

[ZackF]

If I have a free spot, whenever it is, there is where the newest book goes.

There we go!

 

[DanSSwing]

If I have a free spot, whenever it is, there is where the newest book goes.

Yeah, I've got a couple of philosophy shelves too but probably a dozen books (mostly by authors whose names begin with "A") that could go in either philosophy or theology, so that's where I'll do most of my shuffling.

 

[Logan]

If I have a free spot, whenever it is, there is where the newest book goes.

I think...that may have just given me an aneurysm.

 

[Theoretical]

It's not organizing by size or by color, so almost anything is better.

 

[Deleted member 6112]

It's not organizing by size or by color, so almost anything is better.

I know a pastor whose wife once re-organized his library by color.