Just because you don't have a lot of room to spare doesn't mean you can't organize your books. While it's true that smaller spaces can be more challenging, they can also offer you unique ways to organize. No matter what your situation, there are methods of arranging your books and other reading materials so they can be easily accessed and used in your life. Here are some ideas to help you organize books even when the square footage is tight.

Dorm Room Storage

The most cramped place you may ever live in is your college dorm room. With just a little bed, a desk, and a roommate to share the space, ways to organize books are limited. You might be lucky enough to have a shelf in place which can help you with your textbooks, but when you have some free time, you might want to read 'fun' books. And where can these go? A good place that's not generally used for storage is under the bed. By purchasing a few underbed boxes or plastic tubs, you can easily fit your books in this space without sacrificing precious floor space. Since the space is under your bed, it's also out of sight, keeping the room from looking too cluttered. The closet is another space where you can store books, maybe even in shoeboxes that you don't need.

Small Apartment?

Small apartments can also provide a challenge when you want to organize books. But like the dorm room, it's about looking for spaces you're not already using for other purposes. In small apartments, you can store books in kitchen cabinets if you don't have a lot of dishes. Or you might want to install some wall shelves that keep your books off the floor and turn them into decorations instead of obstacles. Books can also be used along the corners of your baseboards (lined up in rows) to help create a decorative look which still allows your books to be accessible to you. Some people have even been known to store books in their oven as they don't use it that often – but that's certainly not recommended. Especially if you have a gas oven.

Off Site Storage Spaces

But if your book collection needs more help than your small space can allow, it might be a good idea to think about an offsite storage space. Box up the books you don't use a lot and you will be able to place them in one of these temperature controlled areas for easy storage. To organize books in these spaces, boxes work well, but you might want to look into a software program which will help you catalog your books on your computer. This way, if you can't find a particular book, you can look to the program to remind yourself where the book might be.

You can organize books in small spaces, but it can present a challenge. With just a little creativity, you can still have all the books you love without feeling cramped or cluttered.