Kimberly Hirsh

We in the Kidlitosphere are probably queens and kings of book clutter. I think I must have fifteen boxes of books in my attic, and the few shelves I have available are always overcrowded. It runs in the family; I recently visited my parents' new home in Ohio and found piles of books everywhere, waiting for new shelves to arrive.

Most of us would probably find we have a tendency to acquire books which then sit around for years and years, never having been read or read once and then never touched again. I’ve recently decided to release my book clutter, and I thought I’d share with you the blog posts that have helped me through the process.

• Bringing your bookshelves back to order discusses how to decide which books to keep.
• 20 Ways to Get Free or Cheap Books, and Give Away Your Old Ones is an excellent list post, and helped me with my dilemma of what to do with ARCs. (I list them on BookMooch and just put in the notes that they are uncorrected proofs. Voila! The books aren't destroyed, but they're not sold/donated in the place of actual finished copies.)
• Read a book and pass it on contains a list of six questions to ask yourself upon finishing a book to help you determine if it's worth holding on to.
• Get rid of that library of clutter lists a few non-profit organizations that would be happy to have your donations.
• How to use Powell's Books for uncluttering describes one blog reader's experience selling her book clutter to Powell's.

Happy decluttering!