How to organize a personal library of automobile books and material

[truckin-on]

I searched for any relevant discussions on this, and only found a limited one from 3+ years ago - a few good ideas, but no "best practices".

 

I have a fair collection of auto and train books. I just converted a spare room into a library room with a decent amount of nice shelving. I'm looking for suggestions on the "best" way to organize and shelve them.  I would like to understand how the AACA library catalog their holdings, as perhaps a simplified sub-set of that may work well?  Or alternative tools like libib perhaps?  What have people used that has worked for you. I have specific marque books, then also general reference, non-fiction, and fiction books.

 

How could I find out how the AACA Library does it?

 

Thanks for any ideas!

[playswithbrass]

We have a  collection of auto reference books. They are organized. Tall ones go on the bottom, floppy ones lie on their sides, the most used ones are where they are easy to grab and the random ones go on the random shelves in the harder to reach places. There is a comfortable chair, a lamp and a table. I suspect this is how most AACA members libraries are done!

[truckin-on]

3 hours ago, playswithbrass said:

We have a  collection of auto reference books. They are organized. Tall ones go on the bottom, floppy ones lie on their sides, the most used ones are where they are easy to grab and the random ones go on the random shelves in the harder to reach places. There is a comfortable chair, a lamp and a table. I suspect this is how most AACA members libraries are done!

That's exactly my current "organizational" approach 🙂  But I've now built some nice library shelving that's currently empty, and in the process of going from empty to non-empty, thought I might find a better approach than the heap-sort method I'm currently using, given I now have to touch each book.

 

How can I learn what the AACA library uses for their collection?

[Walt G]

I have wood filing cabinets that are about the same era as the material I have - pre war. In there in folders and larger file folders by make are sales literature or possibly topics ( American coach builders, European coach builders) . Photographs go into 3 ring binders in plastic sleeves that are acid free. ( there are several companies that specialize in library/preservation materials to hold period material) . The same companies can supply boxes to store material in that one can label if you are prolific in collecting a specific make or topic you can then label the outside of the box as to content ( ie Packard pre 1930)

Larger promotional sales catalogs I have laying flat in a old dresser drawer in piles of the specific make. Some "prestige" catalogs are huge.

Runs of periodicals are in shelves in book cases ( yes now many can be accessed on line but the original provides a better scan of images/photos etc if you want to use in a article to go into a printed page. ) and yes it takes up considerable room. Same goes for factory magazines specific to a particular make of car that was sent to owners of those cars.

I have some books that cover a wide range of makes for a particular year, about a dozen or so that were written specifically when the cars in question became collectible.

Yes it all take up a lot of space.

[60FlatTop]

I have a good sized collection and recently decided to shift my books to horizontal positions on the shelves. It is easier on the bindings and much easier to dust.

 

This will be a good winter project. I plan to increase the number of shelves and decrease the distance between them. I am surprised I did not think of it sooner but I have been going to the library since preschool days and just followed what seemed normal.

 

Looking down the shelf in front of me I see I see 8 ASHRAE air conditioning design manuals. I know each one has a CD of the full contents attached to the cover. They may be preserved digitally. But there is still nothing like cuddling up in the recliner with a real book on a winter night. And a real 100W incandescent bulb close by to radiate a little heat while the whole room can be a little cooler.

[Gunsmoke]

There is no easy way to reply to your question. Libraries (or orgs like AACA) typically have 10's of thousands of books and 1000's of clients, so a clear filing system is essential. However, for a small personal collection, (say 1000-2000 volumes), I would file by a series of means. First separate Trains from Autos. If some are a collection of same books (I have 205 hard cover issues of Automobile Quarterly), they must be filed in chronical order in same area. Specific make books should be filed together. History of the Automobile or Train should be filed together. Soft cover mags or pamphlets file together. Next comes size issue. Over-sized books are always a challenge. I file those in a section in alphabetical order. You will need some bookends to leave space in certain areas for further additions. I like Walt's suggestions on larger file holders for small, loose and esoteric stuff.

 

Finally you will need to type up a catalogue of your collection, noting title, date of publication, author etc (and perhaps a sentence on content), and where it is filed (cabinet 3, row 4 etc), and keep it up to date every time you add, sell, lose or give one away. As a final suggestion, when everything is initially sorted, you may not like the visual image of the collection, and need to juggle things around to make a pleasant looking display. I agree with someone above who suggested the key is to have a cozy spot, well lit for reading enjoyment, and a table where several popular ones can be left out for frequent reference. Good Luck.

[Leif in Calif]

10 minutes ago, Gunsmoke said:

There is no easy way to reply to your question. Libraries (or orgs like AACA) typically have 10's of thousands of books and 1000's of clients, so a clear filing system is essential. However, for a small personal collection, (say 1000-2000 volumes), I would file by a series of means. First separate Trains from Autos. If some are a collection of same books (I have 205 hard cover issues of Automobile Quarterly), they must be filed in chronical order in same area. Specific make books should be filed together. History of the Automobile or Train should be filed together. Soft cover mags or pamphlets file together. Next comes size issue. Over-sized books are always a challenge. I file those in a section in alphabetical order. You will need some bookends to leave space in certain areas for further additions. I like Walt's suggestions on larger file holders for small, loose and esoteric stuff.

 

Finally you will need to type up a catalogue of your collection, noting title, date of publication, author etc (and perhaps a sentence on content), and where it is filed (cabinet 3, row 4 etc), and keep it up to date every time you add, sell, lose or give one away. As a final suggestion, when everything is initially sorted, you may not like the visual image of the collection, and need to juggle things around to make a pleasant looking display. I agree with someone above who suggested the key is to have a cozy spot, well lit for reading enjoyment, and a table where several popular ones can be left out for frequent reference. Good Luck.

I've been struggling with from two sides. I would be better if I didn't have to just remember which book case in which room held what I'm looking for but also automotive libraries can be a part of your estate, and you don't want your kids to just toss them or give them away. I don't have any really valuable ones, but there are a handful that would be over $100 each to replace. I see libraries sell on BAT for thousands. The problem is; to actually catalog them is a daunting task and no fun at all!  

[truckin-on]

Thanks - appreciate the input!  I think I may have found a good (free) tool that will work well for this use. I've been reading up on home library suggestions, and it looks like libib is a good tool.  www.libib.com for the web interface, free sign-up and use, and a simple but decent app that seems to work well for scanning items in.  Manual entry for non-ISBN books also seems OK. Easy export to a CSV file so you can keep a copy of all your records off-line.  The free version permits up to 100 "groups", so I think that will work for my to sort into logical groupings by marque or interest area.  Going to give it a try.

[Walt G]

I do not have a card file/catalog etc on what is in my collection. For some sales literature I do have a checklist so that if I find a piece I do not have that I can afford and is in decent condition so I don't buy duplicates. As mentioned to take the hours/days to make an organized list is great but takes TIME. that time I can use to research and write articles /stories and I have a pretty good memory as to what is where even for periodicals of the era so far as content. Not sure why I do, need to have a listing of medication/pills I take each day to remain vertical but sure as heck know what portfolios Locomobile issued to promote sales I have and what accessory catalogs Packard issued I have and don't have.  Most all of the material I have of the era was purchased or traded for many  years ago as now I couldn't locate it if I tried and the great friend who acted as my agent in Europe for stuff is now in an assisted care facility as he is several decades older then I am.

I agree with Bernie's last two lines. totally.........................

[CChinn]

Have you tried contacting the AACA Library directly with your question?  The staff seem to be very accommodating to the members. If you are not already an AACA member, consider joining. The AACA Library is just one of the great benefits of AACA membership 

[truckin-on]

14 minutes ago, CChinn said:

Have you tried contacting the AACA Library directly with your question?  The staff seem to be very accommodating to the members. If you are not already an AACA member, consider joining. The AACA Library is just one of the great benefits of AACA membership 

Yes - good idea - I will reach out to them next week.  I've been a member for a while.  Thanks!

[JACK M]

Every time I move books for organizing (or parts for that matter), I can never find what I used to know where what was.   (yea, that sounds right)

Like my desk, I am quite sure many here know what I am talking about. 

The housekeeper may dust my desk but DO NOT TOUCH.

I hired a maid that I only used once as she simply scooped everything into the closest drawer. What a fiasco.

[rocketraider]

Try having Civil War and Southern history books, local history and architectural books, and books on dozens of other topics on top of all the car books. 

[Phillip Cole]

Call the National Headquarters number, 717 534-1910 or 717-534-2082 (direct) when they answer, tell them you need to speak to a Librarian. They have experience in Library Science. 

The AACA Library and Research Center has over 3 million pieces of automotive literature. But don't be surprised if they suggest you contribute your automotive books to them....

Or DIY,

https://libguides.ala.org/SettingUpalibrary/HomeLibrary

[28 Chrysler]

Automotive books in one place, woodworking are grouped together, old electronics books are with those tools.

Then the ones I have used and not returned are either in a pile on a bookshelf or placed in a semi out of the way safe place, somewhere.

[Pomeroy41144]

I have a 3,000-volume library in my home and a smaller secondary library.  You need to organize your materials in a way that makes them easy to use and does not allow them to be damaged easily.  

 

I organize all my Ford stuff together since I use it a lot.  I have tons of history books--organized into subjects, i.e., Air war; naval war; encyclopedias, biographies, etc., and a section of small paperback books.  Large volumes have their own spaces.  Atlases are on the floor leaning against the wall because they are so big.  Then I have a large shelf of author signed volumes.  My own published books have their own shelf.   I have over 600 reels of microfilm and two readers and that has its own library.  I have a small library in my sleeping room.  

 

Figure out how you are going to use your materials and that will help you figure out the best practical way to organize the works over time as you use your library.  There is no one way to do it.  

 

I would post a photo, but it would not do the room justice.  

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

 

...

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Pomeroy41144 (see edit history)

[Littlestown Mike]

I use the Library of Congress numbering.  On modern books, that number is usually on the page that lists the copyright and printing number and other stuff.

Older books would require a search to find the Library of Congress number.

 

[CarNucopia]

I just started using LibraryThing.com to catalog my books. About 160 titles in, it seems pretty good. You can scan bar codes on newer books to enter them or ISBN numbers for more obscure, older books.

 

As far as how I have them organized physically, it's a bit of a hybrid between subject matter and esthetics. My four big categories are biographies, history, marques and yearbooks. With in those I have sub-categories. For bios, there are motorsports and auto industry subs. Obviously, there are books late overlap multiple categories, so I just go with the one that seems intuitive to me. The esthetic part is for runs, usually from a single publisher. For example, I have all the Crestline books together instead of with their appropriate marques.

[Jim Skelly]

Since books come in multiple sizes, your bookcase may have shelves positioned to accommodate different heights.  Put the smallest books on the top shelf in alphabetical order, then medium-sized on the next shelf and the largest books on the bottom shelf.  This works well if you have just marque-specific books. 

 

If you also have racing books, biographies and autobiographies, and multi-make coffee table-type books, separate the books by category and then group each topic together.  Determine how much shelf space you have to work with and place the books accordingly. 

 

If all of the shelves have the same height, separate the books by category and then place them in alphabetical order.

[30DodgePanel]

I now see who my competion has been on eBay and other auction sites...

Rascals!

[playswithbrass]

I would add this. If your books are relaxing place, make sure you keep it that way.  An organization method that ends up looking like the stacks in the local library will be a cold and uninviting place that maybe is not what you’re after

[8E45E]

Here are a few ideas:

Craig

[Littlestown Mike]

On the other hand... if you can't find the information you need, then your organization system is poor.  The primary goal of almost any filing system is to be able to FIND the information you need.  At least for me, aesthetics are far less important than being able to find what I need.

 

[Tph479]

What about stacking them up on top of the toilet tank? Newest on top.

[60FlatTop]

I have lived in an 1820s canal town all my life. I live right on the edge of the village and walking up to town the few houses less than 100 years old stand out. I still remember the first piece of brand new furniture I ever bought. It was a bookcase.

 

Sterile organization has never fit me well. We have varnished cherry beadboard wainscoting in our kitchen. There is a ledge surrounding the wall where it goes from vertical to horizontal. That's where all the little found treasures sit. Bookshelves should have similar items. "Look what I found while digging in the hosta bed !"

[philip roitman]

Anywhere and any shelf I can find room on in my library man cave. No rhyme or reason. A combination of 1930's to present Auto racing, race car driver biographies, auto racing yearbooks, Automobile Quarterly's etc. Seems my collection of regular biographies keep losing space on my library shelves. Those end up in an large armoir TV Cabinet in the space where the old TV used to be in the family room. (Couldn't fit a big screen TV in it) My collection of Britannica Book of the Year's since 1939 to when they stopped publishing in 2018 are in danger of the same fate. My books are an addiction like cars, racing, car shows, etc.

 

 

 

 

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, Tph479 said:

What about stacking them up on top of the toilet tank? Newest on top.

Because most books and magazines are larger than Reader's Digests!!

 

Craig

[truckin-on]

On 10/21/2023 at 5:07 PM, Phillip Cole said:

Call the National Headquarters number, 717 534-1910 or 717-534-2082 (direct) when they answer, tell them you need to speak to a Librarian. They have experience in Library Science. 

The AACA Library and Research Center has over 3 million pieces of automotive literature. But don't be surprised if they suggest you contribute your automotive books to them....

Or DIY,

https://libguides.ala.org/SettingUpalibrary/HomeLibrary

Thanks for the suggestion!  Just had a good conversation with an AACA librarian, she was very helpful!  She also noted that it was an interesting question she had not had before...  AACA uses Dewey to categorize books, and a hierarchal make/year/model for "non-books". Makes sense and she had some suggestions for where/how to look-up the correct classification for an item if needed.  I'm going to document my process and the tools I'm using, and if it looks like it's working and helpful, perhaps write it up as an approach.

 

I hasten to add that I'm not an overly organized person, and I'm undertaking this purely as a result of building 6 new floor to ceiling bookcases in a spare room (now the library). When looking at the empty shelves, and realizing I had to handle each item while moving it, the thought occurred to me that perhaps I could capture some inventory info while also sorting the collections into something a bit more accessible. Open the rabbit hole 😉

[60FlatTop]

As the computer age dawned and slugged on there was a flow of salesmen with the latest and greatest software and hardware gadgetry to help me and my minions keep track of the inventory of our real.

 

They seemed to lose the wind in their sales when I told them I had sports followers. Most of them followed a number of sports and knew all the teams, players past and present, the records of each player, the player's choice of chaw, where they came from, where they went, and a multitude of trivia facts. The last salesman was expounding the value of integrating pictures into work orders so a mechanic would recognize a refrigeration compressor opposed to an air compressor on a routine service request. He didn't have a chance.

 

My collection is managed sports style. Like ball bearings rolling on familiar paths in gray mush.

 

Philip, I like the seating availability for visitors. There is an old car collector who lives on the Ontario side of the Niagara Parkway who scooped up a pile of books from a chair to give me seating space when I visited. He looked at me somewhat optimistically as he did and said "Sondra said I could have a mistress if I got the room picked up."

[Hans1]

10 hours ago, Tph479 said:

What about stacking them up on top of the toilet tank? Newest on top.

with 5 commodes, just have to label the doors by topic.

[8E45E]

11 hours ago, Hans1 said:

with 5 commodes, just have to label the doors by topic.

I have always said bathrooms should have a bookshelf within easy reach of the American Standard/Crane/Kohler/Toto/Caroma as part of the layout.  A high school architectural instructor laughed when I mentioned it, but he knew it made complete sense!

 

Craig

[60FlatTop]

13 hours ago, Hans1 said:

with 5 commodes

A two word exclamation when some mentions five commodes.

[human-potato_hybrid]

On 10/21/2023 at 7:22 AM, playswithbrass said:

We have a  collection of auto reference books. They are organized. Tall ones go on the bottom, floppy ones lie on their sides, the most used ones are where they are easy to grab and the random ones go on the random shelves in the harder to reach places. There is a comfortable chair, a lamp and a table. I suspect this is how most AACA members libraries are done!

Are you peeking through my windows? 😄

Edited October 26, 2023 by human-potato_hybrid (see edit history)

[nsbrassnut]

I try to use a sort of method in my old car literature library. Not very scientific, but more by how things relate to one another.

 

Original brochures and ads sorted in boxes or drawers, at least when they will fit. Original owners manual in another shelf.

 

But more generally. Period literature repair books grouped together sorted by vintage (oldest to left to newest right). Period aftermarket accessory catalogues together. Modern old car books (as in 50's up for pre 42 cars) grouped together. Non automotive, such as planes and trains, sorted by topic, i.e. plane books together, train books together.

 

And also having been an engineer, various period industrial technology books grouped together. Which in my case include steam power plants, blacksmithing, casting, steam boiler and steam engine plants, etc. from the 1890's up to 1940's grouped together. I don't know why I collect and keep some of this stuff. But now and then it makes interesting reading to learn a bit about industrial history and how to do some things that are now getting forgotten.

 

Some level of organization does help though. I have kept a lot of my library in boxes until building a library space in a new garage recently. And now  when unpacking I find out that I have collected two and three copies of some of these items. So now I have some trading stock too.   :^)

 

But its all fun to collect.