Books are an important mirror to the world around. This makes collecting books a truly enriching and stimulating hobby. Storing all that memorabilia and books can be a hassle and that is where these handy DIYs come into play. Be it rearranging the way the books have been kept or decorating the bookshelf with dainty pieces, all can contribute to the appeal of a bookshelf.

Some of the best DIY ideas for organizing and re-arranging bookshelves are:

1. Book holders

Book holders are the easiest way to separate certain books and manage material that is not hard bound. These book holders not only would help you to categorize your books but would also help you store material such as papers, post its and stamps in a neat and organized way.

Items required:

• Cereal boxes
• Fancy decorative paper
• A pair of scissors
• Glue
• Ribbon
• Tape

What to do:

To begin with, cut out a triangular section on top of the cereal boxes, as seen on common book holders. This would serve as the opening from where the books can be slid into it. Clean the edges and secure it with tape. Now wrap the whole serial box with fancy paper of your choice. Decorate the edges of the box with contrasting or complimenting ribbons.

2. Shelf dividers

The varying sizes of books can be quite a hassle. This is where the simple DIY of shelf dividers is helpful shelf dividers are merely pieces of cardboard that demarcate the length and breadth of a shelf.

Items required:

• 2 pieces of cardboard cut in equal squares
• 2 long strips of cardboard of half an inch breadth and length of the two cardboards
• Hot glue gun
• Decorative paper

What to do:

Take both pieces of cardboard and wrap them well with fancy decorated paper. Take one piece of cardboard and lay it flat on the table and place the other piece in the centre of the cardboard at 90 degree vertically. At the base of the vertical board place too long strip of half inch with cardboard and hot glue them into position for some support at its base. Your cardboard separator is ready.

3. Decorations

Simple decor ideas for bookshelf can include hand painted vases and bottles, which can be further decorated by adding trinkets to them.

• Spray paint the color of your choice over an old wine bottle and add a flower for it to be a beautiful decorative piece.
• Decorate boring and simple candles by wrapping colored cloth or ribbons around them.
• Cover an old shoebox with fancy decorative paper and place it with a lid on the shelf.

Lights

Lights can be a great option for the bookshelf as they gave the right spotlight to the books in your room. Adding lights will only be convenient if you use fairy lights that are light and easy to install. Fairy lights can simply be affixed to the rim of the bookshelf and are a great decoration idea. For organizing they can be helpful in highlighting the most used area off the bookshelf.

4. Shelf lining

Various vibrant shelf linings are available off the rack in departmental stores. These are not only for decoration but also help in letting the books skid and fall into place on the rack. Placing books on shelf lining racks is also an organizational plus because they can help with the clean up -keep of items on the rack. Using chart paper as shelf linings is also a handy tip for penny-wise people.

5. Boxes and trays

Utilizing boxes and trays for organizing bookshelves it is quite a handy idea as it not only helps with organization but also enhances the aesthetic appeal of a bookshelf.

Items required:

• Old cardboard box about the size of the shelf
• Fabric such as jute or cotton
• Scissors
• Hot glue gun
• Decorative lace

What to do:

Wrap the carton box with the fabric and hot glue on the inside. Place lace at the rim of the box from outside and hot glue it in. This can hold old, tattered books safely.

6. Placement of books

Placing the books on a bookshelf is also an art and can be done in quite a few popular ways.

• Rainbow arrangement
• Stacking half vertically, half horizontally
• Slanting placement
• Covering half the shelf in vertical books and the other half with a box or vase
• Similar heighted books in each rack
• Similar thickness book in each rack