Want to Open Your Own Library? Here’s How to do It

For many people, the dream of opening their own library may seem far fetched.

For many people, the dream of opening their own library may seem far fetched. But pretty much anybody can start their own library if they know the proper steps necessary. As a matter of fact, more and more people are starting to open their very own libraries across the country. In this article, I’m going to give you a few tips on how you could start a library in your community.

Collect Books

The first thing you will need to do if you want to start your own library is start gathering books. You could start asking for donations from people in your local community or your workplace. If the library you are intending of starting will be in your workplace, then you should first see if there are funds available to buy books or trade journals that would fit in the library.

Think about Applying for Grants

If you need money for manuals or other supplies, you can always consider applying for a grant. When comes the time to apply, make sure that you are as clear as possible about how the money will be used and why your library is worthy of a grant in the first place.

Solicit Local Philanthropic Organizations or Community Members for Help

Philanthropic associations or community groups may be interested in investing in your library or offering donations. One of the ways you can incentivize donations is by offering to install a bookplate with the name of the organization in front of a row of books or by naming sections of the library after the specific group who made the donation.

Set Up your Database and Choose a Cataloging Method

When setting up the database, it is essential to include the name of the author, publisher, date of publication and book title into the database. You will also need to think about hiring someone with a library science degree to operate the database. Or you could also decide to get an online library science degree and take care of the database yourself.

As far as cataloguing goes, there are many options at your disposition. If you’re working with a small library with only a limited number of books, then you can order them alphabetically by genre. You could also decide to go with the Dewey decimal system, or use the cataloguing system used by the library of Congress.

Set Up a Registration Method for Patrons

There are many options to choose from as far as registration go. You could decide to issue registration cards or record the person’s name and information every time they take out a book. If your library is open to the public, you should consider establishing a deposit system to limit the chance of theft. You should also make sure that you have a system in place when books are overdue or in the case of loss.

Conclusion

Opening your own library is a great way to help your community and is a great idea for anyone with a passion for literature. If you’re truly serious about opening your own library, I suggest you do some research and look at what the steps are as far as state and federal legislation goes.

Want to Open Your Own Library? Here’s How to do It appeared first on Mompreneur Media