Friday Frivolity
Before we get frivolous, Jeff Fuller has asked that I pass along an April Fool’s tract he is promoting called “Don’t Be An April Fool.” You can download it here.
I am now firmly established in my new office, which I grow to enjoy more every day. At one point I had all the books on the shelves, but have since begun to try to put them in some semblance of order. Of course prior to order there must be chaos, so there are currently books piled all over the floor (to my wife’s great chagrin). I really have no idea how to organize a growing theological library, so am interested in hearing from those who have had to find ways of sorting and organizing largish personal libraries. I could use some tips!
To this point I have put all of my commentaries and reference books (New Testament introductions, etc) together on a few shelves and have put most of my antique books up high. I also have a shelf or two of church history and another that is a set of Spurgeon’s sermons. Beyond that I have been planning just to mix everything else together, sorting by the name of the author. But it seems to me that there must be a better way than organizing a library by Commentaries & Reference, Church History, Antique and then other. Does anyone have some advice to pass along? My library is not exceedingly large now, but it is rapidly heading that way and I’d like to get a handle on it now while I still can.
The finishing touch for my office is the wall decoration. My order of prints (courtesy of Reformation Art - the place to shop for that theological or church history geek in your life) showed up in the mail a few days ago and I am thrilled with them. I immediately ran off to Ikea and managed to find a set of frames that will do the trick (easier said than done since Ikea stocks European-sized frames and the prints came on American-sized paper. And of course, since this was Ikea, they only had six frames while I have seven prints). As soon as my wife and I can agree on whether or not it will look ridiculous to have the prints in a row along the wall (I say it will look fine, she says it will look silly) I will hang them up. Here are the prints I ordered. In keeping with the theme of Friday Frivolity, I have subtely added one that does not belong. Feel free to guess which one.
Martin Luther
John Knox
Hugh Latimer
Thomas Cranmer
William Tyndale
John Calvin
C.J. Mahaney
John Wycliffe
It looks like I have a fairly busy weekend coming up, though thankfully not nearly as busy as last weekend! Our house is nearly in order and another Saturday’s worth of work should go a long ways to setting things straight. Have a blessed weekend!
Comments (15) »
1. Dwayne
March 31, 2006
11:06 AM
Tim,
I have the same challenge managing my own library. I have my “sets” (Spurgeon, Schaff, Luther, Warfield, Ealry Church Fathers) on two shelves. I have NT commentaries/studies/intros and surveys on a shelf and the same with OT. I then have a theology grouping that include systematics as well as other current and past theological works (i.e., The Fundamentals or Dagg with Hoekema or Point/Counter-Point titles). I then have several other shelves with the following groups in close proximety due to their close relevance - preaching/discipleship/missiology/ethics/philosophy. There are other “groupings” I have come up with for my own personal use, but you can see how it works.
I wish I knew the dewey decimal system or knew a good librarian. I think that would be helpful. I just don’t have the time, or really the patience, to go that far. Trust this helps! I eargerly await what others do. I am always in search for a good, yet simple system of storing my books for ease in research.
2. david
March 31, 2006
11:17 AM
Pretty subtle, Tim. I’m guessing it’s one of the three without hats.
I let the kids arrange my DVD’s. One of them did it according to color. You might want to try that.
3. Katrina
March 31, 2006
11:23 AM
With regards to ordering your collection, unless you want to start using a formal classification system (Dewey Decimal, Old DIV, Library of Congress) with labeling, etc., you’re better off with a system that makes sense to you.
These systems can provide guideance and ideas on how to break up topic areas. DDC Religion: http://www.tnrdlib.bc.ca/dewey.html#200 Old DIV: http://www.hds.harvard.edu/library/research/findingbooks/olddiv.html
This guy has done his own personal system for Bible & Theological Studies: http://faculty.bbc.edu/Rdecker/library.htm
4. Tim Challies
March 31, 2006
11:26 AM
Organizing them by color. Now that would be interesting, especially since I’m color blind.
I do use Socialogue to catalog my books (I think I’ll use that instead of LibraryThing since it is more geared towards Christians) so I can at least find out easily if I have a particular title…
5. Dallas Pymm
March 31, 2006
11:41 AM
“Here are the prints I ordered. In keeping with the theme of Friday Frivolity, I have subtely added one that does not belong. Feel free to guess which one.”
Obviously the John Calvin print does not belong. It is well known we favored his left side. He would never have allowed such a print.
6. Tim Challies
March 31, 2006
11:47 AM
“It is well known we favored his left side.”
He was a regular ol’ Hillary Clinton, was he?
7. Dallas Pymm
March 31, 2006
12:02 PM
“He was a regular ol’ Hillary Clinton, was he?”
I would not go that far. :o)
I could never get my wife to agree to getting those prints. Lets just say my office is a desk and a bookshelf in my wife’s guestroom. I have no say in decoration. It is probably for the best though.
I guess I need to read more. I organize by author and have maybe 3 shelves max, not including reference works. I am sure I would be in awe by looking through some of your guys’ libraries.
8. Tim Challies
March 31, 2006
12:14 PM
“I am sure I would be in awe by looking through some of your guys’ libraries.”
Not mine. That’s for sure. But I hear Dr. Mohler has a pretty good one. I gets bigger every time someone tells me about it, but I have reliably heard it is in the 50,000 volume range.
9. Brendt
March 31, 2006
12:39 PM
It’s the theological version of Sesame Street.
One of these things is not like the other. Which one is different? Do you know?
10. Dallas Pymm
March 31, 2006
12:50 PM
The reformation art site is pretty cool. I am very surprised they do not have a print for Jonathan Edwards. Maybe it’s on the way.
11. Tim Challies
March 31, 2006
12:56 PM
“I am very surprised they do not have a print for Jonathan Edwards.”
Good point. Andrew (who owns the site) reads my blog, so perhaps he’ll tell us why…
12. Andrew Moody
March 31, 2006
1:03 PM
Actually, I do have an awesome portrait of Edwards that has been fully processed, and I’ve made some nice prints of! I just haven’t had time to get it on the website yet.
I actually have about 500 prints that I’ve purchased and are not yet on the website. I figure it will take me several years to get them all completed. I spend up to 2 hours per print editing it in Photoshop to get it just how I want it before printing it. So, I usually spend a whole week getting 30-50 prints done, then I’m burned out for a month or two, then I do it again ;-). It’s a labor of love.
However, if anyone is interested in a specific print, let me know, and I’ll move it to the top of my “to do” list.
Thanks for the encouraging words. Actually, I’m secretly trying to think of a way to get Tim to do a new site design for me (on the cheap) :-).
Andrew
13. Dallas Pymm
March 31, 2006
1:27 PM
Busy guy this Andrew. You are doing a great service for God’s people. Connecting people with heroes of the faith is vital. I have spent most this year reading biographies of great men of faith and and found my self seriously humbled and wanting. Hopefully that leads to more imitating their faith instead of mere intimidation.
Thanks Andrew.
14. Dallas Pymm
March 31, 2006
2:10 PM
Oh. I forgot to add. I did not see the print for CJ on your web page. Can you send me a copy? :o)
15. pgepps
April 3, 2006
6:18 AM
I wouldn’t use Dewey, at any rate. Not very apt for theology.
Probably, if you once get the series and systematics aside, you’ll find you have certain “clumps” that feel better together—like collections of a certain author, etc. Then you’ll have an “other” that probably sorts out to “stuff I don’t look at all that much” and “stuff I really want to lay my hands on quickly.” Sort those two out, and you’ll find you have reasons for needing certain books more frequently, which will probably suggest its own scheme to you. Line the bottom shelves with the stuff you don’t look at, in no particular order (or by author if you’re an OCD sufferer).
Of course, my library is rather more heavily literary, so might be thought to have easier thematics—but where, exactly, does a non-feminist put “an anthology of woman’s verse” with no particular formal or period constraints?
Cheers, PGE
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