This Question and Answer page is part of The Card Catalog – a lending library resource hub.

Questions Organized by Category

What is a Private Lending Library and How Do I Start One?

Cataloging and Checkout

What are the options for keeping track of my books?

Classification

How do I organize and shelve science books?
How can I organize and shelve picture books?
How can I shelve and organize nonfiction history and geography books?
How does the Dewey Decimal System make it easier to find my books? (DDS: Part 1)
How does the Dewey Decimal System make it easier to find my books? (DDS: Part 2)
What do all of those Dewey Decimal numbers mean? (DDS: Part 3)
How do some librarians label their books?

Book Care

What are some basic supplies for book care and repair?
How do you get a book ready to lend?
How and why do librarians cover their dust jackets with plastic?
How do you make your own dust jacket for a book that doesn’t have a book jacket?
How do you handle library discards that already have stickers, stamps, and bar codes?

Book Acquisitions

How do I begin to acquire more books for my library?
Where do I find affordable living books to add to my library?

Book Selection

Why are older books special treasures that are preferred by many living books librarians?
What are some resources for learning more about recognizing and choosing living books?
How do I determine the reading level of a book?
What is a List of 101 Basic Living Books for a Starter Collection?
With limited shelf space, how do I decide which books to collect and keep?
Adapting Picture Book Preschool for library use

Library Management

Why move from informal book lending to an official library? Why charge fees?
How do I move an entire library or put it in storage for a while?
What are some sample fees and policies for private lending libraries?
How can I make library cards for my patrons?
Can I use a thermal printer to make my own barcodes?
How can I handle annual renewals with my patrons?

Publication Process

What are the different kinds of book binding and publishing categories?
How does paper quality affect the longevity of a book?
How do library binding processes affect the longevity of the book?