Building a personal library from scratch, a book at a time.

There are many ways knowledge is accumulated. Despite modern innovations, books remain one of the primary ways of accumulating knowledge.

Virtually in every home there is a book, or there you will find multiple books. A book is like a tool, and a tool is only useful when it is rightly used. Or else its purpose is for decoration or ornamentation.

With that being said, without further ado, let's continue to the reason for this topic. Which is,

Building a personal library from scratch.

One book at a time.

The first thing not to do is, waiting to get a lot of money to buy many books to start your library. It is better to start with one book, a book you can read through than having three or more books you’re likely are not going to read.

Selecting the books

The way in which you select the books for your library will determine how fast your library will expand and what kind of library you will have. You will have to select a topic or subject to study. From there, you can start to look for books dealing with that given subject or topic. This will cause your library to grow without any further effort.

Places of purchase

Not all books you will find in a shrink-wrap, so most books will come from the unlikeliest of places. Locally or online. Searching online will put a vast index of books at your exposure. However, it is good and bad. For you can't really know the condition of the book until you take it out of the box.

Organizing and caring for your books

We all start by having one or two books on the night-stand, then coffee table. Those books usually end up in a box. Which usually is not the best place to keep a book or books. Instead of waiting to have 20 or more books before buying a bookshelf. You can start with a bookshelf by only having one or two books. Though it is not pleasing to the sight for a book lover, but it will be a reminder to fill those empty shelves up. Standing the book upright on the shelf is the best choice, this will cause less surface area of the book to be exposed, thereby reducing the dust impact of the book. While giving you an easy view of the title of the book, on its spine. Standing the books upright will cause a natural support from the other books on the shelf by keeping the spine firm for a long time. Standing the book upright will cause air to flow through the pages, a natural defense against mole and stench. Also, this will give you an easy access to clean and dust the head of the book.

Reading your books

Although the books on a bookshelf is a beautiful display, but reading them through and often is more beneficiary for the accumulation of knowledge. In the presence of your book, you'll get to travel back in time or to the future. The more you read your books, after your favorite authors, therein you will find references to other books and writers your favorite authors read after. This will prompt an easy transition to other writers and books you will find familiar to your collection of books.

The edification of reading

The knowledge possessed through reading must be a knowledge use in wisdom. However, we know that not all things read in a book we can enact right away. For that which can edify, may it edify us. Although all things cannot be enact right away, but we can take notes of that which we read. Through this, reading is more than a luxury time, but an edification for the betterment of the reader. Through the taking of personal notes.

Conclusion

As a Christian, all things in my library are built upon the Book of all books, the Bible. For many non-Christians, their view of a Christian is that of a simpleton. Nevertheless, our God, in His wisdom chooses to reveal Himself, and communicate to mankind, not through superstitions, but by reading through His word. This in itself, is the evidence of the importance of reading. Therefore, take heed to what you read. You can hear a conversation and walk away without an impact to your being. You can see a visual presentation without yielding to that which you see. But when you open a book, it is a silent agreement to open your soul to that which is written therein. For the better or for the worse.