Hey there. We are glad we are moving forward. Just recently here on our site, we wrote a comprehensive guide on how to set up a perfect home library. We are sure you enjoyed that article and found it very useful. Today, we are adding to that knowledge. We are also confident you will find the new things we will be adding equally useful and comprehensive too!

Our last article on setting up a home library was deliberately written to be useful for EVERYONE setting up a home library FOR THE FIRST TIME. But we are aware some of us need very specific guides and mentions on what to include in their own home library, either because of the nature of their own job, need, general home setup, or because their home library is going to be put to specialized use.

In that case, this is the article for you.

Whether you want to use your home library purely as a book storage and reading area, or you want to receive guest users, or you want to do more than book reading and storage and want to turn your library into an information storage, sorting, processing, and production area, go through this gauntlet and get reminded of your own specific library needs!

1. Books

Of course! We’ll start with books. Because that’s why the library is existing in the first place. Our former article on setting up a home library would have educated you on how to treat, store and place your existing books. But in the flurry and haste that usually accompany setting up a home library, some books that are the heart of any library are usually omitted, which is why we need to remind you that apart from your other beloved books, your library might not be durable if it’s lacking…

2. Reference Books Like Encyclopedia, Dictionary and Thesaurus

This point may sound like a no-brainer, but some home library actually lack all of these. While lacking them may not really affect the use of the library, having them certainly add more value to the library and exponentially increase the library’s usefulness! If you can afford a complete set of hard copy encyclopedia, please go for it. It is a durable, highly reliable way of getting across to curated facts and references.

Apart from these, your home library will also benefit by stocking some maps and charts.

3. Formica Topped Tables.

Formica topped tables are already quite old-fashioned in many parts of the world, but they still remain a library staple. They are hard, smooth and provide a smooth writing surface. They are easily cleaned (Ink stains are especially easily wiped off them) and extremely durable if well maintained. If not Formica topped tables for your home library, what else?

4. Chairs That Are Not Overly Comfortable

We are afraid your home library may inadvertently be turned into a sleeping area if the chairs that are installed are akin to beds in their level of comfortability.

Straight backed chairs without too much padding are the best. It will enable you to read, doze, slumber, but probably won’t encourage you to turn your library into a spare bedroom when there is a real proper bed in another room!

5. Reading Nooks

Turn nooks in the library to highly private/personal space for reading, separate from the general reading area. It can be useful whenever you want to peruse volumes that require your full concentration. Make sure you are not the claustrophobic type before creating nooks out of your library space though.

6. Writing Materials

Pen, pencils, erasers, highlighters and other writing materials should not be missing in your home library. While all of them will not be useful all the time, some of them will be useful some of the time. So, stock them.

7. Adhesives and Glues

You will regret not having adhesives and glues when you urgently need them. To prevent that occurring, you should stock some in your home library. They will be useful for stitching up torn books and other fragile things.

8. Magnifying Glass

You will find a magnifying glass invaluable whenever you need to peruse detailed maps and charts. If seniors also use your home library, having a magnifying glass there might improve their library experience.

9. Notice Board

A regularly updated Notice Board in a home library is a useful asset. Apart from serving as a place where you can pin written notes to remind yourself of things or events, newspaper clippings or quotes from books resident in the library can also be put on a Notice Board to attract guest readers to the books themselves.

10. Posters (Instructional Posters)

Posters instructing users on proper use of the library, reading etiquettes or how to find certain information in the library should not be missing out in your home library if you will be having guest users.

11. Dust Film

A dust film will protect your books and other library asset from dust. Having a dust film over your books and other library assets whenever you are not using the library will save you many hours of cleaning later, especially if you will not be using the library for a long period of time.

12. Dust Filters And Whisk

Install a dust filter over vulnerable areas to prevent entry of dust. We also recommend having a dust whisk in your library, it is a tool that is effective at doing its job – cleaning dusts.

13. Stamps and Tags

It is faster to personalize books and other library items by stamping them rather than writing on them, so stamps will be highly useful in your home library. If your book collection is growing very fast, you can keep up with personalizing them by simply stamping your name on them.

Paper or plastic tags can serve as temporary label for other library assets. You are not restricted here, tags can be made from almost any pliable object, including textiles.

14. Thumbtacks

You will need this to pin stuffs on your notice board or on any other surface that can hold pins.

15. Showglass/Case

You may acquire new or special book(s) that you wish to draw attention to its existence, this is when a show glass becomes useful. If you regularly receive guest users in your home library, we recommend having a small show glass where you can specially display interesting books/assets you want your audience to take notice of.

16. Calendar

A paper calendar is never out of a place in a home library. If you wish, you can hang one on the wall.

17. Magazines and Journals

While magazines and journals are at home in any living space within the house, they are especially appropriate for a home library. Stock your library with old and current editions of useful magazines, newspapers and journals, they are not in the wrong place!

18. Stickers

Stickers can cause distractions, but this is only when they are excessive or unnecessary. Put stickers at appropriate places in the library if you think the message on them will be useful, especially toward helping the library functions. If the message on a sticker is useful enough, they can be used instead of instructional posters.

19. Speaking Clock

This is an excellent addition for your home library if it is required. Sometimes, you might be buried in a book so deeply that you lost all sense of time, a speaking clock will adequately forestall this possibility; it will be informing you of the time as every hour pass by. Electronic speaking clocks can be purchased on sites like Amazon.com

20. Barcode Scanner

Now, you are probably thinking this is a geek gadget. It probably is. But almost all modern books come with bar codes. You might need to scan barcodes to obtain certain info about some of your books.

21. File

Useful for keeping loose sheets of paper.

22. Cabinet

You may need a cabinet to keep files and other important loose sheets of paper.

23. Air Fresheners

You may need this to keep your library smelling good at all times. Make careful decision on whether you are going to adopt liquid-spray air fresheners or not. Chemicals in some liquid air fresheners might not be good for books when they come in contact with them.

24. Brooms And Other Cleaning Equipment

You should have a broom or vacuum cleaner dedicated for the library. Mops, scrapers, dusters, and tools for removing cobwebs should also be kept for your library if necessary.

25. Computer

Yeah! Here we are! It is certainly not a sin if you don’t have a computer in your home library, but it is surely glorious if you have one!

Computers are the definition of versatility and one in your library can assist with so many tasks. Computers can be used to keep records of books and it can be connected to the internet to use it to buy and download eBooks and other multimedia. You can also use it to research topics. In fact, with a computer in your library, you already have a library within a library!

26. Empty CD Roms or Any Other Storage Devices

These are invaluable once you have a computer installed in the library. These storage devices will enable you to store data outside of the computer.

27. CD Rack

Once you start keeping a lot of CD Roms, you will need a rack to keep them in neatly. A rack for CD Roms in your library also serves the same function as a shelf for books.

28. AudioBooks

These are getting extremely popular. They are easily downloaded on the internet and a lot of it are free. However, they are usually in digital formats like MP3 and 3GP and will remain on your library computer unless you “burn” them on a CD Rom. However, before you “burn” audiobooks on a CD Rom, please make sure you are not infringing on any copyright law.

Don’t forget they are not immediately visible, so remember to inform your guests users that Audiobooks are available in the library too if needed; this is when your posters or notice board can also come to play!

29. Dictating Machine

A home library is not just a place for soaking in knowledge and ideas, it can also be a place for birthing new knowledge and ideas. A dictating machine will be handy if you want to transcribe speech into texts later. We know many of your original idea will come out better by you describing it in speech. Speak on and let the machine record! It’s your personal library after all.

30. Intercom

Yes, you will need this most likely. The two-way communication an intercom offers allow you to communicate with people in other parts of your house without you leaving the library. You can be informed of the arrival of guests or the delivery guy through the intercom, likewise, you can also order for more warm milk to be brought from the kitchen to the library while not leaving your reading nook!

31. Photocopier/Printer/Scanner

This is a fairly expensive equipment for owners of small home libraries. We recommend having them only if necessary – They shouldn’t be there just for the sake of it, since they need regular maintenance. If the tasks that goes on in your home library requires you having any of these machines, consider buying a 3-in-1 type where a photocopier, printer and scanner is incorporated within a single unit of equipment. They are cheaper and are also getting more and more portable.

32. Audio Player

You may need to play audio files stored in CD Roms and USB Sticks, and this is why having a dedicated audio player may become necessary. Most modern audio players also come with speakers and grant the user some level of freedom to tweak the sound output coming from the device. So, all the best for your audio books!

33. Multimedia Center

If you like, you might have a full multimedia center in your home library. This might consist of a projector and a projector screen, stereoscopic glasses, more robust sound systems and other appurtenances.

They are extremely useful if your home library will involve heavy viewing of electronic audiovisual information. It makes multimedia files worth their while when they are played and viewed with the appropriate electronic system.

34. Sources of Artificial Ventilation

Standing fans, ceiling fans, table fans or air conditioners are sources of artificial airflow for your library. Try and get one installed. If your library will be receiving much guest users, providing a fan or air conditioner is very important for the sake of their comfort.

Books are also more enjoyed when heat doesn’t constitute a distraction.

35. Some Floral Decorations

Looking at flowers or floral decorations calm the human mind. Flowers also beautify any space it is put. If there are gaps on your library shelves that hasn’t been filled with books yet, you might consider putting flower vases or small decorative items in the gap until you are able to fill them up with books.

Unlike abstract decorations or framed art, flowers easily blend into any setting, they are inexpensive to procure and are pleasing to the viewers’ eyes.

+Bonus: Shelves

Normally, we shouldn’t be mentioning this again because it is a default library furniture. But it will be an interesting mention upon which to end this compilation! What shall we call a library that have the 35 lists enumerated above but lack shelves?

We guess you are smiling! Thank you for reading.