{"id":2406,"date":"2015-12-08T16:50:22","date_gmt":"2015-12-09T00:50:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/?p=2406"},"modified":"2015-12-08T16:50:22","modified_gmt":"2015-12-09T00:50:22","slug":"every-book-in-its-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachinginhighered.com\/2015\/12\/08\/every-book-in-its-place\/","title":{"rendered":"Every book in its place"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dark<\/a>
Dark wood book shelf with old books<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I am starting my initial preparation for a presentation I'll be giving<\/a> at the 2016 Lilly Conference in Newport Beach, CA in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As I went to search for Dan Roam's Show and Tell book<\/a>, which\u00a0has a method for outlining presentations, I discovered a book I have been looking for on my shelves for more than a year now.\u00a0It is unusual for me to lose books, since I have a pretty good system going for cataloging them.<\/p>\n

Most organizing experts all have some way of stating that everything should have a place that it belongs. I find whenever I lose things, or start to get messy, it is because I have acquired items that have yet to find a “home” either in my university or home office.<\/p>\n

In my delight over my discovery of the lost book, I decided to describe a few of the approaches I use to ensure that my books\u00a0have a place.<\/p>\n

Group physical books by category and label them<\/h2>\n

Decades ago, my Mom used to work in a bookstore and is pretty much the family librarian. She has twice now helped me categorize my books through two moves. Thank you Mom.<\/p>\n

In order to maintain the categories that she set up, I printed labels using my label maker<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0563\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I used an index card, folded down about an inch from the end of the card, with a label<\/a> with the relevant category attached.<\/p>\n

Devote a space near your primary working desk for books you're using this semester<\/h2>\n

I tend to read the majority of my books these days via either my iPad<\/a> or my Kindle<\/a>. The big exception to that is that I tend to read hardcopy textbooks. I use them more than any other books during a given semester.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_0559\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It makes it simple having them all grouped together within arm's reach of where I do the majority of my focused work.<\/p>\n

Weed out old books once a year and consider donating them<\/h2>\n

On a recent episode of Very Bad Wizards<\/a>, the hosts spoke about their powerful experiences in teaching prison inmates<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One need they mentioned was for textbooks for inmates. This isn't something I have done before, but through a bit of searching found the Prison Book Program<\/a> and Books Through Bars <\/a>as a couple of organizations that may help facilitate your giving.<\/p>\n

There's also a listing by the Prison Book Program website for other prison book programs<\/a>, in case none of the options above serve in your area. Again, I can't vouch for these organizations and welcome any feedback you have in the comments section.<\/p>\n

Another idea for donating books is to consider giving to Books for Africa<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Consider transitioning to ebooks<\/h2>\n

As I mentioned previously, most of my new reading takes place via my iPad<\/a> or my Kindle<\/a>. It is great to have all my highlights in one place and have the ability to search annotations that I've made previously.<\/p>\n

When reading electronic books, there's no longer a physical book that needs to be stored. You can let whatever service you use keep all your books organized and avoid spending more than a year looking for that one missing book, like me.<\/p>\n

I also enjoy using Goodreads<\/a> to catalog books that I've read and even to share with the grandparents the books that our kids own.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Bonni's bookshelf: faculty_development<\/a><\/h2>\n
\n
\"How<\/a><\/div>\n
\"0<\/div>\n
How Learning Works: Seven Research-Based Principles for Smart Teaching<\/a><\/div>\n
by Susan A. Ambrose<\/a><\/div>\n
tagged:
\nfaculty_development and to-read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Learner-Centered<\/a><\/div>\n
\"0<\/div>\n
Learner-Centered Teaching<\/a><\/div>\n
by Maryellen Weimer<\/a><\/div>\n
tagged:
\nfaculty_development and to-read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Creating<\/a><\/div>\n
\"0<\/div>\n
Creating Significant Learning Experiences: An Integrated Approach to Designing College Courses<\/a><\/div>\n
by L. Dee Fink<\/a><\/div>\n
tagged:
\nfaculty_development<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Educative<\/a><\/div>\n
\"0<\/div>\n
Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance<\/a><\/div>\n
by Grant P. Wiggins<\/a><\/div>\n
tagged:
\nfaculty_development and to-read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\"Effective<\/a><\/div>\n
\"0<\/div>\n
Effective Grading: A Tool for Learning and Assessment<\/a><\/div>\n
by Barbara E. Walvoord<\/a><\/div>\n
tagged:
\nfaculty_development<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n


\n\"goodreads.com\"<\/a><\/center>
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