Monday, August 3, 2009

Literature Layout

Today was my day to tackle the mounting pile of magazines. I try not to let it get excessively out of hand, or the task of sorting and storing individually by title and date appears too time consuming and thus doesn’t happen.

My system for magazines is storing two each back to back in clear plastic sleeve protectors bound into 3 ring binders. It works well for me, but it can be a bit of work. It all started because I bought a big box of 10 or 12 3” binders at a little junk shop for just a few bucks, so it was cheaper than buying the standard magazine holders. During our first (and only, so far) visit to IKEA, I found a flat pack of sturdy cardboard magazine holders for less than $1 a piece. They’re great for lighter weight items like newspapers, but I think a year’s worth of magazines would be too top heavy.

I built a (yet unpainted) shelf across the closet in Jeff's office, so the binders and magazine holders go up on the shelf and
books go on the bookcase. Letters, articles, pamphlets, and other small items go in labeled manila folders in the desk file drawer. Sometimes I think there has to be a better way! I would love to hear how some of you organize and/or store your newspapers, magazines, booklets, etc.

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7 comments:

  1. Hehe; ours are in a yet unorganized stack in a box in my closet! I haven't found a resourceful method of sorting and displaying them. I second the call to all your readers!

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  2. The shelf seems to be bowing a bit in the middle... is it only the camera?

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  3. My described system is the best I've found so far, but it would be nice to keep everything in one place. I just can't get small, thinner works to stand up on a bookcase, hence the manila folders. Surely it doesn't take a library science degree to get and keep all our personal books and papers organized!

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  4. Sarah, I have Martha Steward magazines in the cardboard holders from Ikea. They stand up alright because the amount of literature that fills it is heavy enough to stand. But they also nestle up next to each other for support, too. I think that I might try to get more for our literature project since our literature is sitting on a shelf in stacks. Books and booklets are standing on end bookshelf style but since there are so many of them (PCG+WCG), they do alright until you get to the end where they fall. Do the PNs fit in the magazine files? I was wondering if they were too wide. I think your two-by-two binder idea is nifty. It would take a lot of binders and time though wouldn't it if you didn't already have them on hand. :)

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  6. We have a shelf full of I think 3 inch binders with some magazine holders. I have no clue what they are called or where they came from, but they are a flimsy thin plastic. One part has a three hole punch down the side and is connected to another strip of plastic with the opening big enough for a magazine to slide through at the center. The magazine basically hangs in the plastic thingy but is connected to the binder because of the three hole punch area. Hopefully that makes sense. I still haven't figured out how to organize the PN. Saw an idea to put contact paper on the outside of a cereal box but I haven't come across a box wide enough for the PN. It's still on my mind for one of these days. I've never been to an IKEA but I'm sure if I ever get the chance I'll be like a kid in a candy store!

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  7. Kelly, those are the exact page protector sheets that we use in the binders to hold the magazines; they're great, aren't they? I hadn't thought about modifying or decorating a cereal box, but it's a handy idea (if not for the PNs, then maybe some of my decorating magazines)!

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