A lot of people have a lot of books. It seems like an innocuous thing to have around the house: a small little thing that can sit on a shelf out of the way. A sign of knowledge or a good story. Or, both. The problem is, especially in the digital age we live in, those books tend to stack up and weigh down those shelves. They collect dust after months or years of never being picked up. So, let's reassess the situation.
1) Can you get this information somewhere else? The Internet is an endless supply of...well, everything. And, don't forget your local library and it's fabulous resources. Oh, and by the way, do you read everything on a tablet or e-reader now?
2) Does this book actually belong to someone else? People borrow and loan books all the time. Borrowed a book? Return it!
3) Did you like what the book had to say? Terrible story: donate it. Outdated information: donate it. Topic you no longer want to read about: donate it.
4) Is it awkward to store or ugly-ing up your room? Big books, misshapen books, books that are falling apart. These might not be worth the trouble of finding an appropriate spot to keep.
5) Is it more important to keep this book than the value of either storing something else there or enjoying the open space? That's the most important question to ask yourself.
