Create reading space in your house

The reading room should be in a place that is accessible to everyone such as close to the sitting room. In case you do not have a room for this purpose, place a small table in the corner of the sitting room but make sure it has storage space for your books.

What you need to know:

A home library, commonly known as a reading room or space is one of the things that will help your children develop a reading culture and also help you organise your books.

The idea of having a home library is one that may sound alien to some people in our society. To some like Micheal Mugalu, a father of one and an interior designer, it is one of the best ways of encouraging children to read. Mugalu also believes it is a good idea to have a home library because of a number of reasons.

Why have a home library
To some parents, having a library in a home is one way of encouraging children to read. “When children grow up being exposed to books in a home, chances are high they will develop a good reading culture,” says Mugalu. He however adds that there are other reasons as to why you should have a home library. “Having a home library leads to organisation in a home,” he says.

Location
Like other necessities in a home, there are things to consider when setting up a home library.
This is a very crucial consideration one has to have in mind when they think of having a home library. “Some positions in a home may not be that favourable if the library is not easily accessible and the books are not safe,” explains Mugalu. He goes on to say that in most cases the best position for a home library can be just beside the sitting room. “A library that is beside a sitting room can easily be accessible to everyone in the house.”

Comfort
In most cases, furniture is used to create shelves where books are placed. The kind of furniture you use in the library according to Mugalu will depend on the number of books. He, however, says that much as furniture is looked at as a requirement when setting up a home library, you can also use metal for shelves.

Other options
In case you cannot have a devoted room for a library because of the size of the house, you can still create space in any room.

Small book shelves
These are a must have for one without a library in their home. They can be placed in the bedroom in the corner or on the side of the bed. They can also be in the sitting room or corridor. They are usually made of wood and small in size.

Reading table
You can opt to place your books on a table. These can be in the bedroom, corridor or sitting room. Evans Ocheing, a libriarian with African Book Stores however advises that if you are to choose keeping your books this way, you should limit the number of books you keep to avoid cluttering the room.
If you enjoy reading but have no space for your books, the librarian advises that you opt for online books because with these, all you will need is either a desktop or laptop and a small working table.