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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Personal Library Curation?

Personal Library Curation brings together elements of librarianship and professional organising to your interiors. Book Curate specialises in teaching you how to organise your books for any space to create bespoke personal libraries, how to declutter and manage your collection overtime to keep books you truly love and reflect you, and provide recommendations to build your ideal personal library.

Why should we hire you?

Book Curate offers you the professional library curation services to develop your personal library. We are founded by a qualified librarian who is a member of CILIP (Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals) and APDO (Association of Professional Declutterers and Organisers). Find out more

How long will it take to organise my bookshelves?

Generally, in a library with an organisation system in place, it can take a few minutes to re-shelve a book, so a collection of 200 books can take 2-3hours to organise alphabetically. However, the time it takes to put in place a bespoke organisation system could be longer and depend on factors such as the number of books, space available, whether or not you will need organising items, and if you choose to declutter your collection. We usually suggest an in-home consultation with your session to give you an estimate of the time needed to complete the project.

Will you make me throw away my books?

We will not never make you do anything you don’t wish to do. Our role is to support your decisions and your choice of whether to keep or let go of a book is solely up to you. At Book Curate, we work with respectable sources to re-home or donate your unwanted books as a priority.

How long will it take to catalogue my library?

This depends on the type of book and level of detail you would like for each record.
An English language book with an ISBN can be downloaded and customised within 5-10 minutes.
A non-English language book or lesser known publication can take 10-20 minutes to catalogue.
An older book or rare book like manuscripts can take half a day to several days to catalogue because they require deeper investigative research. We usually suggest an in-home consultation with your session to give you an estimate of the time needed to complete the project.

I want to develop my library on my own but need help from a pro. Can you help?

Yes, we can! Book Curate offers virtual assistance on organising, decluttering, cataloguing or moving your library. We also provide free tips and tricks to help you curate like a pro. Subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with our latest blog posts, tips and tricks and product recommendation to DIY your personal library.

Which areas do you cover?

Book Curate is a London-based company and caters to clients within the London area (Zone 1-6). All packages included a travel fee to and from your home.

I don't live in London. Do you have virtual services? Can you travel to me?

No worries! Book Curate offers virtual organising consultations in 45-60 minutes sessions via Whatsapp, Skype or Zoom. Show us your space and we will consult you on how to curate your personal library.

Do you take photos during the session?

We like to take before and after photos, as it's great to see how much has been achieved. We will always ask for permission to add images to our website and social media. Any images we publish are anonymised for our clients.

Do I need to be present during the session?

Yes. Only you can determine how to develop your personal library. Organising and decluttering is a personal journey that requires you to determine what books you want to keep or clear out and how best you would like books organised and where. We’re happy to complete some parts of the process on our own e.g. when cataloguing a library or re-shelving your collection but this will need to be agreed when we have drawn up a plan in our first session.

Do I need to prepare anything before the first session?

No. We like to see your library prior to starting work developing it to provide you will the best techniques to care for your library after we organise, declutter, catalogue or move it.


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