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Do you like to
watch movies at home? Is your DVD collection growing but the size of your home
isn't? Would you like to lend your mother that really funny DVD you and the kids
watched last week? You know, the one you can't find now. Or was that the one you
lent to your colleague at work yesterday? If you're confused about what's in
your DVD collection and you're tripping over it, here are some home DVD organization
and storage ideas to get your DVD storage in order:
LEARN WHAT DVD'S YOU HAVE
♦If you buy and watch a lot of DVD's then what you have is a personal
library collection. Your library contains DVDs though, not books. But
you can organize your DVD collection just like many people do their book
collections. For instance, organize your DVDs by subject such as
mysteries, comedies, dramas, westerns, etc. Then within those sections,
organize DVDs alphabetically by titles.
♦You may also want to create a few rows or subsets that don't fit that
system. For instance cluster all of your children's DVDs on one row. If
you have young children, put them on the lowest row so they can reach
them best. Cluster all of your exercise DVDs together. If you have a
favorite actor or actress, cluster all of those DVD's together in one
section.
♦If you have a visible rim or edge on your DVD storage rack or shelf, you
can use a
labelmaker
to make labels that say "mysteries", "romances", "Mom's DVD's" or
whatever you need. You don't have to alphabetize these subject
categories; unless you have thousands of DVD's, you can quickly see the
subject categories at a glance no matter what order they're in. And
since you may add categories later (e.g. maybe you'll start collecting
war history DVD's), it would be aggravating to have to keep relocating
whole categories. Just alphabetize within the categories.
♦Then make an alphabetized list on your computer of every title in your
DVD collection. This will help prevent you from accidentally buying
duplicates. Put the list on CD or floppy diskette if you still use
those, and consistently keep it in the first space of your DVD rack.
Update it periodically. Create a row for new DVDs. Relocate these to the
proper categories after you add them to the list.
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PUT IT HERE
Search the Internet for DVD storage and you'll be overwhelmed with
choices of DVD storage furniture. Here's the short list on where you can
store your DVD collection:
1) Bookcase shelves - You could push four- and five-shelf
bookcases side-by-side with no
space in between them to cluster a large DVD library.
2) Wall-mounted DVD racks - You could hang three one-column vertical
racks in a row.
3) Two- and four-sided towers set on revolving bases - These take minimum
floor space and hold a lot.
4) Television stands that contain media storage spaces - Cute but usually
don't have enough space for the serious DVD collector.
5) Freestanding media organizers or racks - Choose from dozens of
different types, styles and sizes that set on the floor on a solid base.
6) Media cabinet - The doors will keep the dust out. Clear panel doors
will enable you to see it all at a glance.
[Buy
media storage towers
and racks here.]
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ORGANIZE YOUR LENDING LIBRARY
Do family, friends and neighbors borrow your DVDs to the point where you
can't remember who has what and when they had it?
Well, if you're going
to operate a lending library, do it the right way. Spend a few dollars
for some address labels. Put an address label on all of your DVDs. Or
you could use a label maker to create labels with just your name. That
way those who have your DVDs will never mix up whom they belong to
(because they also may have borrowed DVDs from others).
Then make a sign-out sheet. Use your computer to create a two-column
table with about 20 rows per page or draw it by hand. Label one column
"checked out by/name" and label the other column "DVD Title". This is
for your personal usage. You have no due date and you're not going to be
charging any late fees to friends or family who keep your DVDs a long
time. That's a chance you take when you lend items. You complete the
sign-out sheet yourself when you lend a stack of DVDs. Put this sign-out
sheet in a translucent sheet protector and tack it to the side of your
DVD storage rack or wherever you keep your DVDs.
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FOLLOW THE ONE IN ONE OUT RULE
One final tip: Institute a one-DVD-in, one-DVD-out rule in your home for
adults and children. That's a habit that'll keep your house neater and
your DVDs organized. Nobody can watch more than one DVD at a time, yet
family members often will take a stack to a room and leave it there and
then do it again in another room. This rule becomes a routine and
prevents that from happening.
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