Naya Changes My Mind

A friend told me about a Pinterest trend – organize books on shelves by color. 

“Who would do such a thing?” I asked.  “Certainly not a reader.”  I shuddered remembering that design trend of pasted book bindings on wooden blocks.

My home and work shelves are organized by genre and author (alphabetically). The only deviation from this system: a  bookcase with six shelves, each one devoted to a class I teach regularly.  I know where my books are; I can find them easily. I only lose books when I lend them out, and they don’t make their way back to me.  

I would never find a book if I had to remember the color of its binding. 

The class visited our community partner, Shade Tree. We disbursed to fill the book shelves on

three different floors. Naya and her group went to the second floor, and I found them there vigorously arranging and discussing. Naya, a graphic artist, suggested they arrange by color.  

Inside, I recoiled.  I don’t remember what I said, probably something like, “Are you sure?  How can you find anything?”

Then she quite rightly pointed out that most of these readers will not look for something specific. The goal was to entice them to come to the shelves and to pick up a book.  

Yes, she had a point.  Still, I had to leave the room, so they could organize in peace, without my unasked questions and comments disturbing the atmosphere.  

When I returned – those questions disappeared.  I found cluttered shelves and boxes replaced by art.

In Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole, Susan Cain cites a study that “found that the simple act of viewing beautiful art increases activity in the pleasure reward centers of the brain” (63-64).  

Those shelves - they were lovely.  Naya and her fellow students  played with color and shape as they arranged our book donations.  I could well imagine someone coming into the room,

stopping short, then approaching those shelves, first to admire and touch (that impulse to touch, the bane of every museum guard) and then to read.  

To be clear, this method would not work for me.  I am not going to rearrange my office.  When I go to my shelves, which I do frequently (it’s in my job description), I will continue to rely on genre, title, and author.  But at that moment on the second floor, my perspective shifted.  I could acknowledge that yes, maybe some people in some situations could arrange books by color (and still be readers). In some cases, this approach might work best. 

I know, I know, how open-minded of me. 

However, aren’t such shifts in perspective a goal of education?  We come to campus (virtually or in person) to engage with the past and the present to contribute to the future. We consider

alternative perspectives through reading, listening, research, discussion, and our understanding expands. This process can take place in a lab, in a classroom, on the benches outside Lied Library. We just want it to happen. 

Once again, the student teaches the teacher.