To hoard or to tidy up?

To hoard or to tidy up…that is the question

Browsing in the Library can lead to serendipitous discoveries, as can working in the Library. In the Collections Department, we unpacked these two new books this week, and wonder if our library supplier grouped them together on purpose. With spring cleaning around the corner, check out excerpts from these two books and decide which camp you want to belong to:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: the Japanese art of decluttering and tidying up by Marie Kondo

“Tidying brings visible results. Tidying  never lies. The ultimate success is this: If you tidy up in one shot, rather than little by little, you can dramatically change your mind-set. A change so profound that it touches your emotions will irresistibly affect your way of thinking and your lifestyle habits…There is a saying that ‘a messy room equals a messy mind.’ When a room becomes cluttered, the cause is more than just physical. Visible mess helps distract us from the true source of the disorder.”

The Hoarders: Material Deviance in Modern American Culture by Scott Herring

“Though popularized science asks of hoarders, ‘Why do such people keep things?,’ the following might be some better questionss: What counts as an acceptable material life? Who decides? Why is one material life commended while another is reviled? Who calls these shots? What if a so-called hoarder takes a liking to her possessions?”