jack: has enough books to qualify as a personal library also jack: refuses to read an instruction manual

This man is single handedly responsible for the existence of my reading career

Only bookworms can understand the insane desire to have a bookshelf with a rolling ladder

The blue on the walls is bloody perfect against the bookshelf color, because they have a yellow undertone, and blue is a contrast primary color to yellow. I totally think you should keep the blue! It grounds the whole space!

And when the world needed him most, he returned ✨

Jack having a conversation with himself about not needing to justify his need for a footstool gave me life

As a swede (that obviously got a middle school course in building IKEA furniture) it's quite hilarious to watch booktubers battle these flat packs. It always look amazing in the end, great work Jack! 🎉

aesthetically speking I really like to organize my books by editor, because publishing houses usually have a style, and so that gives the bookshelf a nice cohesive look. Also, you could still do the alphabetical order (either by author surname or by book title) inside the editor division. Idk, thought I'd leave the suggestion

YOU'RE OFFICIALLY UKposts'S RESIDENT LIBRARIAN!!! Litteraly buzzing with excitement!!

Jack: has over 1000 books Also Jack: I guess I'll just have to get more books so I can have them on bookshelves AND stacked in my room.

You know he succeeded at you tube when you choose to watch him set up shelves for 40 minutes and enjoy it hahahahah

29:55 it's sooo satisfying to watch the shelves fill up!

Confirmed every book lover's goal in life is a slidey ladder

I think the fact that the ladder from beauty and the beast has stayed with so many of us is one of the most wonderful things in the world

I went through all this myself back in 2021. We converted our second bedroom into a library and it took weeks of replacing the flooring, repainting all the walls, building six bookshelves, and then reorganizing all of my books. Well worth it, but man I feel your pain here.

As someone who owns IKEA furniture and moves a lot... IKEA furniture is super not good at being dismantled and rebuilt, nor at being moved in one piece. To mitigate this, have some wood glue handy. Once you're COMPLETELY SURE the pieces are in the right place, put a little wood glue on both ends of all the wooden pegs and also between every joint, put it all together tightly (a rubber mallet helps!), and let it cure for 12-24 hours. Then that bookshelf is solid as hell and will last you a lot longer! I have a couple IKEA bookshelves I did this with, and others I didn't; the wood-glued ones have survived multiple moves and are still super sturdy, no wobble or jank at all. The unglued shelves get more wobbly each move, and we usually "lose" one or two tall shelves each move with it either falling apart entirely or becoming too shaky to trust. Hope this helps someone!

My husband overheard me watching this video, and at the end when Jack was all: "Let a man have his footstool!" my husband goes "If the Bookman wants a footstool let him have a footstool!" So, Jack, you have my husbands (and my) blessing to get all the footstools, stepstools and stepladders you want.

When Jack said "I could not bring myself to do any more of it" and the books and the bookstand behind him tilted to the left at 27:47 😂 Is unplanned comedy gold

I thought I was the only one who fantasized about the sliding ladder lmao! That moment when the heros need information in a special book and they visit the gigantic library where the librarian knows exactly what they're looking for so he hops on his ladder and gets it.. goals 😂

YES. FINALLY. THE BOOKS NEEDED THIS AFTER BEING STUFFED IN A CLOSET 😭

This feels like a major milestone because we were breadcrumbed all this while about a library.

I love how your dog came with you every time you brought books into the room 😂

I fell in love with books because of you and now I'm doing a degree in literature 😁

did you just organize your books RANDOMLY???? you are either very laidback and cool or completely insane wait I just got to the end, you’re reorganizing, thank god

You should get a custom Etsy library book stamp 🥹 have it say jack in the books and stamp each one when you organize it. It would be so wholesome

As a preventive conservator in historic buildings- if you want to keep your books in the best condition, there are 3 main problems with the set up. (This may not be of interest, if so ignore this completely!) It’s best to have some air flow around the books so microclimates don’t become a problem and cause mould etc. Having space above the book can damage them less when pulling books off the shelf, cramped space can cause damage to the headcaps. Finally, books stored horizontally - whilst they look cool, can cause all sorts of structural problems with the book over prolonged periods of time. Besides that, I’m completely envious of your library! 😍

This video felt like home. The procrastination, then the struggle you went through, the sweet presence of your dog, with bits of satisfaction when each shelf was done and finally the filling of the books! I can't wait for the final shelves to arrive so it can be complete!

I built a similar corner unit Billy bookcase unit five or so years ago in my house. It is white and it's right behind me and I just turned around and gazed at it lovingly. And while I honestly pride myself in having a real knack for building IKEA furniture, I have very visceral memories of how this build almost broke me.

The pure joy that visibly radiates from you when you finally get all the books set up is wonderful to watch! I am so happy for you Jack!

now you truly fit the title ✨youtube's resident librarian✨ congratulations book man!

The best bit of having a home library is organising the books! I hope you do that too soon! I did it by genre and then by authors surname - the nerdier the organisational system the better 🙌🏽

I did a similar thing a couple of weeks ago - but I had a friend to help! Building Billy Bookcases is easier with a friend as you can double check you’re doing it right. Congratulations on your library! Edit: if there’s any way you can fix them to the walls do it. It’s reasonably easy to plug the holes again when you move out but will make the book cases so much more solid. It’s no fun when it falls over.

I know you said you don’t like the blue on the walls, but it looks so good with the color of the shelves 👍🏼

Little bit of a suggestion regarding the brace Jack, in Japan, whenever we put up a shelf that doesn’t go all the way up to the ceiling and have no way of taking it down again to put up a brace, we buy ceiling braces, which is just an extension pole that pushes against the top of the shelf and against the ceiling, preventing it from falling over during an earthquake. It’s called an earthquake protection bar and it doesn’t require any screws, all you have to do is mount it on. I know NY doesn’t have many earthquakes, but it’s always a good safety measure!

I smiled when you said a library with a rolling ladder. I've always loved that idea. Especially when you see them in really old houses with soaring ceiling heights.

Wow, yesterday I went book shopping and in my Oppenheimer and Peaky Blinders infused Cillian Murphy obsession I wondered: "Did Cillian ever recommend any books? Jack is someone who makes vidoes about this kind of stuff... I wonder if he's gonna make one". And here we are. Very excited for that one!! Also, loved this video to pieces, very oddly calming watching you lose your mind over placing books.

This turned out great! But pro tip: best way to divide the shelves is to make them all BUT the top one (and bottom one if that's the case) the same height. You want the shelves that are on your eye level to be the same height, because those are the ones your eye can easily compare. The very top shelf is furthest from your eye and you'll already be looking at it from an angle, so your perception of its height will already be kind of warped. It also looks more intentional this way, because it makes sense to leave the very very top part with more space (you'd want the shelf to be lower anyway so it's easier to reach).

I recently finished my Master's in Library and Information Science, and one of the classes that I took during the degree was "Planning Library Facilities." One thing that was heavily emphasized in the course was the importance of floor weight capacity and the dangers of turning residential buildings into libraries. Because large quantities of books are so heavy, the minimum recommended floor weight for a library should be 150 lbs per sq ft (according to The Practical Handbook of Library Architecture by Schlipf and Moorman), but in the U.S. the live load capacity for most buildings tends to be 40-50 lbs per sq ft. In direct convos, Dr. Schlipf stated that it is better to be closer to 170+ lbs per sq ft when possible. Simply put, residential buildings are not designed to take the weight of huge shelves of books. This is why it is not recommended to put libraries in multistory residential structures, because the risk of the floors caving in is very real. Now I do not want to put you or anyone else off having a home library - as I also dream of having one, so I understand the desire all too well. But I wanted to point this out because putting large numbers of books on tall shelves in concentrated areas puts a strain on the architectural integrity of a residential structure. Where possible, try to put personal libraries on ground floors (particularly ones with concrete foundations) or on low, spaced-out shelves to spread the weight. I know that because of renting and such, there may be limited options about what you can do, but if possible, you may want to find out the floor weight or load capacity from the building's supervisor or owner, or get a consultant to check on your behalf. Stay safe and happy book collecting everyone!

So glad you are organising your books by choice other than colour. It drives me crazy to see colour not by genre or authors.

Ever since 20:30 I was stressing like " noo jack! Dont make the units top-heavy! Fill them bottom to top instead!" Im so glad they didn't fall lol.

The think that baffled me the most is the fact that you actually know ALL OF THESE BOOKS. like if you go to a library, u don necessary know ALL of the books on a shelf u see, but THIS. all of THIS, u know them. And to see it all like this on a shelf in your own house is so WOW to me.

a gentle reminder from a swede and ikea furniture building professional, that in the future, if you use a blanket or the box underneath to protect the wood from scratching you might save yourself from one last breakdown. well done!

Watching Jack going insane talking about inconsistent shelf layout has made my day. Glad you finally put your library together ❤

Watching others put together IKEA furniture is such a binding experience; shared trauma and all that. I'm as excited as you, and they're not even my books. Also, if you don't dream of a Beauty and the Beast book ladder, are you even a reader? Can't wait to see the finished product.

Happy to assist the inauguration of the Jack Edward’s library (and happy to see you living your best life) 🎉

I can’t believe how relatable this. The ladder (which is the dream of every reader) The lactose intolerance Being too lazy to wait for coffee And of course living vicariously while he made his home library.

I cannot wait to watch part 2, this video is probably one of the best personal library/ bookcase videos on UKposts right now. I love the layout of your books and the lighting is amazing. Really good stuff!

Assembling furniture like this is such a guilty pleasure for me, I take it as a puzzle and it's just so satisfying and rewarding and basically therapy

"I procrastinated and then suddenly it was the evening and then it was the night and then it was now" this is the mood

If you let me read some, I'll gladly become a live-in librarian 🙃

Finally!! Loved this. I am excited for the organization videos!! 😁 Enjoy your shelves 🤍

This video is everything that we needed, you made funny the frustration that comes with building literally anything while radiating a level of comfort that is wild. Thanks Jack 💙

I'm so happy for Jack. It's literally every book lovers' dream. ✨Manifesting ✨

a 40 minute vlog of jack building bookshelves? we've been blessed

Jack getting excited at the end of this video about getting a step stool is the cutest thing ever! This is exactly something I would do I'm excited to see how it all turns out in the end!!

i finished this video feeling better than i expected. the vibes were just cozy and *nice*. thanks for living my dream for me, jack :')

The assembly arc is so relatable. The smugness, the realization, the fury, the redemption 😄

you radiate so much joy and happiness and I love to watch your videos🫶🏻🥺 keep doing your thing you are amazing💫

OMG I freaking love this!!! We need a follow up vid on how you decorated the remainder of your home library!!!!

The absolute joy on your face as you finished that first bookshelf is so wholesome, I love readers so much

I think the shelves make the blue walls pop out in a really good way! The library looks great 😍

Dude when you said all you want from life is those slide-y ladders for your bookshelf, I literally screamed out loud YES!!!!!! I’ve barely started this video and I feel so SEEN ❤❤❤❤ Last time I counted my books I was at 960 a few years back and I literally have purchased more than 40 books since the last count. Hell I picked up Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros and Lightbringer by Pierce Brown last night. I’m on IKEA’s website now cause I need at least one more shelf for some release.

hi jack! since you'll be buying more shelves for the bookcase, i thought i'd let you know that the bookcase tends to sag after a few years (especially if you keep a ton of books on them, ironic i know). but if you want to prevent that from happening & reinforce it, you should add glue to the sides of the shelf before screwing them together. it adds a few more years to the shelf life ☺️

Seeing you fill them up is so satisfying!!! ♥️

Just a little tip: put some sturdy cardboard or wood over the corner shelf so nothing accidentally falls into the space between 😊

thank you for this video jack, i was literally crying and now this saved my day

OMG.what i JOY to watch this video.i'm sooo happy for you jackkk and the way you are EXCITED for this dream library just makes my heart warmmm(and also made me count my books after a while-475)cannnn't wait to watch the series✨✨

Can’t wait for the organization video 😍 you slayed the bookshelf making Jack

Congratulations on this beautiful and cozylibrary! The wood shelves really complement the blue wall. ps. I love that Archie was so supportive throughout the process!

As a proud Billy bookcase owner, remember to mount them to the wall for more stability! Congrats

And when the world needed him most, he returned . 29:55 it's sooo satisfying to watch the shelves fill up!.

Actually so lovely to see this man so excited about his shelves and books - this is the positive content the world needs! Glad you're falling back in love with making the content and that you're having fun with this library, you deserve it!

Thank you for showing the struggle with the placement of the shelves and all. I can't wait to see you finish the bookshelf building with the extra shelves and do all the different book organization methods you are talking about!

Dude. It looks amazing. If I were you.. I would purchase a cozy chair and sit in front of the shelves for hours at a time just appreciating the gorgeous books 😍

🤣 I so relate to "I was so smug" followed by a meltdown! I was building ikea furniture last week and had the same experience 🤣

27:47 Noooo the poor duck!!!😭😂 Looks incredible for the record!

Im beyond jealous and joyous that you finally got the time to make your personal library! Let the endless stacking of books commence

Are you going to scan them all into a database?? I love seeing people do that!

This looks brilliant so far Jack! Love that you’ve got your library now.

Took me a while to watch the whole video. So satisfying to get to the end with so many books in the shelfs! When I left home I only had two bookshelfs in my room, now I have A room full of them plus some others elsewhere in the apartment (and yes, I have a small ladder). It's fun moving them around to figure out how best to group them. So far for me it's a mix of genres and country/continent of origin. It's good to try different ways to organize to see what's more useful for you.

Aside from the immaculate content of this video, I have to say that your dog warms my heart - he's such a loyal soul and you can feel his love for you through the screen.

Your stress over the shelves is hilarious and entirely relatable. Your dog is adorable and it makes me laugh that you stop to review books. The procrastination and torture of flat pack is strong and I think every book nerd in the world wants the home library with the moving ladder.

imagine you're on a date and the guy shows you his entire book collection, the dream😭🥰❤

Omg thank you for figuring out the perfect way to align the shelves like you did! I've been wanting to move my shelves closer together then buy extras but I have been procrastinating figuring out the spacing.

I'm so happy and proud of you. You've worked really hard and loved so many of those stories. I hope this space becomes a space that feels like home for you. Sending so much love ❤

Building your own personal library..Jack you are living my dream life.This was so satisfying to watch..Congratulations..So happy for you.

Yes! 100% yes with the step ladder/stepstool being added to the room. It's definitely romantic to be surrounded by books and needing a little step to reach them all imo. Thank you for sharing this!

I'M SO EXCITED FOR ALL THE UPCOMING VIDEOS!!

Wow,looks great,it is indescribable feeling when you can sit and enjoy that view ❤ Congrats 🍾

I love this so much! Congrats Jack! Your library is coming along beautifully and I can’t wait to see the final results when it’s fully furnished!

This video came at the perfect time! We are planning to make a mini library with these same bookshelves and were in Ikea today to get them, now I know I love how they look and am excited to get started!

I am so ready for this series!

OMG! It is absolutely GORGEOUS library JACK LOVE IT!!😊

We need this so bad! We have thousands of books in different size shelves. Most are in our basement but they’re still in every single room except kitchen and bathroom. Love our books ❤❤❤❤

Please tell me your future videos will be filmed in front of these (beautiful) bookshelves. It would be so cozy

Your happiness is legit so contagious 😭💗 it's 11 pm and I'm jumping with joy! Congratulations JACK📚📚📚📚

This felt so long in the making and I’m so happy you get your own library finally!

so excited for this series as a subscriber!! but also so excited for Jack to have this beautiful space!!

seeing Jack happy makes me happy☺️

I can't wait for part 2 !! So exciting