<p>I was just wondering. At our S's dorm room there were no bookshelves. THere was a desk, bed and bureau for clothing, but nary a shelf. </p>
<p>We ran out and bought something in a box for him to put together. So he got to use those tools during Orientation week. That part was cool.</p>
<p>But it made me wonder. Is this a trend? (new dorm built post 2005)</p>
<p>My kids have lots of books. When they lived in a dorm, the desk had a hutch as a bookshelf at both their schools. That wasn't enough but was something. They also have to buy many books. Also, my younger one brings a LOT of music books and many many binders of additional music and scores. So, besides the shelves, right now, she also has cubical things on her closet shelf to hold all the music (she is in an apartment). My older one is in a house and has a few bookshelves. She brought books but also there will be new ones. I can't imagine a college kid's room without some place for books! Um....isn't that what they are there for? :D</p>
<p>In the past 24 hours, had to mail D1 two books from home that she realized she needed this year again. One is for a class she is now the TA for, but had taken before so owned a book being used again. And both girls have been calling or emailing with book purchases as they go (we reimburse them and so they are to let us know of any payments they make).</p>
<p>Back when I went to college, I recall a desk with a hutch as well. But I also recall making shelves with big pieces of wood and cinder blocks but I don't think college kids do that anymore! Now, there are all sorts of cool storage units you can buy!</p>
<p>That seems strange. My son's room has one set of 3 shelves attached to the wall above the other kid's desk (not his!), and two long shelves high on the wall over the wide dresser. Both guys have books on the shelves, mostly texts, but a few leisure-time reading books.</p>
<p>Even if the kids don't bring books from home, they have to put textbooks and books for lit classes somewhere, don't they?</p>
<p>Most dorm rooms I've seen have rather regulation desk/dresser/rocking sort of chair/bookshelf. Not too large a book shelf, maybe 3 shelves. But D moved in and promptly stocked it with books. The sort of current literature that she enjoys, David Eggers and a similar ilk, as well as all her writing reference guides. My S in a different part of the country had exactly the same furniture.</p>
<p>When was the last time did you use, Random House Dictionary -College Edition, or Roget's Thesaurus? Did your kids ever used these reference books or did they go to MS Bookshelf, now Internet. What ever happened to MS Encarta?</p>
<p>I mentioned the Thesaurus, got a lecture on how that wasn't necessary, as it's all on line. Then she found it on a list of required or suggested books to bring, so was packed.</p>
<p>Both of my Ds had small bookshelves on their desk in their dorms. They filled them with textbooks and pictures, etc. </p>
<p>Nowadays the internet provides free online dictionaries, thesauruses, anything that could be in an encyclopedia, and most other reference material so these kinds of reference book don't need to be brought.</p>
<p>There are two bookshelves in son's tiny, cramped double. This semester's required books (18) took up half of one of the two shelves. Guess we would have bought a bookshelf, if they weren't supplied</p>
<p>I just stacked my books on top of my dresser, as long as you aren't bringing lots and lots of them I don't see any issue.</p>
<p>Hm...did you check the other dorm rooms? Perhaps your son's bookshelf was freestanding and was just missing? DD has a free standing bookshelf in her room. And DS had shelfs on the wall above the desk. Both kids DID take books with them, and they most definitely buy books a the bookstore each term for classes.</p>
<p>Good point, thumper. Some of the rooms in son's dorm had different arrangements of furniture, an extra cupboard but no bookcase, etc.</p>
<p>paying3--I would check the other dorm rooms. sounds like something was missing from your son's.</p>
<p>Depending on majors, kids may need fewer books than a generation ago, what with so many resources online. </p>
<p>Encarta? :D Wikipedia!</p>
<p>My son brought a small box of books for pleasure reading and his dorm room fortunately has a built in bookcase running along one wall. Also a small one on top of his desk where he planned to put his textbooks. Books are like good friends to him. We'd have run out and bought him something if the room had no shelves.</p>
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When was the last time did you use, Random House Dictionary -College Edition, or Roget's Thesaurus?
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<p>I often use a dictionary (the OED), and my D has both a dictionary and thesaurus in her dorm room, which has three large built-in shelves above the desk. She brought an entire box of books to school this year, some reference works and some on-her-own reading.</p>
<p>I move in tomorrow, and I'm pretty sure I've packed more books than I really have space for, including various dictionaries (English, French/English, Spanish/English...) and The Elements of Style, but mostly my own reading (fiction and nonfiction). I learned to read at two and a half, and books have always been a huge part of my life; leaving them at home would have felt like leaving behind a limb.</p>
<p>I got my son the illustrated edition of The Elements of Style. He says it really helped him with his hs writing, college essays and SAT/ACT's. Plus it's kind of a fun read, especially enhanced by the witty illustrations. It definitely accompanied my son to college. Too many books are just enough.</p>
<p>My D brought lots of books, and I need to bring her a bookcase which hopefully will fit under her lofted bed. I'm still packing up the hundreds that had overtaken our house.</p>
<p>The one book she didn't find to bring was her synonym finder, the one hard cover resource she preferred to online. Luckily it showed up during cleanup and I'll bring it to her in a couple of weeks.</p>
<p>p3T: This is California, land of the Earthquake. Dorm rooms are too small to have bookshelves located where they wont send books flying in a quake. </p>
<p>Having said that, D had to go buy a bookshelf for her dorm room in Boston. Most dorm rooms I have seen have 2 beds, 2 dressers, 2 desks 2 chairs and that's about it.</p>
<p>S's single had shelves above desk and bed. There was a low built-in bookcase along the wall but he filled that with "kitchen stuff" and some food. He has no dining service on weekends.
We bought a fairly large collapsing bookcase for textbooks, files, mags and his own reading. (It was quite a deal - $29 at Target.)<br>
At home, the books are piled in 3 foot towers in his room. He didn't want to bring any. I guess he'll start another collection there. He looked pretty snug when we left him 2 weeks ago.</p>
<p>My daughter's room (same style this year as last) has one small cubicle with shelving in the upper third; that tends to be where the fridge and "pantry" items are stored. Last year, she decided using the top of the dresser and the windowsill (which runs the length of the room[s]) was not enough, so my husband made an emergency run the first week of school and brought her a freestanding bookcase from her bedroom. She took the bookcase along again this year, but after seeing the huge box of books she took along, I won't be surprised if I'm asked to bring down yet another bookcase at some point. Despite the fact my daughter went minimalist this year (we had extra room in my compact car!), her definition of minimalist excludes books (similar to Cameliasinensis, she would have felt like she'd lost a limb). Oh, and she took three Mr. Potato Heads with a full range of accessories, purchased specifically for this year, under the guise of "something for stress relief." Personally, I think she just bought them because she'd never had one as a kid, but after spending an evening playing with the Mr. Potato Heads together right before she left, I think she may be on to something...I'm now thinking of getting one for my desk at work!</p>