<p>Since both my kids had dorm furniture where they desks had a hutch for books, I figured this was common at most schools. </p>
<p>Heck, even the Harry Potter books take up space on a shelf! :D</p>
<p>Our son's dorm room an old apartment with tons and tons of room for several book shelves, but it only had a single shelf built into the desk. It didn't seem to me it would be enough for even his textbooks. We went out and bought a bookcase at Target. I was surprised at how few books Mathson felt it necessary to take. (He has hundreds in his room at home and rereads them all the time.) He brought his year book, his Latin dictionary, a book about computer programming called Turtle Geometry, a couple of cartoon collections and maybe two or three novels. (I'd promised to send him his favorite sci-fi series as a present, as I didn't want to give up the house copies since I like re-reading them too, so he'll have a dozen more books when they arrive.) He's been reading as long and as voraciously as camelia, I assume he'll be using the library.</p>
<p>In my dorm, there are two cubicles on top of each other set into the wall below the window. They're enough to hold the books I need for my lit survey class. Books can get heavy, so I didn't bring too many when I moved in. My roommate ended up bringing a bookshelf from home, though, since she lives relatively close to home.</p>
<p>I really wish my dorm room had more shelving. I like having my comfort books with me, but I doubt I'll have as much time to read as I'd like. Although, I've realized that I'm addicted to buying cheap books. There are always used book sales on the streets here, and the public library is right nearby. So by the end of the schoolyear, I'll probably have built up a collection of books in college.</p>
<p>Our son brought a whopping 3 books to school frosh year, his Bible, Norvig's AI, and Muster's Unix and Linux. He figured with a college library with a few thousand times the size of our local public library there would be more that enough books available for him to read if he could find the time. He couldn't.</p>
<p>In subsequent years he has taken the minimalist approach and merely bought those plastic crates to store the books he has accumulated in prior semesters.</p>
<p>DD had a huge stack of favorite books to take. I pointed out the charges for overweight baggage. She argued that she would want to lend her favorites to all her new friends, and vice versa. I reminded her that required reading would take more time than she had ever experienced. She ended up cutting the stack in half and after weighing suitcases took out a few more - mainly took with her the "comfort books"..... Dorm bookcase was full before she bought texts, so who knows where the extras are now? It's not my worry any more.</p>
<p>No bookshelf in D's room - we bought a couple of bookends at Ikea - don't know if she's using them - she didn't have many books this quarter - my D a ctually prefers a hardcopy dictionary/thesaurus to the internet when she's doing homework. She was so excited when we went to Barnes and Noble the week before she left and she got to pick out a brand spanking new one...!</p>
<p>i sent by D some assemble it yourself shelving...her room had nada, but she is making it work</p>
<p>DS went to a summer program and he had a three-shelf bookcase and a shelf above his desk. He is adamant about taking his books (and oh, there are SOOOOOOOO many) with him to college. A friend of his was advised at Orientation not to bring a bookcase on move-in day, as "books can get stolen." I was appalled! Happily, this friend ignored that advice. But then again, there is a bookcase in my bathroom, so I'm not exactly objective on this matter... :) </p>
<p>When I went to college, I used boards and bricks to make bookshelves. The rooms weren't big enough for bookcases, anyway. I took all of my books -- no way was I leaving them behind. I think I'll need to get a duplicate set of Tolkien for DS1, as he's <em>not</em> taking my 30 year old set!</p>
<p>Dear son had to have his Oscar Wilde action figure along with his poetry volumes. We are waiting for the "My Dinner with Andre" action figures.</p>
<p>^My son brought his "classic composers" finger puppets with him!</p>
<p>(And I have a Jane Austen action figure on my desk.)</p>
<p>Haha bethievt and garland. Glad you're my friends.</p>
<p>Yes, yes, yes. Both kids took gazillion books. D lucked out with the largest bookcase I can imagine in her single. She said other rooms don't have this, so she doesn't know how she ended up with it. She has it angled kitty-corner so it dominates the room. She has a poster, wry Virginia Woolf caricature, above it.</p>
<p>S took several translations of both the Iliad and Odyssey. He took two translations of the Aeneid plus the Latin. Talk about a geek! He got a new IPod to hold the 154 Bach CD's that were one of his Christmas presents.</p>
<p>Dang, I hope my kids wind up with some of y'all's kids as roommates!</p>
<p>DS plans to take his "Axis of Evil" puppets...</p>
<p>I want an Oscar Wilde action figure. Where does one find such an item? </p>
<p>Also, I'd like a kid that listens to Bach as well as plays it, mythmom. My kids enjoy their playing experience, but stick with music of their generation when out of orchestra or quartet. You've done a good job.</p>
<p>We were at Powell's Bookstore in downtown Portland this summer and they carried a variety of famous personages in action figure form. I'd try Googling...maybe ThinkGeek has them, too.</p>
<p>As I said before. my son took his Oscar Wilde action figure with him to college. He had created a little shrine on his computer tower with Oscar and Yoda and he would put the dead orchids from the orchid plant I gave him after a play he directed in front of Oscar and Yoda. We called it, "Ode to Oscar". The dead flowers are still here. Yoda is still here. Son and Oscar are gone.</p>
<p>We just had this experience in the newest dorm at JHU. S has a single in a two person suite. Nice, but the furnishings didn't include a bookcase or a hutch. He had bookshelves on the wall at Tulane, a hutch at Bates and in last year's JHU room.</p>
<p>So we did as the OP; trip to Target for a bookcase in a box. DH and DS put it together. Male bonding. Maybe that's what the colleges are trying to achieve ;).</p>
<p>^^newly built dorm, eh? just like S's</p>
<p>I hope this isn't a trend, or we'll be running out to buy them beds!</p>
<p>We found some of the action figures in an art supply store near U of Illinois. Beethoven, Freud, others...I got my librarian friend the librarian action figure. :)</p>
<p>My boys who are into Linux take penguins (Linux symbol) with them to college. Stuffed.</p>
<p>Ha, ha</p>
<p>Aren't our kids fun?</p>
<p>I want an Oscar Wilde action figure!</p>