Is it the Look or the Feel?  

I'd be happy to share a photo or
two, however it is going to have to wait a couple of weeks as I am out of town for the holidays and not in the space where the books are. But I can tell you that we printed the labels (regular clear file labels for laser printers) in 12 pt. Copperplate Gothic for the book title and the same font in 10 pt. for the author name beneath the title. We also printed everything flush right so that the labels would all line up along the bottom of the books. We made a little cardboard template basically a strip of card stock in a "U" shape 3/4's of an inch wide so placement of the labels would all be the same at the bottom of the book spine.
We bought several hundred sheets of 65 lb Productolith cover in 26 X 20 cut down from parent size 26 X 40. The 26 X 20 size worked for all but the largest of books and then we further cut the 26 X 20 down to 13 X 20 which worked on everything else. A straight edge and a bone folding tool and we were in business. The productolith has a nice weight to it, folds well, and holds a crease. It looks like it will be quite durable.
Grouping the books by subject when putting them back on the shelf is without a doubt now the key to ever finding a book ever again because you now no longer have the visual of the covers but rather a massive white wall of books. A byproduct is that any objets d'art, framed photos, and various tchokies really stand out against the monochromatic book covers. Everyone who sees it is blown away, although that may be a result of their realization of the number of hours it must have taken to cover 1000 plus books. Tough to tell for sure which aspect blows them away.

ooft !
Well I do appreciate your dedication to the book dilema TVman and I'd love to see a photo but does it not all look a bit 'victorian library' ?
I rather like the mosaic quality that rows and rows of books have. Kinda like the same vibe you can achieve wallpapering with old maps or music script.
My huge record collection has a very pleasing effect down one wall of a utility room.
Has anyone seen the wallpaper which is available thats a direct copy of books on a shelf ? ( Sunday Times last week ). Excellent for that special someone who craves the 'well read' but can't be arsed look.
If theres water....I'll stick my oar in

Its a very graphic design...
Its a very graphic design approach to books,scholars usually place all books together by subject with no regard to size.I admire the tenacity of covering all the books, the clarity .It reminds me of a MOMA exhibit of commercial package design in the 40s or 50s,I read about, they removed all the labels!Some see chaos in all the varied spines others a banquet?

Colour coded 😀
Colour coded 😀
not my picture btw

The above is lovely but, utterly disfunctional!
I keep my books in a closed case, organized by title alphabetically...that way I don't have to look at them but I can easily find what I'm looking for! And the pretty coffee table books have theor own display shelf elsewhere...I don't enjoy the visual chaos of the sizes and colors. My dad keeps his books aligned on the shelves all flush with the front edge regardless of size, that does seem to help some but the feeling I get is still one of chaos. I love books but I do hate looking at them

Not sure about the
"Victorian Library" reference, but it was that very mosaic or chaotic quality of all the different colors, sizes, fonts, pictures on dust jackets, etc. that made a bit too much "noise". Clashed to overtly with the minimalist look we are trying to achieve without actually having to get rid of any books. Yes I am a bibliaholic!
We flirted with the shelving by colour but adjudged it a bit too "precious" to say nothing of ever being able to find a particular title in less then a day and a half. We were and are storing on open metro shelving. We tried the books all the way to the back, too far and hidden and went with them all squared up to the front of the shelf, grouped by subject (regardless of height) which resulted in the aforementioned "noise". Covering them in white turned down the "volume" instantly. Makes the entire run of book shelves more of a background "monolith" save for the odd framed family photos. We have left a few titles uncovered as they were simply too large to cover with the paper as ordered. Will post photos on return in the new year.

it's the feel
i'm inclined to believe the look serves the feel. i'm a very visually oriented person -- as are many who assemble here, i assume -- yet i think achieving a given look is the means to a higher, even more desirable, end.
it could be that what we call the "feel" [not simply the tactile experience] is that overall sense of wellness, wholesomeness, contentedness, fulfillment, peace, etc.
these more spiritually defined qualities have been the objects of pursuit throughout history of which a visual aesthetic could be considered a significant contributor.
if it is argued that the look alone gets you there, what is the "there" that is gotten?

I would agree with kdc
It has to be about the "feel" at the end of the day. All of the elements, the stuff, the look, if they don't contribute to how a room feels, what's the point? A room has to feel "right" otherwise why would you want to spend any time in it. That of course will vary from person to person. Some may be comfortable in a clinical like setting, others in a tchokie filled chaotic clutter, or whatever the design sensibility might be, it's all the elements contributing to the "feel".
We've all been in rooms that on first glance "looked" great, but after a short time inhabiting the space something seems off, not quite right, that's got to mean "how does a space feel?"

Yeah...I'm there too
at the end of the day I want to feel good in my home...it only has to look good to me (and hubby). If we're happy then the heck with the rest of the world!