Drawing on earthquake loss experience in Taiwan, this study examines the seismic performance of library shelving. We catalog common shelf types and retrofit schemes (e.g., top tie braces, floor anchorage), conduct full-scale shaking-table tests at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE), and build numerical models to simulate alternative configurations and derive practical design guidance for implementation. Results show that floor anchorage combined with increased stiffness reduces peak top-shelf acceleration by ~60%, whereas tie braces alone do not effectively suppress it. Considering life-safety and recovery impacts from book fallout, we also evaluate content-protection measures. Experiments showed that books began to fall at 728 gal in the X-direction, but with anti-fall cables, the critical acceleration increased to 1695 gal, greatly improving the bookshelf’s seismic safety and stability.