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Storing Books Safely

 
1. Keep books away from direct light, heat & humidity.


2. Shelve books of the same approximate height together; putting a tall book next to a short book can cause uneven stress upon the spine. Keep the spines aligned so that one book isn’t pushed back farther than the next.


3. Shelve books upright on the shelf, neither too tightly packed nor too loose. Leaning can cause the spine to go out of alignment, as can stacking books on their sides.


4. Try not to store books horizontally. If it is necessary to store a book upon its side, put as little weight upon it as possible. If you must stack books, be sure to rearrange the stack periodically to relieve the stresses upon the books. 


5. When removing a book from the shelf, do not grasp it by the top of the spine or tilt it; this can cause damage to the book’s head and foot. Instead, pull it out by grasping it around the middle of the spine. You may need to push surrounding books slightly back or reach above & behind the book to push it forward from its fore edge, to accomplish this. Then, realign the other books on the shelf. 


6. Don’t keep books in plastic bags. They need to breathe, and plastic may trap moisture, encouraging mold, warping, and pests. The plastic may also react with the book. If you really want to store a book in a bag, there are better options – try a paper bag or wrap the book in paper, tissue, or plain cloth. Acid-free materials are always best. There are acid-free boxes, too. You can buy archival, acid-free materials for this purpose.

“Building Great Collections One Fine Book at a Time”
Check us out at www.BlindHorseBooks.com 

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