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Book Care Tips: How to Properly Care for All Your Books

There’s something about old books that just gives them a certain appeal. Maybe it’s the smell of the book, the beautiful old hard cover, or the way the pages feel in your hands. Many people consider their old books to be prized possessions. As such, it’s important to know about proper book care. Old books have probably seen better days, which is why it’s important not to handle them without regard for their age. Time can take its toll on a book, and while modern books are better designed to stand up to the tests of time, old books are more likely to become weaker. Fortunately, it’s not hard to learn the right book care methods to make sure that your old books have many more years left in them. In this week’s blog, we’ll talk about how to take care of your old books, but you should use these tips for new books too!
book-care

Take care of your old books with these book care tips!

Book Care Tips

Book Care: Handling
  • Always make sure your hands are clean before you touch an old book.
  • Clean the area where you’re going to put the book down.
  • Don’t keep food and drink near the book.
  • If you’re removing the book from a bookshelf, first push in the books that are on either side of the book you want. This will expose the spine. Now grip the spine on both sides at the middle (not the top), and gently pull the book out.
  • If you put the book down on a desk or table, don’t let it lay flat. Instead, prop up the front and back covers with another book. This puts less stress on the spine.
  • Don’t dog ear the pages or use paper clips on them.
  • Don’t use tape or glue to try to hold an old book together. Consider book repair services instead!
Book Care: Storage
  • Store books in a cool, clean, dry room with a stable environment. Avoid attics and basements where books can be exposed to extremes in temperature and moisture level
  • Avoid exposure to direct or intense light.
  • Keep books away from heating or cooling vents.
  • On the shelf, try to store books of the same size together. This way, the books will provide the most possible support to their covers.
  • Either store them straight up, or lying flat. Avoid letting them lean on the shelf.
  • Dust books regularly.
Advantage Book Binding can help you take your book binding project to the next level, taking into consideration budget requirements to provide you with the most cost-effective and project-specific solution for you. Call us at 410-760-0008, or use our contact form. For more information keep up with us on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Source http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/books.html