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Eighteen Tips on the Preservation and Care of Your Books © Deborah Evetts, 2004 HANDLING 1. Wash your hands and ensure they are thoroughly dry before handling books! The natural oils in your skin, grease from food, hand-lotion, make-up, etc., can transfer to the covers and leaves of books, causing damage and staining, and will attract dirt. In general, avoid eating, drinking, and smoking while handling your rare books. Also watch out for wet coats, bags, and umbrellas. 2. Beware of nail polish, even when dry - it transfers to paper very easily. 3. Remove rings, bracelets and long necklaces – such jewelry, as well as buttons and zippers on clothing that might come in contact with a book being referenced or carried, can easily damage leather and cloth covers. 4. When removing a book from the shelf, push the two adjoining volumes further back so that you can get a firm grip on both sides of the spine. Don’t damage the book by pulling on the head cap. 5. When books lean over or fall over on the shelf it puts a strain on the bindings, so use a similarly sized book, bookend or a pile of volumes laid flat to keep them upright and prevent warping. 6. Cover books that are handled frequently with archival mylar. Mylar will also help prevent a book with leather “red-rot” from staining hands and adjoining books on the shelf. If a book is fragile the best way to protect it is with a custom-made box. 7. To prevent mishaps, don’t handle books with a pen or even a pencil in your hand. Soft (e.g. 2B) pencils are the safest writing instrument when one is making notes in the vicinity of a book. Use a piece of acid-free paper instead of your finger to follow a written text line for line. Never write on a piece of paper that is lying on top of the cover or open pages of a book. 8. Cradle the spine in your hand to support a large book when you are carrying it. When carrying books, carry only a few at a time if they are loose, or ensure they are packed carefully in a box in such a way that there is no pressure on the spines or corners. 9. If a book’s pages have not been cut (i.e. it has not been
“opened”), use a blunt table knife to slit the folds. 10. Don’t open old books more than 90 degrees to avoid breaking their bindings. For the same reason older books should not be spread flat for photocopying or scanning. It’s best to use foam books supports or rare book pillows for manuscripts and rare printed books while reading. 11. If it is the first time the book is being opened then best practice is to turn a few pages at a time, pressing very gently along the gutter until you reach the middle, then continue the process starting from the back working again toward the middle. Repeat a few times. 12. Use only good quality acid-free paper and non-staining inks for bookmarks. Fringed leather ones sold in museum shops or the silver ones from jewelers are damaging. Store newspaper clippings and would-be “laid-ins” separately from the book to avoid staining the leaves and strain on the bindings. 13. Don’t use: • Paper clips to attach notes to books – they rust. • Rubber bands to hold loose boards in place – they perish and get sticky. • Adhesive tapes of any sort, or post it notes – the adhesive on these will become sticky and dry out, causing staining and damage to books. • Oils, polishes, and most leather dressings—they are potentially damaging. In general only archival quality materials should be used in the care and repair of books. ENVIRONMENT 14. Rapid or continuing changes in temperature and humidity - long summer periods of high humidity, and when the furnace first starts to heat and dry the air in late autumn, can cause damage. Avoid storage near any water pipes, steam generators, radiators, or heaters, as well as in attics, damp basements, or outdoors. The best protection is containerization in glass-fronted bookcases. Close fitting boxes stored off the floor and away from exterior walls also slow the drying out of books as well as their absorption of atmospheric moisture. However, ensure there is good ventilation to reduce the risk of mold growth. In general books fare best when the environment is a stable 50% humidity with a constant temperature around 65 degrees Farenheit. 15. In an open environment regular dusting will help prevent damage to your books. Ensure that when you dust a book you hold it firmly closed and brush from the spine to the fore-edge to avoid having the dust fall inside. Particulate and gaseous pollution carried by the air onto or into your books is best excluded by using glass-fronted bookcases or boxes. 16. Exposure to light – florescent, incandescent, and sunlight – will fade and rot the organic materials from which books are made. So use curtains or blinds and do not leave them exposed to lights for long periods. Storing them in custom made boxes may be the best way to protect them from long term light-damage. INSECTS 17. Insects thrive in damp, warm and dirty conditions, as do molds and rodents. Your best protection is good air circulation, cleanliness and cooler conditions. Attics and basements are generally not good storage areas. 18. If insects do appear it is important to trap a specimen
and have it identified. For silverfish and the larvae of moths and small
beetles (dermestes), try “Dekko Silverfish Paks” or cedar ball. |
