We become the luckiest person whenever we get a good book to read. Books have unchallenged capability to bring a complete transformation in the lives of readers, for sure. Books easily takes us into different worlds, allowing us to experience new cultures, learn & understand new things, and empathize with characters who may be vastly different from ourselves. Books are not just objects; they are valuable repositories of knowledge, imagination, and creativity. Books are true Friends. In this era of social media, e-books & digital format, physical books stand out High. And that is why, for a reader, knowing about caring for books is an essential skill to have. So, let us know 12 Easy Effective Tips to protect books.
Let us first focus on basics. Caring For Books calls out for all-inclusive environment whether it is at home or library. Books are like a family / valued possessions to be proud of. Having a packed shelf of books at your living room itself establishes your identity as apart. You earn a respect when people know that you are a reader. And this identity of yours gets a big recognition when you take proper care of books.
1. Caring For Books – Always make the list of books You have.
We do proudly show our collection of books with our near & dear ones. Also, we do share the content of the books, explain the topic and even explain how good the book is to read. Then many times emotionally or otherwise we give away the books from our collection to others. The best way to ensure that you “track” every book carefully, do mention register of all the books you have. Whenever, you hand over any book to anyone, for whatever reason, make the entry in this register & do not hesitate to take the sign of recipient acknowledging book.
This may appear as professional, but the results are absolutely amazing. This will ensure that your collection of books remains intact forever. If possible, do mention the condition of book while hand over like Book with cover, with bookmark, all clean pages, no torn pages etc. Do not forget to take the sign of the recipient on the registrar mentioning these details. It creates a great psychological impact on the recipient of the book, and he / she takes almost care while handling the book. Those who are actually not readers or occasional readers, probably won’t’ even pick up the book when they understand how careful you are about books. Do close the entry once book is returned in “proper” condition.
2. Do not stack books one after the other.
Don’t pile books on top of each other in the cupboard or even on the table. When you do that, the weight can press down on the pages, making them stick together. Instead, put the books side by side to keep them in better condition. This way, each book has its own space, and you won’t risk damaging the pages. Also, it gives advantage to take out book easily, as against taking out from stack. Risk of falling down of books is completely eliminated.
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3. Do not Hold / Handle Books with Dirty Hands.
Books should not be held with dirty hands, or they will spoil. Dirty hands can leave marks on the pages. Don’t read books while eating or drinking. Because it can lead to spills and stains on the book. Keep in mind that messy books at your collection can create a negative reflection of your book discipline. So, clean hands and a food-and-drink-free reading zone always help keep our books happy and ready for the next adventure! Always wash your hands before picking up a book to prevent the transfer of oils & dirt. Oil can deteriorate books very fast.
4. Caring for Books – Don’t flip the corners of the pages of books.
Don’t ever flip / fold the corners of the pages or “dog-earing” of books. It is not advisable to keep the page corner folded when the book has to be set aside while reading. This spoils the book. To know where the book was read, one of the best ways is to use bookmarks. It’s like giving your book a little hug, and it keeps both you and your book happy for a long time. This is a very common mistake people make against Caring For Books.
Let me tell you one simple way of having self-made bookmark. Take one flat envelope. Cut a strip from the envelope. Having 2 inches wide width cutting is sufficient. For length, typical size is between 6 to 8 inches. Cut along these sizes of width & length to create your bookmark. You can then use colored markers, pens, or any decorative materials etc. to add personal touch. You can also draw, write a favorite quote, or add stickers. Now you have a simple, repurposed envelope bookmark that you can use for reading.
To know how to create another type of bookmark, you can visit this link.
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5. Avoid folding back the cover too far.
When opening / reading a book, do so gently. Always support the spine with one hand while turning the pages with the other. Apply same practice while picking up the book. Avoid folding back the cover too far, as this can weaken the binding over time. People tend to read the book holding in one hand like while holding the phone or cue of tea / coffer in another. While doing this, they literally fold the book in 180 degrees. This is really pathetic way of dealing with books & should not encouraged at all. Use both hands to hold & read the book. Do pay full attention to even a small crack in spine.
6. Use Appropriate Methods for Storage of Books.
Do prefer to store books away from direct sunlight, radiators etc. Do not overcrowd books in the shelf. If possible, you may consider buying bookends to provide additional support for taller volumes. For long-term perspective, especially for rare or costly collection, acid-free boxes is a better option. It can offer an extra layer of protection against environmental elements. Avoid wet conditions nearby bookshelves. You can think of UV-filtering film for windows to protect your books from harmful sunlight exposure / excess sunlight.
Use of acid-free paper is common for the safeguarding of valuable manuscripts or likewise books. Also try to keep books at a appropriate height to maintain safe distance from kids. However, ensure that books are not kept at such height that it takes away the interest to take out the book to read. 🙂 Our intention is to aim at Caring For Books with easy access to read & not to keep them locked.
7. Caring For Books – Don’t Ignore Cleaning & Maintenance of Books.
Regular cleaning of Books as well as Bookshelf is absolutely essential. Dust bookshelves at regular intervals. For book cleaning, you can use a soft brush or a clean, dry softer cloth. In the case of sticky substances or spills, do not use water / water component at all. Instead, blot gently with a dry cloth and let it air dry. At least, biannually, try to rotate the books / change the sequence of books for even exposure to light and air. For stubborn stains or residue, you can consult a professional book conservator. Cleaning & maintenance of books can keep safe from fungus or mold.
8. Keep a close Watch on Book Pests.
Always keep a close watch on invasion of pests like silverfish or bookworms. Prevention is key, and regular inspection of your collection is a must. Should you come across any such a book that is developing pests, immediately isolate that book from shelf. This is primarily to prevent the infestation from spreading. Also ensure that infected book is cleaned properly before putting it back together. Mold problem is commonly seen with Humidity / moisture-based climate.
Try to prefer natural remedies to deal with pests such as lavender sachets, as an example. The smell of lavender is strong enough to keep bugs away. Another natural option is to use silica sachets. Silica has natural property of absorbing the moisture / humidity. People also tend to use sachets where powder made up of dried leaves of tobacco is kept in cotton. Horsetail (Equisetum) plant contains a high concentration of silica, particularly in its stems, which has moisture-absorbing properties. Putting this near book collection is another natural source to absorb humidity / moisture. All such methods help to keep termites & other issues away from your book collection.
Based on type of storage / cupboard you have for book collection; you can adapt different strategies for Caring for Books. Whether you have a stainless or plywood cupboard, just see that there is no gap between blockboards. This gap can be a place for termites to enter into. Plywood is prone to moisture which then can bring fungus inside. So we have to be very cautious about cleaning of storage too including books. If we miss to catch termites caused by plywood or wet conditions, it can damage books in a very short span of time.
9. use Plastic Bags / Covers while Travelling.
Travelling takes your book to go through different geographies as well as different climate conditions. It also becomes prone to dust as well as extreme weather conditions. Having a plastic cover for books & keeping the books in plastic bags post reading are the best options for safety of books. This idea becomes more wonderful if you have a habit of sitting beside pool or sea-shore or river-side. Use of dust jackets is also a best option as it protects books from scratches & tears. Plastic cover can work as a type of dust jacket too.
10. Without proper packing do not Move Books.
Put full focus to secure the bottom of box intact. If books are heavy, while lifting the box, books can fall down if the bottom is not packed with due care. Pay attention to this & ensure that tape is properly placed. Make sure that these boxes are clean & dry from inside. Place the books standing upright. See that spine is not against the box’s side. Do not place books too tightly otherwise you may damage books while taking out. Should it be possible, try to make a bubble wrap or likewise for every book.
If you have larger books, better to place them flat in box. In case any small space if left in the box, leave it as is. Do not put other material into the box. Also, while transporting, just ensure that no other material / water jars etc. are placed on these boxes. Once transportation is done, do not leave the packed box of books as is for a longer time. Books do need air to breath. 🙂
11. Caring For Books – Maintain Basic Hygiene.
Prefer to arrange & keep books of the same size together. For easy identification, try to keep the books of same language or same author or same subject / topic together, per place available. This gives an additional & time saving benefit to allocate as well as pick up the right book. For a personal library, using number stickers & arranging books number wise, can be an amazing way of easy access. Main advantage is with number system, you can make a simple catalogue of available books which becomes very handy to manage.
Catalogue or print can have information like number allocated to book, name of book, author of the book, language, publication year etc. With such a clearly maintained catalogue, it becomes absolutely easy to know which book we are having & where is that placed. At the time of reading, such a set up can multifold joy of reading as you can get the book, the moment you choose to read. Caring of books in such a way, especially when you have a personal library, is like having a heaven for a book reader.
After reading, keep the book back to shelf or at least at a safe place for time being. Keeping the book bedside or unattended or at a table etc. must be avoided. Avoid underlining sentences in the books. Avoid writing on books / pages. Using Saliva to turn the pages is a crime. Avoid leaving the books open, face-down, or stacking them for prolonged periods. For Rare, old or fragile types of books, cotton gloves are a best option to handle with. Do not hesitate to seek expert advice from a qualified conservator either for preservation or repair of books. It is advisable to “airing out” books to prevent musty odors, at least biannually.
12. As a electronic reader, take Care of this.
Caring For Books cannot be restricted to physical editions only. With immense use of cloud-based storage we have to be cautious about electronic format of books too. Always store your e-library like Tablet or e-reader in a cool, dry place. Because it is utmost important that all electronic parts are maintained properly. Extreme weather conditions or high sunlight or dry conditions must be avoided.
Conclusion: –
Hope you have liked this blog / information about Caring for books. I trust you have taken the Quiz, per & post reading the blog. Do share your thoughts on this. Also, in case you have any other effective practice for caring for books, do comment & share with us. I will try to publish it giving credit with your name so that your idea reaches to bigger community.
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