Tips on book Care

Poor handling, inferior paper quality and environment conditions can send your books to the grave even before they reach adolescence. A little regular care can keep your books looking younger as they grow older.

• Attics, basements and garages are not suitable storage areas.
  
  
• Handle books with clean hands.
  
  
• Place books upright on the shelves.
  
  
• Acidic materials like bookmarks, pressed flowers and scraps of paper should not be kept in books for long periods of time.
  
  
• Do not repair documents with glue or pressure-sensitive tape since many glues and pressure-sensitive tapes are highly acidic.
  
  
• Keep documents away from sunlight or fluorescent light as all visible light will eventually damage documents and ultraviolet light will destroy them.
  
  
• Do not use paper clips, staples, straight pins, or other metal objects that will eventually rust.
  
  
• Place books in a moisture free environment and away from windows.
  
  
• Do not earmark pages by folding.
  
  
• Do not bend a book inside-out while reading. This can lead to weakening of the binding.
  
  
• Dust the books and the shelves regularly and wipe clean to keep away silver fish.
  
  
• Few mothballs placed on the shelves will discourage cockroaches.

By Anupama Vinayak

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