Book Care: Taking Care of Your Dearest Book Collection
Bookworms take great pride in curating their own libraries filled with books that make them feel things. However, with the great number of books also comes the great responsibility of maintaining them. So, to ensure that your collection gets to live a long well-read life, here are some tips and tricks on how to take better care of them.
Mind Your Storage
Much like any other thing we own, books will last longer if they are in well-maintained storage. Your bookshelves should maintain a cool and dry environment. A hot climate, especially direct sunlight, and moisture, or possible water contact, can speed up deterioration, ultimately ruining your collection. The keyword here, however, is “maintain.” Ensure that the place where you decide to put your beloved collection will be able to maintain the same environment as time passes. This is because frequent changes in temperature and moisture will damage your books more, such as speeding up the tanning and crisping process.
Handle With Care
How you store your collection is not the be-all-end-all in book care; how you handle your collection, though, now is the deal breaker. Make sure to have clean hands before reaching for your books; you would not want food stains, greases, and the like to ruin your favorite novel. Be mindful of your actions when reading. Be gentle when opening and turning your book so that you would not cause accidental tears, rips, and damage to the pages and spine.
Invest in Good Book “Accessories”
Every bookworm could not resist the temptation to buy as many bookmarks as possible. However, ensure that the bookmark you purchase is not bulky or thick to not stretch your book’s pages and does not have low-quality inks that can bleed when left for long. Other bookish accessories that you should invest in are bookshelves dividers or bookends. These dividers can help your book stand upright and avoid them getting misshapen as time passes.
Have Your Books Professionally-Conserved
Some books, especially ones with great value, deserve additional care; this is when book conservators come into action. Conservators help ensure that your valuable collection will be around for a long time. They can even help with common problems such as tanning, crisping, and looseness.
A book does not only tell the story written inside of it, but it also reflects how you treat things. Think of how you treat your collection as payback to them graciously transporting you into another reality.
