A collecting forum. CollectingBanter

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Home » CollectingBanter forum » Collecting newsgroups » Books
Site Map Home Register Authors List Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read Web Partners

Storing books



 
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old April 22nd 04, 09:48 PM
Richard Colville
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Storing books

I find myself in a position where I am going to have put some fairly
valuable books into temporary storage. Probably in one of those mini
self storage places that are all over the place. Does anybody have a
packing tips to prevent damage?

Thanks

DC

Ads
  #2  
Old April 23rd 04, 08:56 AM
Bud Webster
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 16:09:39 -0500, John A. Stovall
wrote:


Find one which offer a controlled environment. I had to store a
number of books when moving 3 years ago and was able to find a self
storage place which was climate controlled. It was run by U-Haul and
also offered good security.

I wrapped each very valuable book in bubble wrap and put a package of
mothballs in each box. For less valuable one I wrapped them in acid
free tissue.


John's right on target here. Your primary enemies when storing books
are temperature extremes, moisture, and bugs; keep the boxes up off
the floor - I've found that I can get those wooden pallets for free in
any number of places, and boxes placed on these will stay well above
floor moisture. If you can't find bubblewrap (and you can buy it in
bulk at Staples and Office Max), get appropriately-sized zip lock
storage bags and use those. But try for the bubbles first.

Mothballs are a good idea, too, Fill any empty space inside with
plasic peanuts, so that if you have to move the boxes around for any
reason, the books won't shift around and damage each other.

Most important of all, leave them there as short a time as is
possible.


  #3  
Old April 23rd 04, 03:25 PM
Doug McClure
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I have many of my books in storage in San Diego. I looked for a 3+
story unit and made sure I rented an interior room on the second
floor.

That way my books weren't on the ground floor, in case it flooded. And
the top floor absorbed most of the heat. And by getting an interior
room, the sun didn't heat any of the walls.

Cold conditions aren't a problem in San Diego, but I suppose in many
areas of the country, rain, snow, and humidity would be a real
concern.

Be sure to ask about vermin control at any storage unit you consider.

DKM


On Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:48:24 GMT, Richard Colville
wrote:

I find myself in a position where I am going to have put some fairly
valuable books into temporary storage. Probably in one of those mini
self storage places that are all over the place. Does anybody have a
packing tips to prevent damage?

Thanks

DC



To contact me directly, send EMAIL to (single letters all)
DEE_KAY_EMM AT EarthLink.net. [For example .]
  #4  
Old April 23rd 04, 03:27 PM
Jon Meyers
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Bud Webster" wrote...
John A. Stovall wrote:


I wrapped each very valuable book in bubble wrap and put a package of
mothballs in each box....


Mothballs are a good idea, too...


I've always wondered about mothballs, even though I've used them myself. (I
bought my wife a box of gardening books at a yard sale, and when I got them
home, I noticed some type of book mites on them. So I made a sort of "gas
chamber" in my basement, with the books laid out inside a large sealed
cardboard box and a dish of moth crystals. Left it there a couple months,
and Voila! No more crawlies.)

What I've wondered, though, is how safe mothballs are for books in the long
run. I know that naphthalene and paradichlorobenzene, the two most common
types of active chemicals in mothballs or crystals, have long been used to
protect textiles, but what about the possibility of discoloration or damage
to the paper? What about harmful effects on leather? Is there any reliable
evidence about this one way or the other?


--
Jon Meyers
(To reply, lose
your way)


  #5  
Old April 23rd 04, 07:53 PM
bookkeeper
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Richard Colville" wrote in message
...
I find myself in a position where I am going to have put some fairly
valuable books into temporary storage. Probably in one of those mini
self storage places that are all over the place. Does anybody have a
packing tips to prevent damage?



Hello,

I'll add some additional recommendations: small and new corrogated
boxes. I found that smaller boxes were easier to manage and open
occasionally for checking. I used the 12" cube boxes I bought from
U-Haul for most of the 4K books I had to store. And, having learned
from a unhappy previous experience, I chose new boxes rather recycled
boxes that might have food contamination. Liquor boxes are also good,
though they tend to be taller rather than flatter and some have
awkward dividers that take time to remodel.

It goes without saying that one would never pack fore edge down.....
in fact, when at all possible I pack flat. Fitting the books in
carefully takes considerable time, so plan ahead in order not to have
to make rush decisions. Wrapping and padding takes time, as well. I
always keep a pile of less-treasured books for filling out boxes. If
you have large books, consider having a few bigger boxes that you cut
down for good fit.

As for storage, I'll add that I used two layers of pallets to keep the
books away from the hydrophilic concrete floor. And between layers of
pallets, I laid a double layer of plastic garbage bags to try and
deter rising dampness being transferred, via the wood, from the floor.
I bought some very large, flat cardboard boxes that came folded and
left them folded as a compression cushion between the boxed books and
top surface of the upper pallet. Get the pallets as early as you can
and put them into airy storage to dry out as they are often wet and/or
still sappy if new. Better still would be plastic pallets, if you can
find them.

I stacked the boxes no more than three boxes high to avoid pressure. I
grouped the boxes in groups of five boxes by four (total of 60 boxes
in a blob). Around the groups I had walking and inspecting room. If I
had had room, I would have only stacked the boxes two high.

On top of the groups I laid dust sheets at first and then I added
loose plastic tents when I got antsy about leaks (never had one, but
worried about it). The plastic was just laid over, not tucked in and
did not extend down to the floor. I used overturned small boxes on the
top of the book boxes to support the plastic sheeting away from the
surface of the cardboard.

These books were stored in an unheated building in New York for 4
years.(OK, everybody can gasp now!) And OK, I'll admit it, this was in
a large former dairy barn. I was not happy with this plan, but it was
the best I could do under some unusual circumstances. The piles were
inspected a couple of times a week. I worried daily...... The books
came through in the same condition that they began.

(In contrast, during the same period I had a smaller group of books
which came not from my family, but my in-laws, and were packed in the
same manner (by me) and stacked similarly, but stored in an empty room
in my heated house. I was trying to give better care to my DH's books
than mine. However these books developed mildew problems last summer
when the barn-stored books did not. Go figure .....)

Another good idea is to label, on at least two sides, so you have a
better shot at knowing what's in which box. I made a rough index of
the subjects, but inevitably with 1000's to pack, I misplaced a few
books when the boxes were packed. Nothing lost for good, of course,
but sometimes the odd off-subject book was a perfect fit and so it was
tucked in a different box.

Spread the book packing over several days if you can, as I found I
burned out after 5 or 6 hours. And, though I used acid free tissue for
wrapping really fine books, I used reams of unprinted newsprint to
wrap regular books. I did not use much plastic wrappings and under
the conditions I had, the items that had plastic on them did only
marginally better than the ones wrapped in newsprint. I also used
crumbled (unprinted) newsprint as packing, rather than peanuts. (Be
sure, if you do use peanuts, to use the otherwise odious styrofoam
ones, rather than the ones made of organic starches that a critter
might find tasty.) The books were loaded on a truck by my husband and
I and driven up from Virginia by ourselves, so I didn't have to pack
for commercial shipping, just ordinary anti-shifting.

Finally, before everybody goes nuts: I do not *recommend* storing the
books under the conditions I describe. As I said, I would have
preferred to have them in heated space, but that was the best I could
do at that point. I did bring in the most valuable items, but I didn't
have enough room for everything. The annual outdoor temperature
variation here ranges from -20F to 95F and humidity would run the
gamut, as well. The barn is part of a large complex (no longer used
for animals), two stories tall and timberframed wood with a slate
roof. It is not particularly air tight, though weathertight as far as
rain or snow. Its saving grace is probably that it is so big that the
changes in temp and humidity were somewhat gradual. And I took special
care in the packing, stacking and monitoring. I'm pointing this out
because there maybe other people out there who have to select the best
choice among the less-than-perfect ones. It is easy to get overwhelmed
by the experts' standards and lose hope or sight of what simple steps
can be taken to make the best out of what you've got.

My books were not improved by their storage, but neither were they
particularly harmed, either.

Hope that helps!

As I proofed this, I notice that the OP described his books as
"fairly" valuable. Since one person's valuable might not compare to
mine, let me be clear about which books I did NOT consider storing in
the barn: I brought in books whose replacement value would be in, say
the more than a few hundred dollars and up apiece category. That's
what I call "valuable". If the OP's books are all more valuable than
that, then I would consider other storage options for the entire
collection.

Nancy
  #6  
Old April 23rd 04, 08:14 PM
Allan Adler
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Jon Meyers" writes:

I've always wondered about mothballs, even though I've used them myself. (I
bought my wife a box of gardening books at a yard sale, and when I got them
home, I noticed some type of book mites on them. So I made a sort of "gas
chamber" in my basement, with the books laid out inside a large sealed
cardboard box and a dish of moth crystals. Left it there a couple months,
and Voila! No more crawlies.)


I bought a used copy of Spanier's book on Algebraic Topology. As it turned
out, it has a strong smell of mold and I can't bear to read it. I waited
too long before deciding that it was so bad, so I can't return it. Do you
have any cures for mold and stench? It doesn't look mildewed, except that
if one closes the book and looks at the book edge on, one sees somewhat
brownish spots. But I've seen much worse spots on other books, even on the
pages themselves, and the books had no odor. I'm keeping it isolated from
the rest of my books and wrapped up in plastic, until I figure out what to
do with it.

Ignorantly,
Allan Adler


************************************************** **************************
* *
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT Artificial *
* Intelligence Lab. My actions and comments do not reflect *
* in any way on MIT. Moreover, I am nowhere near the Boston *
* metropolitan area. *
* *
************************************************** **************************

 




Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Comic Books and SF Magazines on eBay CHANGE DOMAIN TO DJA D0T MAILME D0T ORG TO EMAIL General 0 January 16th 04 11:38 PM
FA: Comic Books and SF Magazines (Several Lots) CHANGE DOMAIN TO DJA D0T MAILME D0T ORG TO EMAIL General 0 January 14th 04 03:59 AM
[FAQ] rec.collecting.books FAQ Mike Berro Books 0 December 26th 03 09:18 PM
Book signing information Ted Kupczyk Autographs 6 November 2nd 03 03:04 PM
UPCOMING BOOK SIGNINGS Todd F. Autographs 5 August 4th 03 06:54 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:45 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 CollectingBanter.
The comments are property of their posters.