![]() ![]() – Wood looks good but is naturally acidic.Ĭedar, cypress, fir, hickory, oak, pine and redwood contain the most, so you might want to consider other types if you aren’t going to use shelf liners.īalsa, basswood, beech, birch, exterior-grade plywood, poplar and mahogany contain less acid. – Melamine-coated wood shelves are second best because they seal off the gases. – Powder-coated metal shelves are the best because they have lots of support and don’t emit gases, which can damage books. Perhaps readers should follow Browder’s example: She writes out long passages in a reading journal so she can enjoy the words forever. Clip-on lights should be attached on the side of books, not on the top, Burlingame says.Īnd while reading, the Library of Congress says, people should avoid folding down page corners to mark the good parts because they damage the books. Adjustable wall-mounted lights are best for reading in bed. To control glare, lights are best positioned over a shoulder and at an angle. “It decreases the amount of eye strain,” he says. The light for reading in homes should be broad-spectrum incandescent rather than fluorescent, says Jay Burlingame, an Overland Park, Mo., optometrist. Museums have stricter rules, but Edmondson says homes in the Midwest should try to follow these guidelines: 72 degrees in the summer with about 55 percent relative humidity and under 80 degrees in the winter with 30 percent to 35 percent humidity. Keeping stable, cool temperatures in the house is good for books. ![]() If the books are loose within shelves, use bookends to help keep them standing. Shelves shouldn’t be filled too tightly because that will warp the books. Heavy books should be stacked horizontally so gravity doesn’t pull those pages out of the spine. That way, books will not crush each other. Small books should stand vertically next to small books and large books next to large books. That might work for similar-size fiction books, but Library of Congress officials suggest a system for the rest of the collection. In a perfect world, home libraries would be organized by subject and alphabetically by author. Don’t place books near plumbing, water pipes, radiators or vents or against outside walls, or in the basement or in the attic. Light can discolor book covers and make the pages brittle. We’ve broken them into three categories for easy browsing: metal, wood, and plastic.– Sunny windows and fluorescent lights. They also add interest to a room that’s already got a few bookcases (we know you and we see you) Other pros? There are now way more affordable options than the original wooden and metal models, and they’re more stylist and colorful, too-some of our favorites come in, gold, white, pink, and robin’s egg blue.īelow, find our favorite picks, from super affordable plastic options to a few super heavy-duty traditional pieces that will bring you right back to the stacks of your youth. Not to mention: a cart of books perfectly holds a good TBR (to-be-read) collection, it can be moved around your house as needed, and it fits in the just a few square feet of room. What is it about books on wheels? Why do we find them so romantic, charming and enviable? It probably stems from our youthful days at the library, watching the librarians roll up and down the aisles with their brown wooden and metal carts overflowing with stories and information. Your inner librarian needs a book cart, and we’ve probably located the book cart of your dreams. ![]()
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