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Preserving Rare Books
Books are robust objects that fail in predictable ways. This guide covers shelving, handling, environment and the interventions an owner should never attempt.
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Knowledge centre
Preservation, Storage & Insurance
Most damage to paper is slow, cumulative and entirely preventable. The answers below set out the environmental conditions, housing materials and insurance arrangements we recommend.
9 questions
What conditions should I keep paper in?
Aim for a stable environment of approximately eighteen to twenty degrees Celsius and a relative humidity between forty-five and fifty-five per cent. Stability matters more than any particular figure: it is fluctuation that causes cockling, splitting and the flaking of media.
Read the full answerHow damaging is light?
Light damage is cumulative and irreversible. Keep works out of direct sunlight, limit display to modest levels of illumination, avoid ultraviolet sources entirely, and rest displayed works in dark storage periodically. Photographs, watercolours and pastels are the most vulnerable of all.
Read the full answerWhat housing materials should I use?
Use only materials that are acid-free, lignin-free and certified to the photographic activity test where photographs are concerned: conservation board, unbuffered tissue for photographs, inert polyester sleeves, and drop-back boxes for books. Avoid ordinary card, self-adhesive tape and polyvinyl chloride sleeves absolutely.
Read the full answerHow should I handle a manuscript or print?
Handle with clean, dry hands or nitrile gloves, support the sheet fully from beneath, never lift a work by one corner, and work on a clear surface with nothing above it that can be spilled. Most losses occur in the moment of moving an object, not while it rests.
Read the full answerShould books be stored upright or flat?
Store ordinary volumes upright, supported by neighbours of similar height so that the spine is not distorted. Large, heavy or fragile volumes, and any book with a detached or weakened joint, should lie flat, with no more than two or three stacked together.
Read the full answerIs framing safe for a valuable work?
Framing is safe when it is reversible. Insist on hinges of Japanese tissue and starch paste, a conservation-grade window mount, an inert backing board, a spacer so that the surface never touches the glazing, and ultraviolet-filtering glass or acrylic. Never allow a work to be dry-mounted or trimmed to fit.
Read the full answerShould I attempt cleaning or repair myself?
No. Amateur washing, bleaching, tape repair and erasure cause more damage in this field than any other single factor, and they reduce value permanently. Consult an accredited paper conservator, and be aware that a light, well-documented intervention is preferable to an ambitious one.
Read the full answerHow should I insure a collection?
Insure on an agreed-value basis under a specialist fine art policy rather than within a general household contents policy, which typically caps single-item cover far below the value of good material. Review the schedule every few years, and after any significant acquisition.
Read the full answerWhat records should I keep of my collection?
Keep for each object a full description, dimensions, high-resolution photographs, the invoice or provenance documentation, any condition or conservation report and the current insurance value, held both digitally and in one off-site copy. Such a record is indispensable to a claim, to a valuation and to your heirs.
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