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How to store books at home: six bookshelf habits that protect bindings

Based on guidance from the Canadian Conservation Institute: upright books, bookends, large volumes, humidity, daylight and gentle handling.

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Wikimedia Commons · Danidamiobi / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗

A tidy shelf is not necessarily a safe one if books are packed so tightly that removal strains their bindings. The Canadian Conservation Institute recommends upright storage for most volumes, bookends when needed, and protection from direct sunlight and damp, unstable spaces. Valuable or damaged bindings may require professional care.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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1. Put the shelf in a stable indoor spot away from radiators, plumbing and direct sun. Avoid damp basements and attics with large temperature swings.
2. Stand most similar-sized books upright. Support a partially filled shelf with bookends so volumes do not lean.
3. Leave enough room to remove a book without squeezing its neighbours. Do not pull a book by the top edge of its spine.
4. Store oversized heavy books flat in short stacks. Move books from the top rather than dragging one out from below.
5. Limit direct daylight; curtains or blinds can help reduce cumulative fading and weakening of covers and pages.
6. Open books only as far as the binding naturally allows, use bookmarks instead of folded page corners, and consult a conservator for damaged or rare bindings.

Your try-it-at-home checklist

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