skip navigation
  • Ask a LibrarianDigital CollectionsLibrary Catalogs
  •  
The Library of Congress > Preservation > Resources > Collections Care > Books
Preservation
  • Preservation Home
  • About Us
  • Collections Care
  • Conservation Highlights
  • Emergency Preparedness
  • Family Treasures
  • Outreach Opportunities
  • Preservation Science
  • Resources
  • Contact

Related Links

  • Donate
  • Digital Preservation
  • Digital Audio-Visual Preservation
    Prototyping Projects
  • Building Digital Collections:
    A Technical Overview
  • Preservation Metadata
    Maintenance Activity
  • National Film Preservation Board

Selected Bibliography for the Care of Books


{ subscribe_url: '/share/sites/Bapu4ruC/preservation.php' }

Basic Preservation Guidelines for Library and Archive Collections External Link [PDF: 102K MB / 14 p.]
The British Library National Preservation Office

Boxes for the Protection of Books: Their Design and Construction External Link
Library of Congress Preservation Directorate

Care, Handling and Storage of Books
Library of Congress Preservation Directorate

Care of Alum, Vegetable, and Mineral Tanned Leather External Link
Canadian Conservation Institute

Caring for Your Books External Link
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

Cleaning Books and Documents External Link [PDF: 127 KB / 18 p.]
The British Library National Preservation Office

Good Handling Principles and Practice for Library and Archive Materials External Link [PDF: 97 KB / 11 p.]
The British Library National Preservation Office

Leather Dressing: To Dress or Not To Dress External Link [PDF: 368 KB / 3 p.] by McCrady Ellen and Toby Raphael
National Park Service

Photocopying of Library and Archive Materials External Link [PDF: 93 KB / 9 p.]
The British Library National Preservation Office

Protecting Books with Custom-Fitted Boxes External Link
Northeast Document Conservation Center

Storage Enclosures for Books and Artifacts on Paper External Link
Northeast Document Conservation Center

Glossary of terms commonly used in library preservation work External Link [PDF: 1.05 MB / 10 p.]
The British Library National Preservation Office

The following publications provide a framework and context for preservation activities as they relate to rare books.

Clarkson, Christopher. The safe handling and display of medieval manuscripts and early printed books.  The New Bookbinder, 19, pp.12-38.
Pages 12 through 19 focuses on the specific problems of rare books as opposed to books from general collections.

Hadgraft, Nicholas and Katherine Swift, eds. Conservation and Preservation in Small Libraries. Cambridge: Parker Library Publications. 1994
Contains an article by Nicholas Pickwoad  on Distinguishing between the Good and Bad Repair of Books", a very important selection of articles under the section "The Bibliographer and the Conservator" and discrete articles touching on preservation factors such as the environment, building and storage as related to book collections. An important text that clearly articulates how preservation strategies affect a book, and custodians should give conservation treatment due consideration.

Get Acrobat ReaderTo view PDFs

Back to Top

Stay Connected with the Library All ways to connect »

Find us on

FacebookTwitterYouTubeFlickr

Subscribe & Comment

  • RSS & E-Mail
  • Blogs

Download & Play

  • Podcasts
  • Webcasts
  • iTunes U 
About | Press | Jobs | Donate | Inspector General | Legal | Accessibility | External Link Disclaimer | USA.gov | Speech Enabled Download BrowseAloud Plugin