Can you recommend a source of clear plastic book covers?

I'd like to protect some of my books with plastic covers like those that the library uses, the transparent kind that go over the dust cover.

I don't want to buy 1000 of one size, more like a dozen or so in each of several standard sizes. I want to put them on without marring the dust cover.

Do you use plastic covers for any of your books, and if so, where do you get them?

How much do you want to invest in this endeavor?
I've got five different size rolls (2" increments) of Mylar(r) from Demco, and the rack to hold them, although the box each one comes in is designed to be its own dispenser. I use the 10" rolls, mostly, then the 12" rolls.
A roll will cover over a hundred books. Cut them to the length of the dust jacket, slip the DJ inside, and fold it down and run a bone folder over it to get a nice tight crease. Use a small amount of tape, and you're done. The bigger the book, the more care is required, but I can cover you average-sized novel in less than two minutes.

Demco is where I shopped for my library supplies when I worked in the church library, they didn't only sell in vast quantities, but in reasonable sizes as well. You can probably find them online.

What is wrong with shrinkwrap?

>4 Papiervisje: Some brands of it are clingy due to extra sticky materials, which is a definite no-go.

The simple shrinkwrap can have some use for short term protection, such as mild waterproofing for mailing (provided the weather isn't too hot), but it is a bit flimsy when handled, not designed for long-term sunlight resistance or protection, nor is it usually acid-free, archival quality material.

Seen those people sometime referred to : http://www.shopbrodart.com/book-covers/

#4 AFAIK shrink wrap is one of the plastics that decays over time leaving unspeakable residues on the objects "protected". PVC is, for example, an almost total disaster and should not be allowed near anything you want to keep for more than about six months -- one of the decay products is hydrochloric acid, and it gets worse from there. Mylar (r) and polypropylene are, however, archivally safe.

I would like to put my word in for Demco products, also.

A wild suggestion - try and volunteer at a public library or school library. I know that our elementary and middle schools have reduced the number of hours for their clerks so that they only have barely enough time to check books in and out much less deal with processing new books. Maybe you could work out a deal to bring in a few books of your own to cover after you have covered theirs? In our state you have to go through a fingerprinting and background check to volunteer at a school. You may not have to for a private school.

Thanks for all suggestions! I'm exploring online sources.

>2 WholeHouseLibrary:: Use a small amount of tape, and you're done.
What's the placement of the tape? A library book that I have out right now has the end flaps of the covered jacket taped right to the actual hard cover of the book. The taping is on the inside of the dust jacket, so it doesn't show--I had to look for it. But this is not what I think of as protecting a book.

I suppose it's a special kind of tape, as well--?

8 - I've done it with tape, and the tape doesn't hit the book at all. You have three folds at each end of the book - one from the top, one from the bottom, and one from the side. The trick is to make sure there's enough fold-over to tape the fold on the side to the folds on the top and bottom. When you've done it to both sides of the book, it holds itself on. I haven't done it for a while (I was doing it for a temp job in a museum library), but it seemed to be effective. That said, it might not be the sort of thing you were aiming at.

I think I'd better practice on a don't-care book before I try it on one that I want to keep forever.

(Is there no undertaking so trivial that I don't get a case of performance anxiety about it?)

Pre-tape placement:
The stuff I use is the plastic sheet with paper attached to it at the end. The DJ gets slipped in between them (title side facing the plastic, bottom leads the way). It may take a little "encouragement" to get to line up properly. Then, fold the paper down and crease it; there are perforations to help you. You want that crease to be ~just below~ the top of the DJ. Then, it's a matter of folding the Mylar over the top of the DJ (pull it snug) and crease it along the top edge. If it's not quite right, don't be afraid to tighten it up and crease it again.

Tape placement - the first set (finally):
I want to hold the Mylar in place, so I put one piece about where the spine might be. The other two pieces I tend to place a few inches from the ends. Placement isn't critical, but you don't want them at the very edge either. Once the cover is back on, no one is going to see it. If you use an inch per piece, it's probably too much, but nothing to worry about.

Then, find the folds in the DJ (the flaps) and MILDLY crease the Mylar there - just enough to set the bend. Place the book inside, make sure the beginning of the book is with the front cover (I made that mistake twice...) and generally align the book and cover top-to-bottom.

Tape placement - Mylar-covered DJ to the book cover
With the spine facing you, take the remove the DJ from the cover -- the other side should still be in place. Take a 2- to 3-inch piece of tape and attach about half of it to the top edge of the book, and another to the bottom edge (not to be mistaken for the fore edge). Use the DJ that's still in place (on the bottom) as a guide to where the tape should be placed - an inch or more from the edge of the flap. Caveat: when the book gets to be more than two inches thick, you probably need additional tape closer to the fore edge. Put the flap back in place, make sure you're still aligned, then using two hands, open the cover again, holding the DJ to the inside cover and fold the tape down on to the Mylar. It's a much easier process to do than it is to describe, so don't let those instructions bother you. Then do the same for the bottom side; then flip the book over and do it again for the back of the book. One other thing... If the book is cloth bound, I'm not afraid to use a bit more tape on it; If it's paper-on-board, I might use no more than half an inch and just lightly press it on. I've seen the damage that can be done when a great length of tape has to be removed.

As for the tape itself, it depends. MrsHouseLibrary is an elementary school librarian. She orders only regular scotch tape for me to use on the DJs. Her reasoning is that the books will wear out from usage long before the tape does any significant damage; and she's right. The stories I could tell you!
As for a personal library, there are archival-quality transparent tapes. It's called Book Binding Tape, not to be confused with book repair tape or paper mending tape. It's also available from Demco, and from other sources, and I've also seen it in art stores and some craft shops (in the scrap book section).

>11 WholeHouseLibrary:, wow, that is so detailed and comprehensive. Thank you! I'll try to follow it exactly.

Does this video illustrate the same process you're describing?
http://www.ehow.com/video_4414964_protect-book-dustcovers-mylar.html
I notice that she doesn't use any tape, but I've never seen a library book without the tape.

I guess this is the wrong kind of tape?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00006IF5R/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
I guess I can use it for repairs, then. Can't remember the last time I tore a book.

Couldn't help but notice that it was cut to size and pre-folded at the flaps already when the video started.
I've never used the Brodart DJ cover before, and from the sound of it, she use some pretty flimsy stuff in the video. Mylar comes in various thicknesses; all of mine are 2-mil, and that's fine for most books. If I ever have to reorder the 8" roll, I'll probably get something thinner; and if I ever need more 14" or 16" film, I'd get something heavier. That being said, my Chicago Manual of Style, Vol. 16 is 2-1/4" thick (and 9-1/4" tall), and the 2-mil Mylar doesn't feel right on it, even with it being double-taped at the edges. It seems to need thicker material.

I can see that since the "upper" part of what she used folds way down below the middle, so there really isn't much need to tape it down (first placement). The style of protector I use needs the tape because when the book is open, it may try to unfold itself.

As for not taping it to the book, it's a matter of preference, I suppose. When I pick up a book, I expect the book to remain in the dust jacket. There have been a number of times when I've had books drop to the floor, leaving the DJ still in my hand - long, irrelevant story as to why...
So, I tape everything in place.

Two inches wide is too wide - 1/2", 3/4", or 1" is fine.

Brodart stuff is good quality, they sell several different sizes/types and also have them in packs of 10. I'm a bookseller and we use these professionally for the Hardcovers we sell (We buy in bulk rolls which is alot cheaper) Used to buy the packs of 10 for my personal collection though in times past.

I never use tape, no need to for the design we use.

Do they make clear duct tape?

I forgot to mention that I'm not "pushing" one brand over another. I'm very sure that the products that Brodart and Demco sell are of generally equal quality. I happen to be very familiar with the latter. That being said, the plastic part of the dust jacket cover that was used in the video was very thin material -- which will likely make most users of it quite happy anyway.

By the way, the generic name for Mylar is melinex, for those living outside the USA. Beware of ordinary sticky tape: it bleeds goo, goes brittle and makes a huge mess.