Storing books long term in a less than ideal environment

Hi!

I'm new to the site, so I'm sorry if this question has already been asked - I'm moving and will need to store some collectible books in a basement (covered but not insulated floors). It's pretty humid down there, and as it's in someone else's house, I can't ask them to run a dehumidifier indefinitely.

Do you have suggestions as to how I can best pack the books to avoid them getting damaged? I can't say how long they will be there, but chances are it will be at least a year. All household bugs will be present and chances are, someone will want to move the boxes at some point to make space or tidy the area, so I can't count on the environment being consistent over the next year.

The best I can think of at the moment is to get those humidity absorber packets that you get in shoe boxes and put them in with the books, put the lot into plastic bins and seal it all with packing tape to keep the nasties out.

Any help would be very much appreciated.

You could always provide your friend with a year's supply of DampRid.

If you do pack the books in plastic, you may want to wrap each one in acid-free paper or use One-piece Adjustable Book Storage Boxes (from Demco). I believe the paper will help with the humidity, but I don't know for sure. At least it will provide an extra barrier to pests. If you have time, you may also want to clean the books before you pack them. See The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New or other sources from this thread: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=665

I know I have ordered the silica gel packets, but I can't remember where.

mtastik,

How many books are you talking about? And where do you live? Obviously, it's not in Central Texas - no one born here has any idea what a basement is.

I live in Vancouver (Canada). It can get pretty cold in the winter and fairly humid in the summer... and I know that the basement has little insulation. There are at least 70 books, ranging from thin, magazine-like ones, to fine-binding sets. It's a real mish-mash of books.

How about if I put unscented cat litter (which is actually just a basic desiccant) into small cheese cloth sacks and put those between all the books? I can also get some silica gel and so the same... Would that be enough? Seal the boxes with packing tape to keep out bugs and such...? I also saw somewhere that ceder chips are great for avoiding smells, perhaps I could put those in with the mix to avoid musty smells?

Do try to make sure that the boxes are off the floor -- get a cheap shelving unit from wherever -- so that if water accumulates on the floor your books won't get soggy.

Thanks for the advice - I'm more concerned however about the humidity INSIDE the containers rather than flooding outside. Does my idea above hold up?

I am surprised that there are basments in Vancouver. I thought that the water level would be too high. Are there leakage or damp spots in this basement?

Definitely do not use cedar! Have you ever tried to paint over cedar? It is very oily, and those oils migrate right through several layers of primer and paint. I would assume those oils would be equally aggressive in migrating into books, and if so, they will leave permanent stains. Dessicant might help though, especially if you can find something intended for use with books.

Mold will be an issue, as will carpenter ants. Rowmyboat is on the right track at #6, with the suggestion to use racks/shelves, or at least elevate the boxes several inches off the floor. Also, space should be left around each box, to allow some air circulation.

Some information from the Bishop Museum in Hawaii can be found here. They share Vancouver's humidity problems, with the additional challenge of higher temperatures. They do explain how to pack dessicents into storage boxes.

As an alternative, does Vancouver have any storage facilities that offer some degree of control over environmental conditions?

I agree with what everyone has said about getting them off the floor. It can be as simple as getting an old pallet or even some 2x4s and setting the boxes on them.

When our storage locker got damp, the facility owner put out bowls of charcoal. It did help some.

Just read the Bishop Museum document referenced in #9. Really excellent advice, if a bit intimidating.

The getting the off the floor thing is not just about flooding; if the floor is concrete, moisture just wicks through it, and can move right on in to a cardboard box.