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href="http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/090666-2192-047.html";>http://www.indystar.com/articles/2/090666-2192-047.htmlBooks 
live longer when treated wellBy Stacy DownsKnight Ridder 
NewspapersNovember 9, 2003KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For a book lover, 
a dream home would have a library with floor-to-ceiling shelves and a ladder on 
wheels that enables a reader to grab books way up high.
<snip>
There are good ways to store books and set up a house for 
comfortable reading. Start with shelves. Powder-coated metal shelves are ideal, 
says Linda Blaser, preservation officer for regional records at the National 
Archives in Washington, D.C. They prevent acid from discoloring book covers and 
staining pages. They also have the strength to support the heft of 
books.
The problem is those shelves can cost more than $1,000, and 
they're difficult to buy because they're built for institutions such as 
libraries and museums. And many people think wooden shelves look warmer and more 
inviting in their homes.
"The thing is that wood is inherently acidic," says Thomas M. 
Edmondson, a paper conservator and co-owner of Heugh-Edmondson Conservation 
Services in Kansas City. "Oak and pine are the worst. Even a sealer like 
polyurethane doesn't prevent acid problems -- it just slows it."
To prevent shelves from damaging books, Blaser and Edmondson say 
readers should invest in liners. Acid-free matte boards and rolls of clear 
lining can be purchased from library-supply companies such as Gaylord Brothers 
at www.gaylord.com and University Products at www.universityproducts.com.
Treasured books of monetary or sentimental value should be stored 
individually in archival boxes.
 ... <etc.>
Amy Filiatreau
Archivist
SBC Archives and History Center
SBC Communications Inc.
San Antonio, TX