Avoiding Moving MistakesAvoiding Moving Mistakes

If you're an avid reader and book collector but your available storage space can no longer hold your collection, you might not want to face the prospect of selling or donating your prized books. In the event that you wish to keep them but you need to look for another place to keep them, renting space at a self-storage facility near your home is an option. Whether you rent a small or large unit, you'll be able to keep your collection in a safe environment and retrieve individual books as needed. Here are some tips to keep in mind for storing your books in this manner.

Ensure The Unit Can Be Kept At The Right Humidity

Books should ideally be stored at a constant humidity – if the air is too dry, some of the covers could crack; too wet, and some pages might develop mildew. A climate-controlled unit will alleviate this concern. Make sure that the unit's relative humidity is set to 35 percent and that the storage facility's rental agent can guarantee you that the humidity will remain at this mark throughout the year.

Fill Boxes According To Individual Authors

While you might have the plan of setting up a number of bookshelves in your new storage unit, a more likely scenario is that you'll store the books in boxes that you can stack as high as you need. If you're taking this approach, you need to be organized – especially if you envision wanting to retrieve certain books from the unit at a later date. An ideal strategy is to fill the boxes according to the author and then mark the exterior of the box as such. If you can't fit all of a given author's books in a single box, group them alphabetically. For example, fill one box with an author's titles that begin with the letter "A" through "M" and another with the remaining titles that begin with "N" through "Z."

Keep The Boxes Off The Ground

Even if you don't go the route of shelves, it's advantageous to ensure that the boxes of books aren't placed directly on the ground. You can never guarantee what your storage neighbor has in his or her unit, and a leak could possibly soak into your unit and destroy your collection. Obtain some wooden pallets, cover the floor with them and stack your books on top of the pallets for safekeeping. To find out more, visit a website like http://www.sperrystorage.com/index.html.