Should books be stored flat or upright? (2023)

Should books be stored flat or upright?

Large heavy folio-size books are best stored flat. Other books on shelves should be kept upright at 90° to the surface of the shelf and should be supported on either side by books or book stands of similar size, to prevent the covers becoming warped.

Small or medium-sized books can be packed either lying flat or standing upright. Large heavy books should be stored lying flat. Never store books resting on the spine or the fore edge (the front edge opposite the spine), as this can seriously damage bindings.

Store them on a flat surface, but not on the floor. Ideally, stand the books upright in the storage box. Always pack stacks of books with fore edges facing the sides of the box so that if the load shifts, the “spines against spines” configuration guards against damage. Do not lay books flat on top of the upright ones.

Store books in plastic boxes

Preferably opaque ones, with lids, that will stop light from getting to the books and damaging them. Plastic boxes will also protect your books from rodents if you are storing them in a garage or garden shed, and are easy to stack in out of the way places.

Here's the right way to store them. Do place a bookshelf near an interior wall with enough space to allow for some air circulation. Placing a shelf next to an exterior wall may cause the temperature to fluctuate too much. Don't crowd books too tightly together or tilt them on the shelf.

Books are highly susceptible to humidity, dust, moths and other forces of nature, causing deterioration over time. If you want to continue to enjoy your books and magazines years later, follow these easy tips on how to properly prepare them for a storing at a storage facility.

Ladder shelving is a great option for people who have limited space to store books. This type of storage system allows you to organize your books in an efficient, cost-effective way. Ladder shelving is also great for small spaces where you don't want to clutter up your shelves with too many books.

Pack your books into several small to medium boxes so they won't be too heavy to move. To avoid warping of the spines or cracking of the hinge, don't pack your books with the binding or spine pointing up. Instead, lay the books flat inside the box and stack large to small.

The preferred alignment of books on a shelf is vertical, with books of the same general size next to each other. The vertical alignment helps the books to support each other. Books are usually placed in vertical alignment, but not just any books should be placed together.

Can books be stacked horizontally?

Art or coffee table books are perfect for stacking horizontally, because they are often too tall for the shelf. Stacking books horizontally on top of your vertical books, though, like I had done to cram more books into the space, is a no-no, Morris and Lindsey agreed. That just makes the shelves look cluttered.