On the Transporting and Storing of Lots of Books... 29
grammar nazi asks: "After finishing school, I'll be moving far away in a month. I have amassed a large collection of math, computer, science, and fiction books and I need to put them in storage. Does anyone have any ideas for good book-storage containers? The Rubbermaid tubs have sufficient environmental protection, but books don't stack nicely or efficiently inside of them. I would like something that will protect books from the humidity of a rental storage space, allow for efficient packing/stacking, and be large enough so that I could keep different categories in different containers (i.e. math books in one, computer books in one, fiction in another)."
Also think size. (Score:1)
<side_note_to_ignore>I just realized that I have run out of shelf room in here. Now I have an excuse to keep books on the floor.</side_note_to_ignore>
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If my facts are wrong then tell me. I don't mind.
might I recommend... (Score:2)
Might I recommend boxes? I know that sounds sarcastic, but seriously, put a big sturdy garbage bag in the box and wrap the openeing around the edges. You can then stack the books comfortably, at your leisure, you'll also get the satisfying sensation of brushing up against all that black glossy plastic with your forarms.
To seal it up, you could just stuff the bag in and close the box or you could use a twisty-tie, bailing wire and needle nosed plier, melt it shut with a bic lighter, use a glue gun or even a few swathes of trusty old duct tape.
To be extra safe, include some baking powder or silica gel and moth balls. If you're in need of further safeguards, you could also booby-trap the boxes with something akin to a letter bomb, if for instance you suspect treacherous sentiment of the storage center custodial staff. If you do choose this precation, I strongly recommend a steel plate between the bomb and your books. After all, the boxes will already weigh close to a metric tonne, what's a little armor plating gonna hurt?
:)Fudboy
lay them down (Score:2)
I should know. I've got about 140 books whose spines are kinda curved from sitting upright for months.
Best containers: your local used bookstore. (Score:1)
Good friends help friends move bodies.
Really good friends help friends move books.
Make a large pile of the things that you're not likely to reread or sleep hugging them to your chest. Go to the used book store. Trade them in. You'll come out with fewer books than before (a ratio of 3 to 1, most likely). They'll be books you'll be more likely to use. And you'll lose fewer friends on moving day.
Here is another option (Score:5)
First, don't try for a sealed container like the Rubbermaid tubs. You have as much chance of sealing humidity/mold/mildew in as you do keeping it out. I know, I did this and ended up with damaged books.
For moving books, nothing beats the U-Haul "book boxes" (fan-fold printer paper comes in exactly the same size box) for books. As long as your books aren't clay-coat paper or coffee-table size, they work well. Furthermore, one person can lift them without risking hernia.
To avoid weather damage, shop for your storage unit carefully. Examine the walls and floor for water damage, and reject any unit that has any stains more than 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) up the wall.
A couple of tricks that saved my books from damage even in a flood environment:
Don't put your boxes directly on the floor. If you can find them cheap, use a shipping pallet -- you can usually buy them cheap at a grocery store, perhaps for free. This gives you an easy 4 inches of clearance, so if water comes in it doesn't hit the boxes...and the clearance lets the water evaporate without your boxes in the way (see next tip).
Don't stack the boxes tightly, like bricks. Leave about an inch between the boxes on the ends and on the sides. This gives enough breathing space that any water damage will be kept to a minimum. This puts a premium to packing the boxes well, so that each end of the box can support weight without crushing.
Consider getting a tarp or large piece of plastic to put over the top of your boxes, so that water from any roof leaks (or upstairs neighbor disaster) is routed around your boxes. The covering sheet should be large enough to cover the boxes sufficiently, but not all the way to the floor.
If money is not a problem and you are really paranoid, consider building platforms so that you stack no more than three boxes high on any given shelf. Junk 2x4 and sheathing does wonders, although I've seen people build "frames" exclusively from 2x4 that work just as well. Just make sure you support the middle of the boxes as well as the edges. In one case, I built supports from 1x3s on a 2x4 square frame -- the 1x3s provided edge and middle support, and the 2x4 frame took the weight. Total cost of each shelf was about $20 because I lucked into a lumber sale.
When sealing your boxes, consider running packing tape along all seams. This keeps the bugs out (at least out of those boxes that don't have holes banged into them) and does wonders with keeping moisture from causing problems.
Hope this helps.
good cheap storage (Score:1)
Monitor boxes (Score:2)
I moved house a couple of years ago, at the same time I was working in a University tech support department. The hardware people downstairs had a load of new monitors arriving each week, each packed in excellent quality triple-layer cardboard boxes. Monitors, like books, being heavy are shipped in stronger boxes than PCs.
By flatpacking, I could store a cache under my desk and cycle home with about six at a time.
Re:Best containers: your local used bookstore. (Score:2)
I do the same thing as you with my books; after I get 'too many', I first sell off the ones I don't think I'll read again.
I I thin I might want to read some of the books again, I donate them to the local library.
That way, I can always borrow any book back I need, and get a tax write off.
The only exception are references that I can't get electronic versions of.
Tyring to remember that Heinlien story... (Score:1)
HTH.
If you can afford rental storage... (Score:2)
I figure smaller ones are available (I can't remember where; try your local Army surplus store) if you just want to throw one or two in a Rubbermaid storage container. That way it can also act as filler for excess space.
The way to "recharge" them when they're saturated is easy too; throw them in the oven at 300 degrees F for 20 minutes or so.
A couple of things... (Score:2)
I also found that after moving my books about 18 times (and realizing that some were still in the boxes from 4 or 5 moves ago), that the "take all but the most important ones to the local used book store and sell them, then when you're finished moving go and buy some new books" method works best.
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Plain old boxes (Score:1)
As for environmental factors follow the various other suggestions. Don't put the boxes directly on the floor. Don't completely seal things in plastic. Pack the books flat instead of on end.
Moving 'em---check out 4th-class mail (Score:2)
If you can package them well enough to be proof against the apes, the U.S. Postal Service will do it reasonably (if you're in the U.S.---sorry, rest of world :-).
See the ``book rate'' page [usps.com] for details---you can ship 70 pounds for 31 cents/lb., anywhere in the U.S. Depending on distance, the ``bound printed matter'' rate [usps.com] might work---sounds like a book to me---but they limit you to 15 lbs./package.
My sisters have used it for exactly your purpose (getting books home from college) with great success.
Re:Tyring to remember that Heinlien story... (Score:1)
I'm not recommending this method to you, but the next time a meteor is forecast to crash into Earth, search Slashdot. :)
Louis Wu
"Where do you want to go ...
Re:Here is another option (Score:1)
Also if your books are still dripping wet the freazer will freeze the excess water out and then you can use the microwave method.
That is, of course, if they want them... (Score:1)
When I gave them the list (750 books long) the bookstore droids all had the same lament: "You don't have any fiction? No self-help?" One of them has relabeled ALL of thier non-fiction section as "Health and Arts"
My available space is now needed for people, so storage is no longer an option. I have given away as many as I can (not a lot of geeks here). I suppose I will shudder when I toss my volumes of Knuth into the woodstove.
The problem with copy-paper boxes (Score:1)
If you look closely, the cardboard used in standard copy-paper boxes is relatively thin. The tops come off very easily (handy) but the tops plus the thin sides make for a flimsy box for stacking books in a storage unit. When you move them, the box will torque because there is no geometric support.
Another problem: the boxes are glued and any water will dissolve that glue, making it a pain to take the books out later.
That's why I suggest standard moving boxes, heavy boxes from the grocery, or equipment boxes with 200-lb or heavier cardboard. And tape it well.
How I store books... (Score:1)
Here's how I have my collection stored: Staples sells these heavy-walled corrugated boxes that look very much like fruit boxes. They're pretty big, durable, and they even have sturdy handles on the side! The only thing they don't have is lids. Luckily, standard computer or textbooks fill the height of the box completely, so I can get away with some heavy plastic sheeting stapled to the sides.
Or you can just buy eBooks and use MS Reader. :) *ducks* Just kidding....I HATE reading electronic books. Until they come out with a 1200dpi monitor and a "virtual-page-turner" UI, those dead trees will be firmly ensconced on my shelf.
plastic shelves, dessicant source, numbered boxes (Score:1)
the first shelf raises stuff above the floor a bit, and they can help take advantage of volume that's often wasted. they're pretty cheap, and go together quick.
Bear in mind the value of reasonably easy access.
If shelving allows you to avoid stacking boxes of books, so you can just walk in a grab a box, it's worth it. Consider numbering boxes and inventorying the books as you pack them. A tape recorder can make this pretty painless, and it save searching and makes it easier if you have to send someone else to the storage place to get something.
Silica gel dessicant can be bought cheaply in the craft section of walmart. It's sold for drying flowers. (search deja.com/usenet for more info)
If mice are a danger, they hate the smell of peppermint, and it's less unpleasant than mothballs.
Re:Monitor boxes (Score:1)
________________
They're - They are
Their - Belonging to them
Re:That is, of course, if they want them... (Score:1)
I would love to get my hands on a few books on anything technical: programming, chemistry, stress analysis (I'm a Mechanical Engineer), eco-anything, astro-anything, physics, (or non-technical), history, political science, biographies, philosophy, etc. Put some info in your bio/sig, and you'll probably have a dozen emails before Saturday.
Good luck saving your books. (Whenever I think about throwing a book away, I see the scene from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where the young Nazis are burning a pile of books; even ratty old copies of books I have two other editions of. Anything printed seems almost sacred. I can't bring myself to destroy it.)
If you do want to get rid of them, post or email. I'll probably take a few dozen off of your hands.
chris_cantrall@bigfoot.com
Louis Wu
"Where do you want to go ...
Here's a thought... (Score:1)
That way, at least you'll probably get some new books to read, while hopefully reducing the number of books you'll have to stash away.
I'm planning on doing something like that on my next birthday. I'm amazed none of my geek friends had thought of that before (probably because they don't have half as many books as I do!).
Having a give-away party, then posting list (Score:1)
Fear not, there are not a lot of techies here, and the list is fairly obtuse (biomed. engineering, electronics, medical, information/computer science, mathematics, engineering, alternative structure/energy).
The first time I saw that Indian Jones movie, it took me back to a hole-in-the-road village in the midwest, on the day the good townspeople decided to "purify" the school and library bookshelves. That was 1971.
"Objects in mirror are closer than they appear..."
Re:That is, of course, if they want them... (Score:2)
er, you mean "ESR" instead of "RMS"?
Don't bother trying to give books to your local public library. They probably won't be able to circulate them, and will just try to sell them at the Friends of the Library book sale. But any not sold there just go to the dump (which is where I rescue some--I too can't help myself!).
If you decide to sell them, try half.com. It's easier for individuals to sell on that service than on directly e-Bay. And there are not many dealers online in the type of books you have, computer, recent science, and so on.
Even the Library of Congress doesn't keep up with every edition of textbooks, just keeps a sample and gives the rest away to other libraries or dumps them.
I too store my out-of-date books in a rented storage space. Judging from the perpetual shortage of storage space in Silicon Valley and other hightech locales, it seems I am not alone.
So why not help me to OCR them and put them on the web? Cheaper than sending the paper books to the needy.
Re:That is, of course, if they want them... (Score:1)
Thanks. I know their work, and don't confuse the two men when I think of them, but it seems my fingers don't. Err, they do. Umm, they don't know the difference, and they do mix them up. Le sigh.
I couldn't get your website to come up. I assume that you host it on your machine? I like the idea, so I'll keep checking.
Louis Wu
"Where do you want to go ...
Re:How I store books... (Score:1)
One thing not explicitly stated, storing the books spine down works really well. Nothing pulls away from the spine, and you can get any of the books out with ease (as opposed to laying them flat, when you have to unpack the whole box to get to that good one on the bottom). I used this when I moved to New Orleans, and all of my old technical manuals (ca. 1930's CRC math tables book and ca. 1950's Mark's Handbook for Mechanical Engineers) that I rescued from the Engineering Library at my Alma Mater survived unscathed.
Additionally, I used some boxes I got from a Pharmacy (my Dad is a Pharmacist) that were initially used to ship vials and their lids. They are sturdy, one piece, and about the size of a copier paper box. They also fold up easily (designed to do so), and I have kept all of them for future moves (when finished with Grad school). The additional benefit of boxes this size is that when full of books, they are still easily managed by one person. I might ask at a Pharmacy about these type of boxes.
Re:might I recommend... (Score:1)
Don't line with plastic unless your books have so little water in them the water won't condense out when it gets cold. In other words if you didn't pack them in the dead of winter inj a very dry cold environment, forget using plastic boxes. The best bet is to box them in paper type boxes so that one can easily lift and move them about.
Box storrage. First, climate controlled storage locker. Second, try to get a second or higher story stoarage unit or one in the high side of the storage area. Keep the boxes off the floor. I reccomend used pallets or similar. Shelving will also work, but will reduce density. Leave air gaps between the boxes. This will allow the humidity to equalize faster. This is important as when those boxes of books that were packed in high tempeture / high humidity times experience cold weather some of the humidity will condense out. Allow that water vapor to leave the books and box. Over the top of the stacks of boxes drape a plastic tarp, but don't run it all the way to the floor. Again you want air movement.
Also put a list of what is in each box on the outside. Use clear packing tape to tape it to the side of the box. For the stored portion of my book collection I track the titles in my computer. Each box is labeled with a sheet on it's outside, plus I keep a sheet in a binder in the locker as well as the list in my computer.
Plastic tubs are NOT sealed (Score:1)
Barcodes (Score:1)
And print a bar code for each box and put it on the outside, perhaps on both a wide and narrow side to make it easier to have one visible. Then when you're looking for a box you have the choice of reading the list, reading the code printed under your barcode, or scanning boxes until your laptop beeps that you found the box that you were looking for. [Well, maybe by the time you're looking for a book you'll have a wearable instead of a laptop...]