Whether it is a collection of books belonging to your Great Grandmother, or your first and favorite book given to you as a child, preserving your personal library can be a tough task.  The reason?  Books are delicate and highly handled items.  They are not just something purchased to frame and put on display.  Books are read and re-read and often handed down from generation to generation to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
 
There is a time in every book’s life, if it makes it long enough and in one piece, that it becomes more than just words on pages bound together for our reading pleasure. It often becomes a treasured and sought after collectors' item.  As an antiquarian book collector, it often isn’t the literary masterpiece in between the beautiful worn covers that you are after, but the beautiful piece of history that you get to add to your blossoming library that makes you tick.  That is why it is important to know how to preserve and protect your antiquarian books, so that they may continue to be passed down from generation to generation!
 
Below are a few things you should know about preserving your Antiquarian Book Collection:
 
*  Always make sure you wash your hands before handling your Antiquarian Books. The natural oils from the hands can leave an oily residue and cause them damage.
 
*  Never eat or dink anything while handling your books.  Food and Drink stains are permanent and irreversible.  This is an obvious one, but it can easily slip your mind if you like to snack frequently!
 
*  Make sure that that there is nothing in between the pages of your books.  When storing them, books are often placed upright, and tightly packed on shelves.  If there are bookmarks, pieces of stray paper, or paperclips in between the pages, it can deform or stain your fragile books.
 
*  Catalog and Digitize your Antiquarian Book Collection. Even if you only have one or two books, it is important to create a detailed catalog of your books. Create a log of the books' titles, authors, relevant publishing dates and condition. Take thorough photographs of your books (back, front, on all sides, and make copies of the publishing information and title pages) and digitize them.  You can upload pictures and video of your Antiquarian books right to iTaggit.com, as well as any other pertinent information about your books, to keep accurate records of your collection.   It is important to digitize your antiquarian books should there ever be a natural disaster and you lose you entire collection. If you should ever decide to sell your books, iTaggit also makes it easy by offering one click export to online marketplaces such as eBay.com and Craigslist.org.
 
*  Keep Antiquarian Books away from direct sunlight. Rare books are faded and destroyed by direct sunlight. Natural and artificial light is OK, as long as it's not excessively bright.
 
*  Be sure to check for worms, mold, and other “book-eaters.” Just one contaminated book in your library can infect your whole collection (and after the books, your clothes and furniture). Check regularly for worm trails, which are pin-sized hollowed-out spaces between the pages and mold.  If you find any evidence of this sort of damage, you can always take your books to an expert book-binder for treatment.
 
*  Store your books properly.  Keep your most fragile books upright on shelves, lined up next to each other, with their spines facing out. Stacking books on top of each other can cause deformation.  If you prefer to store your books on a box, make sure you purchase a storage box, such as this one, that is acid free and meant for fragile, antiquarian books.