CCI Notes 11/8

Display Methods for Books

Introduction

When displaying books, consideration must be given to the physical support of their binding structures and to environmental factors that can lead to their deterioration.

Support Methods

Because of their weight or the condition of their bindings, books require an adequate support to prevent damage during handling or display. A few simple and inexpensive display techniques will provide support for a book and will help to prolong its life.

Materials

Supports can be made using a variety of materials. These include the following:

acid-free matboard (100% rag or highly purified wood pulp)
acrylic sheet, such as Plexiglas
lightweight inert plastic board, such as Coroplast (polypropylene twinwall plastic panel) or Hi-core (polycarbonate twinwall profile sheets)
wood sealed with acrylic latex paint and faced with acid-free matboard. A description of sealants appropriate for wood is included in Catherine Miles, "Wood Coatings for Display and Storage Cases," Studies in Conservation, 31/3 (1986): 114-124, which is available as a reprint from the CCI Library.

Suggested Supports for Books

Do not display volumes upright with their covers open because the weight of the bookblock can distort and damage the binding structure. Books displayed on an angle must be supported along the thickness of the bookblock by a ledge or a lip (Figure 1).

Stand for closed books.
Figure 1. Stand for displaying closed books.

Books opened to the title page or to the first or last section of text require a support under the front or back cover to prevent the endpaper and binding material from splitting along the joint (Figure 2).

Box holding front cover.
Figure 2. Box support holding front cover.

Strips of thin-gauge (3 mil) Mylar transparent polyester film placed around the bookblock will hold the pages and will prevent them from fanning open. This Mylar band can be joined using a small piece of double-sided tape (3M #415). Take care that the tape does not come into contact with the book. The strips should be wide enough for the size and thickness of the book and should not be fastened too tightly around the pages.

Books that are to be displayed open or that do not open easily are better supported by a wide, V-shaped form made of stronger, rigid materials like Plexiglas (acrylic plastic sheet), wood that has been painted and faced with acid-free matboard, or Hi-core (Figure 3).

V-shaped support for books.
Figure 3. V-shaped support for open books.

Display

Ideally, books should be displayed in a specially constructed display case that protects them from dust and from extreme fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. Do not display volumes near a heat source, such as a hot air vent, or in direct incandescent or natural light.

Do not display books with sensitive images (e.g., inks, watercolours, charcoal, pencil, etc.) in direct light. The pigments are extremely sensitive to light, and permanent display under high light levels will cause the ink and pigments to fade. To control the amount of light to which books are exposed, keep display lights on only when required and set the lights to the lowest intensity possible. If the volumes are to be displayed for long periods of time, turn the pages frequently.

Suppliers

Matboard (4-ply or 8-ply, acid-free), 3M #415 double-sided tape, Mylar polyester film:

Art and archival suppliers, such as

Bury Media and Supplies Ltd.
4255 Arbutus Street, B-5
Vancouver, B.C.
V6J 4R1
Tel.: 604-731-3439
604-731-5838
FAX: 604-736-7492
Carr McLean Co.
461 Horner Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M8W 4X2
Tel.: 416-252-3371
Norcal Reproductions (1981) Ltd.
1180 Winnipeg Street
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4R 1J6
Tel.: 306-757-5693
University Products of Canada
6535 Millcreek Drive, Unit 8
Mississauga, Ontario
L5N 2M2
Tel.: 416-858-7888
Toll-free: 1-800-667-2632
FAX: 416-858-8586
Woolfitt's Art Enterprises Inc. ¹
390 Dupont Street
Toronto, Ontario
M5R 1V9
Tel.: 416-922-3017

Acrylic sheet (3 mm or 6 mm):

plastic, building, and art suppliers

Plexiglas (acrylic plastic sheet):

Manufactured by Rohm and Haas Canada Inc., Westhill, Ontario.
Distributed by

E.M. Plastic and Electric Products Ltd.
430 Norfinch Drive
Downsview, Ontario
M3N 1Y4
Tel.: 416-665-6111
Toll-free: 1-800-268-1252
Branches in Dartmouth, Montreal, Winnipeg, Edmonton, and Vancouver

Corrugated plastic board:

Coroplast polypropylene twinwall plastic panel:

Manufactured by Coroplast Ltd., Granby, Quebec.
Distributed by E.M. Plastic and Electrical Products Ltd. (address and telephone numbers given above)

Hi-core polycarbonate twinwall profile sheets:

Manufactured by

Matra Plast Inc.,
Schomberg, Ontario
Tel.: 416-939-2154