Care & Handling of Library Book Collections

Over the past 260 years the Princeton University Library has collected over six million books and other unique objects and collections that support the University's academic curricula as well as the research and scholarship of its students, faculty, and staff. Preserving these collections for your use and for that of future users is a priority. Coordinated preservation and conservation activities have existed in the Library since 1978. Damaged and worn materials with strong, weak or brittle paper and worn bindings are repaired, rebound, photocopied, microfilmed, digitized, or replaced with print editions to make them again fully usable.

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You can do your part to preserve the collections by following simple and straightforward guidelines when handling and using library materials.


**Remove a book from the shelf by gently pushing back the adjacent volumes about an inch and then grasping the book you want at mid-spine.

**Handle books with clean hands and use them on a clean work surface.

**Carry only a few books in your arms at a time and stack books only to a reasonable and safe height.

**Keep food, liquids, and tobacco away from books.

**Mark your place in a book by using a thin bookmark or a slip of paper.

**Make notes about the book you are using on a separate piece of paper.

**Photocopy library materials gently.

**Use fragile or damaged library materials with care.

**Repairing damaged library materials yourself may do the materials more harm than good.

**Take care of the materials you borrow from the Library.

**Place books you have borrowed in the bookdrop carefully.

**Mutilation and theft of library materials are considered serious offenses by the University.