Long term book storage suggestions?

[kristov]

I have a ton of D&D books from starting playing back in 1985ish - I am looking to store them reliabily and cheaply - like some sort of box made for storing D&D sized books/magazines/modules.

In theory they would be appropriate in size and such that I could carry the boxes around without killing myself - and then stacking them on top of each other.

Oh yeah - and cheap - not looking to spend a thousand dollars here - hoping to find some sorta cheap perfect box at the Container Store or something else that someone might know about that would accomplish this goal?

I basically am just not playing any games right now and looking to store them in a closet so they dont get messed up and eventually when we move house to house - take them with me easily.

My wifes suggestion of "throw them away" or "sell them" do not appeal to me very much.

Thanks!

Kristov

 

[Riley]

I highly recommend this, or the equivalent, available at your favorite local OfficeMaxDepot superstore:

OfficeMax Medium Duty Storage Boxes, Letter/Legal Size, 12-Pack

But if you want to stack them 8 or 10 tall, I'd go with heavier-duty ones in the bottom half of the stacks(s):

http://www.officemax.com/office-fur...3-60308-110286-56-4621-1522-56-4621-11287-0-4

 

[Asmor]

If you can source them, milk crates are perfectly sized for holding D&D books (they also perfectly fit boardgames with 12" square boxes, which is one of the more common sizes).

Sourcing them legally is the tricky part, though. The ones you can buy at e.g. Target are a lighter grade of plastic, and I wouldn't trust them to stand up to the weight of being stacked on their sides well.

 

[Yora]

I highly recommend this, or the equivalent, available at your favorite local OfficeMaxDepot superstore:

I think this preserves the books just as much as just stacking them onto each other in a corner of the room.

Which is okay for my books, but I assume the question was more along the line of having them protected against water damage, mold, rodents, and maybe some limited fire damage.

 

[Relique du Madde]

Place them into one of those plastic storage boxes like this one I found at office dept.

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/293037/Office-Depot-Brand-68-Quart-75/

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

 

[Elf Witch]

As someone who has had to store a lot of things over the past few years including my game books I can share what worked and didn't work.

First of all those plastic containers with lids that Relique du Madde showed do not work for books. I tried and everyone that had heavy books in them and were on the bottom had the lids and some sides crack.

The file boxes are great they are meant for long term storage of paper and because of their size they don't get to heavy.

True they won't keep bugs or rodents out and if they get wet they are a mess.

What kind of closet are you storing them in?

 

[tomBitonti]

From my experience with an extensive collection:

Notable issues:

1) The orientation of the books matters.

2) The quality of the storage location, in terms of humidity and temperature matters, and in terms of exposure to pests.

3) Stacking matters.

For (1), if the books are oriented badly, the pages can shift out of the bindings, especially if the temperature gets high.

For (2), cool and dry is preferred. High humidity and high temperatures are very bad for the books. Pests will, if allowed, infiltrate the books, damaging them.

For (3), there definitely a limit as to stacking heights. Both the cardboard and the plastic containers have a limit, which is no more than about 3 high, and I wouldn't recommend even that. Plastic holds up a little better, but lids tend to crack. Cardboard tends to crush. Any stress on the books themselves will, over time, cause damage.

Thx!

TomB

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Place them into one of those plastic storage boxes like this one I found at office dept.

My D&D stuff is in a bunch of these from the Container Store. It works for protection, organization, transport, and use (since they are transparent). Transport is critical for me, since we move every 2-3 years. I haven't had my D&D collection on traditional shelves in a decade.

 

[Razjah]

If you like the plastic boxes, I think the Stor-It-All totes work pretty well. I have one for my Magic decks to keep them together and protected. The normal transportation methods don't work when you have 40+ decks. These should hold up well enough and they are pretty affordable if one does break.

However, they are not super great for stacking. The lids are a bid thin. But for keeping them safe, they should do the trick.

Totes:
The Container Store > Stor-It-All Totes
Compartment Lid:
The Container Store > Stor-It-All Compartment Lid Tote
Trunk Style:
The Container Store > Stor-It-All Trunk
Not Stor-It-All, but old faithful for storage the footlocker:
The Container Store > Storage Locker with Wheels


This thread is old, but has some good information for long term book storage:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/61653

 

[Nellisir]

Depending on the product, most comic stores also sell magazine storage boxes, which are heavier duty than the general purpose boxes at staples, and stack very well. You're hopefully using these for any Dragon/Dungeon issues you have, and paperback products might fit as well. I think the hardcovers are too large, alas.