Build a knowledge library in two steps: collect books from public and school libraries, bookstores, homes, government offices and military sites, then protect them from the five things that destroy paper, which are water, insects and rodents, mould, fire and sunlight. Digital copies on drives or e-readers are a supplement kept in several places, never the only copy.
Part of Library & Bookstore Priorities
A library is only as valuable as the books that survive in it, so where they come from and how they are kept matter equally.
Gather, Then Guard
- Where to find books. See Where to Find Books.
- How to keep them. See Book Preservation & Storage.
- Digital supplement. Drives, offline Wikipedia dumps and e-readers extend the library, as described in The Fragility of Digital Knowledge. A printed book works without batteries, software updates or a screen that can crack, so paper remains the backup for everything else.
Method: Organising The Library
Step 1: Sort by tier. Survival and medical references on the most accessible shelf, then food, building and water, then the long-term shelf.
Step 2: Sort by subject within each tier. You must be able to find a page quickly in an emergency.
Step 3: Keep a list. Record what you have, where it is, and which books exist in more than one copy.
Step 4: Copy the irreplaceable. Make a second copy of the most critical references and keep it elsewhere.
Common Mistakes
- Collecting without a place to keep it. Books in a leaking building are lost.
- Keeping everything in one room. One fire ends the library.
- Treating the digital copy as the original. It is the supplement.
Safety
A damp or burned library harms people as well as books
Mouldy books release spores that irritate the lungs, and a dense store of paper burns fiercely. Keep stores dry, keep them away from stoves and lamps, and wear a mask when handling visibly mouldy books.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Where to Find Books — sources
- Combine with: Book Preservation & Storage — protection