Unfortunately I have considerable experience in moving books. Part of my teaching assignment is as a high school librarian. Four years ago our district built a new high school in the exact location of the old high school. The entire library had to be packed and put into storage for 18 months. I along with students and RSVP volunteers packed up over 10,000 books. Then when we moved in... we unpacked 10,000 books. This is what I learned in the process.

1) If you have any amount of books to pack, purchase boxes so they are uniform in size.

2) Choose small boxes because books are very heavy. Resist the urge to over pack big boxes.

3) If you decide to use boxes from a grocery store, beware of anything food has been in because it can attract insects.

4) Never pack books spine up or down. Always pack books lying flat. Books warp and pages get bent when they are packed vertically.

5) Use a good quality packing tape to seal the box by covering the entire seam.

6) Use a computer to create labels for the boxes and be specific as to what is in each box. Then cover that label with clear packing tape.

Don't be afraid to call in the cavalry to help in the move. We had to move books down three flights of stairs in January. My heroes were the city's volunteer fire department. They created an assembly line going all the way out the of library down to awaiting trucks and then unloaded the books into storage. When we moved back in 18 months later, they carried all 10,000 books into our new facility. They were an absolute godsend.

Learn more about this author, MJ Suttor.
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