Water and books

We are all familiar with the old adage - oil and water don't mix. As a librarian, I would like to add books and water shouldn't mix. As proof, I took a picture of one we just got back recently:

I am the lucky staff person that does some of the repairs on our books, as well as evaluating whether we need to replace a damaged copy. Staff knows to stack the books on the corner of my desk, and quite honestly I devote about half an hour each day to the task. What has become startlingly clear is that 90% of the damage is water damage.

Armloads of books with stiff crinkled paper are finding their way to the discard shelves. There are so many we are taking to marveling how in the midst of a serious drought, we are seeing more and more water damage! Someone suggested that books are in bags with water bottles, leaks happen and damage happens.

Whatever the reason, I do encourage everyone to be more mindful of the risks of water around books. Modern paper seems much more easily damaged by water, so being more vigilant is helpful.

Of course, at least water is better than mysterious brownish stains we find in books - chocolate? coffee? something worse? We really don't want to know. And don't get me on when the pages are sticky . . .