Your collection of books may seem like they are easy items to move, but you may be in for a surprise. Book collections are often more irregular shaped and heavier than you may think. One trick is to keep boxes small. The weight of all that paper and hardback covers adds up, so one way to get ahead of that is smaller boxes. You may be able to fit most of your library in a large box, but if you need a dolly to move it, that may not be the best idea.
Presort your books before putting them into boxes. Separate them by hardcover or paperback. Then sort those 2 categories by book size. Hardcover books can damage your paperbacks. Keeping them apart may not seem the most efficient, but it can prevent damage to those fragile paperback covers.
Use bubble wrap or packing paper to fill in gaps in the small boxes if you are not able fill all the space. Damage occurs while the books shift around during the moving process. If you are putting the books away for long-term storage, toss in a pack of silica gel to keep the box dry.
Layers of stiff cardboard can be used to separate valuable rare books or photo albums for extra protection. Make sure the most valuable or nostalgic books are protected with extra padding, like you would use with china dishes.
Clearly marking the box with “Books” can give a friendly heads-up to anyone picking up the box as even small boxes of books can weigh quite a bit.
