If you love to read, it is safe to assume your love extends to books and you therefore have a fair few lying around your place, spilling off shelves and towering precariously on your bedside table.

Books are a great practical as well as decorative item to have around the house: they provide colour, topics for conversation and show that you’re well-read.

However, while reading is a great past time that encourages the use of many more brain cells than sitting in front of a TV screen does, your book collection that maintains your habit does take up a lot more space than a television or computer would.

So how can you store your books once you’ve run out of shelf space?

Bookcases are the staple item of furniture for storing your books, and if your bookcase comes with glass doors, then all the better because your books are protected from dust.

However, bookcases can fill up pretty quickly and if the shelves aren’t adjustable then you’re also limited to the size of the books that you can place inside.

To give yourself more shelving freedom, consider floor to ceiling shelving hinges with glass shelves that can be adjusted to accommodate books of any height. These are available from any ironmonger or DIY shop and the glass shelves can be ordered to your specified requirements.

If metal and glass are not your materials of choice you can go with other combinations such as wood or coloured plastic for the same result.

Book maintenance is really important if you want to preserve your collection, so when storing your books on shelves it is preferable to store them in an upright position as this means that they are not supporting the weight of anything other than themselves.

Moreover, because so many books have information on their spines, shelves also serve as a display system. It’s also important not to pack books too tightly because when you remove a book from its place it will rub against its neighbouring books, causing slight damage. Use bookends to provide support for the books on your shelves; alternatively place a few books horizontally to act as bookends.

When it comes to very large books it is best that they are stored horizontally as, if stored vertically, gravity can pull the pages away from the spine. However, a stack of horizontal books should be no more than a few books high to avoid stress on those at the bottom.

If you have already exhausted the shelving idea and you still have books to store, look around your room for inspiration.

Is the coffee table in your living room bare and empty? Keep a small pile of books on it and allow your guests to leaf through your literature when they come over. If a friend has already read one of the books, it makes for a great topic of conversation. Planting small piles of books around your home is a way to keep them visible and accessible while still ‘in place’.

How about books as furniture? If you’ve got very large hardback books (those that you don’t read often) place them on a base such as a wooden palette - this will prevent the books from being damaged should there be a water leakage or flooding. Then cover the top book with a piece of glass that’s cut to size; you’ve now got a home-made, literary piece of furniture which can be used as either a bedside table or side table.

The great thing about books is that they can be left anywhere and they won’t look out of place. They don’t need to be stacked away neatly looking formal and unloved. A beautiful book placed on a sideboard is just as nice to look at as an ornament or picture frame.

If you’re putting books into storage then you need to take extra care to ensure they don’t get ruined. Store books in dry places that are well ventilated; it’s very important that there is no humidity or strong sunlight in the room as mould can damage the books while the sunlight can damage the pages of a book causing the ink and dye to fade. A temperature of between 16ºC and 18ºC, and a relative humidity of around 50-60 per cent are recommended.

Books should be wrapped in either paper towel or bubble wrap, but not plastic bags or foil as these will encourage mould. Pack similar sized books together, with the heaviest books at the bottom, in boxes or plastic containers. If you’re reusing boxes make sure that they’re clean, dry, strong and sealable. Seal all boxes tightly with packing tape and store the boxes on a shelf or somewhere elevated off the floor.

Tips

• Be proud of your book collection and show it off – books are great conversation starters;
• Books can be placed on sideboards or coffee tables used as decorative items;
• Handle your books with care to preserve their pages and longevity;
• If you’re storing books away, take precautions to keep the books dry and prevent the growth of mould.