How can I best repair water-damaged books?
Many firms recommend the interweaving technique like mentioned by the other poster. Here are some more techniques that just might save your books! Some you may never have heard of: Air Drying Dehumidification/Desiccant Air Drying Freeze Drying Vacuum Drying Vacuum Freeze-Drying The five methods for drying wet books and records described in this leaflet have all have undergone at least some minimal level of testing under emergency conditions; several have been used extensively. The descriptions are provided to assist you in making the best choice given your circumstances; cause of damage, level of damage, number of volumes involved, rarity/scarcity, personnel available, budget available, drying services available. Advice from a conservator or preservation administrator experienced in disaster recovery is recommended before the final selection is made. It is common to employ more than one drying method depending on the type and degree of damage. Remember that no drying method restores ma
If they are still wet, here is what the University of Illinois library says to do: “Books can be successfully dried by the following methods: Interleave every 10 pages with absorbent paper (any more interleaving than this may damage the binding). Change the absorbent paper, placing new sheets between different pages every hour to promote drying. Remember to be very careful when interleaving wet books. Alternatively, if the book is strong enough, stand it upright and fan it open to air dry until it is only slightly damp. Drying can be assisted by using a fan. As with single sheet items, when the book is just slightly damp lay it flat, interleave every ten pages with fresh absorbent paper and press it lightly under a weight to help it dry flat. Change the interleaving hourly between different pages to promote drying. If additional weight is necessary a house brick or equivalent weight can be used on top of the glass or board. Care should be taken not to crush or distort book spines. This
