breaks the binding. A row of books which does not comfortably fill a
shelf should be kept up at one end by a book support. There are
several good supports on the market. The Crocker is excellent; so is
the one described in the Library Bureau catalog.

[Illustration: L.B. book supports. (Reduced.)]

Books as they come from the dealer are not always perfect. To make
sure that their purchases are in good condition some libraries collate
all their books as soon as received, that is, look them through with
care for missing pages, and injuries of any kind. Imperfect volumes
are returned. But save with very expensive books this labor is
unnecessary, and doesn't pay. The time spent on it easily amounts to
more than the cost of replacing the very few books which may by chance
be later found imperfect. In fact, any responsible dealer will usually
replace an imperfect copy with a good one even if the former bears a
library mark, and has been handled a little.

Use care in cutting pages. Don't cut them with anything but a smooth,
dull edge. Cut them at the top close to the fold in the back.

The worst enemies of books are careless people.

Another enemy is damp. It is bad for the binding; it is very bad for
the paper.

Gas, with heat, is very destructive to books, especially to the
bindings.

Books should occasionally be taken from their shelves and wiped with