Foredge shelving
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Foredge Shelving is a book-shelving technique. Books are usually shelved upright with the spines facing out; when a book is higher than the shelf, it is usually placed sideways. Putting a book with the spine down is called spine shelving; and the opposite is called foredge shelving.
Foredge shelving is harmful to books because it damages the spine and joints. However, Foredge Shelving is rather common in libraries and other book collections, possibly because of the consideration that leaving the spine facing up makes it easier for a reader to see the call number, which is usually located on the spine.
A lot of book conservation practice manuals recommend avoiding foredge shelving. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NDCC) recommends that "books that are too tall for their shelf are best shelved horizontally. If this is not practical, shelve them spine down."[1]
[edit] References
Assessing Preservation Needs: A Self-Survey Guide, Section Four. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NDCC). Retrieved on December 10th 2007, from http://www.nedcc.org/oldnedccsite/selfsurvey/sec4b.htm.
Conservation. Amercian Museum of Natural History Reserach Library. Retrieved on December 10th 2007, from http://library.amnh.org/conservation/bookcare.html.
NARA Holdings Maintenance. The National Archives. Retrieved on December 10th 2007, from http://www.archives.gov/preservation/holdings-maintenance/.
