I am a book collector, and I want to talk a little bit about the importance of air quality to your books. I know this blog post isn’t for everyone – but it’s for someone! You know who you are. The people who love books, not just reading them, but owning them. People like us love nothing more than a room filled floor to ceiling with old books. The smell of them, to me, is intoxicating! The thing is, that without proper care and upkeep that intoxicating smell turns into a nauseating one! Old books cannot get damp at all, or they mildew, mold, and rot, which brings me to the subject of indoor air quality in your home. Your books will need a different kind of climate control than you need for your own personal comfort. The reason so many book collectors keep a separate room for their books is so they can adjust the climate control for that room separate from the rest of the house. What is comfortable for you and I may cause long term damage to your books, so keep them in their own room, and put a dehumidifier in there. Better yet, put two dehumidifiers in the book room, if not a portable AC unit with a dehumidifier built into it. Moisture is the enemy, so keep a dehumidifier running 24/7 in your book room. Of course you also want to keep the temperature levels secure, but the truth is that with low enough humidity the temps don’t make that big a difference to the books.