Covering Books | TheRoomMom

My classroom library is my pride and joy. he is like a third child to me, and I go to great lengths to protect him. many student hands come into daily contact with the book collection and have the potential to destroy one of my precious books. One defense I use to protect my library is to wrap each book in clear cling wrap. this is a labor of love for sure, but it’s worth it. If you’ve invested time and money in a quality class library, wrapping your books will extend their life.

You are reading: Contact paper for books

materials

• contact brand clear adhesive shelf liner with matte finish and grid lines (I usually buy at walmart or staples)
• pocket books
• sharp scissors
• clear, flat surface like a large table with a straight edge

directions

• For standard size paperbacks, measure 2 books of approximately the same size at the same time. unroll some of the self-adhesive paper with the grids facing down and the roll unwrapping to the left. Place two books, cover side up, on the self-adhesive paper. the books act as a weight to keep the self-adhesive paper still, as well as guidelines for measuring the size of the cover needed for the book.

• Carefully take the thicker book and turn it on the self-adhesive paper to the left, so that the cover is facing down. this measures the length of contact paper you will need for both books. Cut the contact paper about 1 inch past the thickest edge of the book. use the grid lines to help cut straight lines.

• Keeping the books separate on the contact paper, cut down the center of the two books making sure there are (approximately) equal amounts of contact paper above and below the edges of each book.

• cut sheets of self-adhesive paper for all the books that need to be covered at the same time to make the process more efficient. save each book with its corresponding contact sheet.

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• Take a piece of self-adhesive paper and place it on a flat, transparent surface with the grid lines facing down. place the book that goes with that piece of sticky paper on top. the paper rolls up a bit and the book helps keep the sticky paper spread out. Using your fingernail, carefully peel off the paper backing starting at the top or bottom corner. I like to start with the top right corner, and I’m right handed. if you don’t remove the backing evenly, the paper will wrinkle leaving a line that looks like a scratch (which drives me crazy). While removing the backing, lift the paper off the table letting the book fall off.

• once the backing is off the self-adhesive paper and the sticky side is exposed, place the paper sticky side up on the flat surface in a horizontal direction. align the bottom edge of the self-adhesive paper with the bottom straight edge of the table. this will help keep the book placement on the contact paper straight and even.
• gently place the back cover of your book close to the right edge of the contact paper. try to leave a border of about 1 inch at the top, bottom and right of the book. in other words, center the top and bottom of the book on the self-adhesive paper and place the book near the right edge of the self-adhesive paper.

• grab the book from the right side and smooth the back of the book with your free hand. start wrapping and pushing the contact paper around the spine of the book. Flip the book over and carefully press the contact paper along the cover, pushing from the spine toward the loose end of the pages.

• Remove bubbles between the book and the sticky paper by gently pushing with your fingers and/or the heel of your hand to the nearest edge.

• Using scissors, cut diagonally along the top 2 outside corners and bottom 2 outside corners. you will cut triangles.

• make diagonal cuts in the front and back corners near the spine.

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• Press the sticky tab of the self-adhesive paper at the top of the spine with your index finger and pull back and down until it separates just below the book spine. Cut the tab off the book’s self-adhesive paper. repeat on the other edge of the spine.

• You will now have 3 flaps hanging over the edge of the book cover and 3 flaps at the back. Carefully wrap the flaps around the book cover and glue to the inside of the covers, pressing gently to avoid wrinkles.

notes

• Your first few books will probably have wrinkles and misaligned self-adhesive paper. the more you practice, the better (and faster) you cover!
• a variety of transparent documents are available. the contact mark is my favorite and the easiest for me to use.
• if you have a large library, I wouldn’t recommend re-covering all the books. I would start by covering any new books you add to your collection and any damaged books you have.
• To cover a damaged book (hard or soft cover), first repair it with clear packing tape, then wrap it in contact paper.

I’d love to hear other suggestions to help take care of a classroom library. What steps do you take to keep the books in good condition and accounted for?

Originally posted on the lesson deli blog.

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