Every book nerd feels a twinge in her chest when she sees a book that's been dropped in the bathtub, stained with peanut butter, or had its spine broken. We have all inflicted such abuse at one time or another, whether out of ignorance or clumsiness, but that doesn't make us keen on seeing it done to other books. Trust me: I used to repair dogeared pages as a junior volunteer at my local library.
Thankfully, Library of Congress Junior Fellow Lucy Jakub has created a series of colorful posters we can all use to remind the people around us to be a little more careful and respectful around books. She's revamped the Be Kind to Books Club, which distributed posters about proper book care to libraries and schools in the 1930s. Drawing on artist Arlington Clegg's iconic style — which you can see in the header image above — Jakub has given a new set of bold, pro-book-care materials to the upcoming generation of Be Kind to Books Club members.
Jakub's posters, bookplates, and bookmarks are available as free, downloadable printables from the Library of Congress website. Her designs feature iconic characters, such as Robin Hood, Dorothy Gale, and Tarzan. Because these characters are in the public domain, their stories may be read online at Read.gov.
You can check out the Be Kind to Books Club designs below. Be sure to print and share your favorites with your friends and followers.
Images: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, WPA Poster Collection, [ LC-USZC2-992 ]; Library of Congress, Educational Materials
