Books, Vinyl and Collection Storage in London

Q: What Is the Best Way to Store Books Long Term?

Upright where possible, out of direct sunlight and away from damp, somewhere dry and stable. Those conditions stop paper warping, fading or turning musty over time. That's how we store everything, sealed and dry, so your books come back in the same condition they arrived in.

Q: Should Books Be Stored Upright or Flat?

Upright is generally better, since it supports the spine and takes the pressure off the binding. Very large, heavy or fragile volumes, like art books or old folios, are often better laid flat so the weight doesn't pull the spine apart. A mix of both is completely normal.

Q: Can I Store Just a Few Boxes of Books, or Does It Have to Be a Full Clear-Out?

Yes. Everything we store goes into secure, sealed Jam Pods, kept clean and dry, which keeps damp, mould and warping at bay. That applies to vinyl, books and collections alike. It's our standard for everything, not a paid add-on for delicate items.

Q: Do I Have to Pack Everything Myself?

No. Our collection team can help pack on the day, and heavy things like boxes of books are exactly what's worth leaving to them. Packing books evenly across boxes rather than piling them all into one makes for a safer lift, and it's the kind of detail we handle so you don't have to.

We collect. We store. We return.

If you’ve got books, records or a collection you can’t quite bring yourself to part with but no longer have room for, you’re in good company. Plenty of us keep more than our shelves can hold. JamStorage collects your books, vinyl and collections straight from your door, keeps them safe in secure storage here in London, and brings back the box or items you ask for. You won’t need to hire a van or visit anywhere yourself. When you want something back, you name it and we deliver it to your door. Get an instant quote to see what it would cost, or take a look at the wider Items We Store range.

No van hire. No heavy lifting. No hassle.

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Why Books (and Everything Else on the Shelf) End Up in Storage

Nobody bins books. Even the ones we know we’ll never open again tend to stay put, because getting rid of them can feel like getting rid of a little of yourself. There’s even a word for the habit of buying faster than you read, tsundoku, and a gentler idea sitting behind it: the unread pile isn’t a failure, it’s a shelf full of things you still might get to. That’s a lovely way to live. It’s less lovely when the shelf is doubling as a wall in a one-bedroom flat.

A full bookcase is one of the most common things people want out of a small London home without actually letting go of it. Books are heavy, awkward to shift in bulk, and there’s rarely an obvious place for them to go. So they stay, stacked two rows deep, until the room starts working around them.

It’s the same story with the rest of the shelf. Vinyl, records, comics and boxed-up collections all take up space you’d rather have back, and all feel like too much to part with. We can store any of it, so you free up the room without making a decision you’ll regret.

What We Store: Books, Vinyl, Comics and Collections

Whether it’s a couple of boxes or a lifetime of reading, we can store it. That includes:

Books of every kind, from fiction and non-fiction to reference and textbooks
Vinyl records and the rest of a music collection
Comics and graphic novels
General collections, the sort of thing that lives in a box in a cupboard rather than out on display

If you also want to store the bookcase or shelving unit itself, we’re happy to collect the shelves and what’s on them in one go.

How Book and Collection Storage Works

Storing your books works the same way as everything else we look after. There’s no van to hire and nothing for you to lift.

Book Your Collection

Book online and tell us what you need storing. Our storage volume calculator helps you work out how much space you need.

We Collect Your Items

Our expert team arrives at your address, packs if needed, and carefully transports your items.

Secure Storage at Our London Facility

Everything is logged and added to your digital inventory, then stored in our CCTV-monitored, temperature-controlled warehouse.

Redelivery, On Your Schedule

Need something back? Request one item or everything, we’ll deliver it to wherever else you need it.

Not sure how much room you need?

Calculate the storage space you need

Only pay for the space you need using our self storage space calculator

Calculate My Space

Ask for It Back by Name

Here’s the part that makes storing books with us different. You don’t have to remember exactly what you packed or where it ended up. Because we log what we collect, you can ask for a specific box back by name and we’ll bring it to you.

Say you’ve boxed up hundreds of books and suddenly want a box back to reread over the summer, or there’s a box of records you’ve been meaning to dig into. You don’t get the whole collection delivered back to sort through. You tell us which box, we bring it to your door.

With the usual kind of storage, getting a box back means turning up in person and working through the boxes yourself until you find it. With us, getting one box back is as easy as getting the lot. You ask, we bring it.

Storage that comes to you

See Pricing & Availability

Keeping Books, Vinyl and Collections in Good Condition

Books and vinyl keep best somewhere dry and out of direct sunlight, away from damp. Left in a loft, garage or against a cold wall, paper warps and grows musty and records can bow out of shape. We keep everything sealed in clean, dry Jam Pods as standard.

For long-term storage, keeping things dry matters more than anything. Damp is what lets mould, mildew and the odd paper-loving silverfish take hold, so sealed, dry storage keeps them at bay. It isn’t an upgrade you pay extra for. It’s simply how your books and records are looked after.

There’s a bit of technique to packing books, too. A box filled only with books gets heavy fast, so spreading them across boxes with lighter items makes for a safer lift and less strain on the bindings. That’s exactly the sort of thing our collection team sorts out on the day, so it’s not something you need to think about.

When Book Storage Makes Sense

People come to us with books and collections for all sorts of reasons.

A few of the common ones:

Clearing a full bookshelf as part of a bigger clear-out. If the books are just one part of a wider declutter, we can take them alongside everything else you’re freeing up space from.
Packing up a collection before a move. Books and records are heavy and best out of the way early, so storing them ahead of a house move keeps them safe while everything else is in flux.
Downsizing a collection without selling it off. If you’re thinning out the shelves but not ready to part with anything for good, storage lets you keep it all without it filling the flat.
Reclaiming a room that’s become a library. When the spare room, hallway or landing has quietly turned into book storage, we can give the space back to you.

Whatever the reason, the books stay yours. You’re freeing up the room, not saying goodbye.

How Much Does Book and Collection Storage Cost

What you pay comes down to two things: how much you’re storing and how long you’re storing it for. There are no hidden fees, and no charge for the van or the loading, both of which are included.

The quickest way to get a figure is our instant quote tool, which gives you a price in a couple of minutes. If you’re not sure how much room your books or records will take up, the storage space calculator helps you work it out before you book.

Here’s how our service stacks up against the typical self storage experience

Compare JamStorage vs Traditional Self Storage

Feature	JamStorage	Self-Storage
Insurance	Available at competitive rates	Usually costly, compulsory & hidden until the last minute
Transport	FREE transport & loading provided at competitive rates	Requires organisation of a van
Protection	Blankets & ties included with purpose built containers	No protection provided
Boxes & Packaging	Competitive pricing and can be delivered to you in advance or upon collection	Expensive and you need to collect from their depot
The Price	Substantially cheaper with no hidden costs	Tactical marketing with hidden costs
Security	24/7 CCTV and temperature controlled	24/7 CCTV and temperature controlled
Customer Access	Available upon booking	Immediate, 7 days a week
Size	Containers allow for increases and decrease, only pay for what you use	Variable sizes available, but if your volume goes down your cost remains the same, unless you move units