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How to Hold & Display LP Records on Shelving

LP (or long-play) records provide one of the warmest, most immersive music experiences a listener can have. With their colorful jacket art, delicate inner sleeves and intricate grooved surface, LPs demand to be treated with respect when they are played and shelved. Never stack LPs on top of one another to create a vertical pile; likewise, when storing them horizontally, make sure each record has enough space to comfortably slide in and out, without being so slack that the record is forced to lean at an angle.

Things You'll Need

  • LP records
  • Climate-controlled room
  • Shelf
  • Level
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Instructions

    • 1

      Store your LPs in a climate-controlled room that is about 60 degrees F. with 20 percent to 40 percent humidity.

      Make sure the shelf is level before placing any LPs on it. Over a long period of time, a slightly skewed shelf will damage both the jacket and, potentially, the LP. If the shelf is not perfectly level, engineer a perfectly flat board. Use angled wedges to mount the board on the existing shelf so that it provides a flat surface.

    • 2

      Never touch an LP's surface directly. Handle an LP by its edges. Carefully insert the LP into the inner sleeve. Use one hand to hold open the inner sleeve while sliding the record into the inner sleeve. Insert the record and inner sleeve into the outer cardboard jacket so that the inner sleeve's opening faces out.

    • 3

      Arrange LPs so that they rest on the bottom part of the jacket, with the opening of the inner sleeve inside the jacket facing up. The jacket's spine should face out. Stack records on the shelf so they are as vertical as possible. If there are fewer records than shelf space, use a bookend to keep the records in a 90-degree position.

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