I have quite a few valued harcover reference books where the dust
>jacket is torn and falling to pieces every time I put it back on the
>shelf. I just came up with a repair solution I love. I happened to
>have a roll of vinyl prepasted wallpaper. Its strong and flexible.
>All it requires is a damp sponge to make it tacky. I can reassemble
>the many pieces of the dust jacket and press it against the wallpaper.
>Use muscilage glue from the Dollar Store to glue down the tear
>overlaps, the edges and small pieces. Use a dry towel to smooth out
>any creases. Its done. Trim to size.
Ingenious. I think you might still want to do something to keep the tears from reopening when you reshelve the book. Our local library wraps a clear plastic cover around every dust jacket. I'm thinking those clear report covers, if you want to make your own rather than asking a librarian.