[pfdietz]

My understanding is that the fibers in paper can become brittle if they are too dry. However, this doesn't cause the paper to break down, it just makes it vulnerable to damage if flexed. So storing paper dry is fine if it is then humidified before being stressed.

[qingcharles]

It's possible. My only experience is with vintage newspapers that were allowed to dry out, and then when trying to open them just shatter like a carbonized volcano scroll.

[palmotea]

Though newspapers are printed on some of the lowest quality paper possible, so they're probably suffering from other issues than just dryness.

[pfdietz]

Like the short lifespan of acid paper. Drying might actually slow down that degradation.

[rolandog]

It's truly humbling how much knowledge professionals from different fields have, and how easy it is to fall into a Dunning–Kruger effect trap where a bit of knowledge — extremely extrapolated — would've led me down the path of hubris and guessing so many wrong answers. Thanks all.

[qingcharles]

One of the best things about this site is how many people there are on here who are way smarter than me, with much deeper domain knowledge.

[pfdietz]

Or we just reflexively look stuff up.