Many cultures adapted tree bark for record-keeping use in one way or another. In the Himalayan region and in the Americas, sheets and rolls of bark were used. In many Pacific cultures, "bark cloth" was made by beating moistened sections of bark with a serrated beater. Sections of this bark cloth were joined with vegetable adhesives and gums to produce sheets of considerable size.

The Batak people of Indonesia recorded information on genealogy, religion, divination, and magic on long strips of bark, some as long as thirty feet, which were folded accordion-style and bound between wooden covers.