The first option is to go to a local art ot craft store and specifically ask for "archival" or "acid free" paper glue.
If that option fails, a starch paste can act as a mild paper glue and its properties can be imnproved by mixing PVA glue (common white glue, preferably acid free) into it.
The Preservation Self-Assessment Program writes:
Starch adhesives (1st century A.D.–present)
Starch adhesives are activated by soaking and/or cooking powdered starch in hot water to form a paste. The most common starches used to make these adhesives are rice and wheat. Starch pastes are widely used in papermaking and paper conservation applications, as they are both water-soluble and reversible. These pastes are pH neutral and remain stable over time under appropriate conditions. This type of paste is susceptible however to biological attack.
You get the best glue-y paste from either wheat or rice starch (look for it in asian supermarkets). Other types like corn, potato or tapioka starch are less suitable. If that is the only starch you have available, test it on some scrap paper before attempting to repair your chest.
Here's an instruction to double archival white glue with a homemade starch paste:
- Put 4 tbsp starch in a small sauce pan and mix it with 8 tbsp of water.
- Cook it over medium heat and never stop whisking the whole time until it cooks.
- It's ready when it turns from a chalky white to translucent.
- Remove from the heat and keep whisking until the mixture is cool. If you don't whisk it while cooling, it becomes jello-y like a pudding.
- Transfer the cooled paste into a small jar and mix it with the same amount of white PVA glue.
The advantage of this mixture is that it dries slower than pure glue, which gives you ample time to work. You can also thin it with a few drops of water.