Category: Emerging Conservation Professionals

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }a:link, span.MsoHyperlink { color: blue; text-decoration: underline; }a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed { color: purple; text-decoration: underline; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }

ECPN MEETING MINUTES

February 17, 2011

Conference Call Attendees:
Carrie Roberts

Rose Daly

Ryan Winfield

Amy Brost

Heather Brown

Stephanie Lussier

I. Minutes

a. ECPN January minutes approved

II. ECPN Co-position for Education and Training

a. Carrie Roberts takes co-position with Amber Kerr-Allison; full transition of the position to Carrie will occur at the end of 2011.

III. AIC Meeting 2011

a. Angels Project (Ryan) – no updates. Contract with the site is pending.

b. ECPN attendees – several committee members plan on going. Heather posted room-sharing notice on Facebook. One person seeking to share accommodations so far, but more anticipated as the date nears.

c. Meetings – Business meeting and dinner scheduled. Registration brochure has full page on this. Brochure is also on the website available for download.

d. Related Facebook Group – Conservators in private practice or freelance Facebook group has a posting about meeting up at 2011 meeting. Rose will mention the ECPN dinner and invite them to join. Carrie added that she is looking to create a workshop for emerging conservators just starting out and going into private practice. Rose will invite Kirsten, Amber, and Carrie to be members of this group.

e. Portfolio Session Presenters – Via email, Amber notified the group that three of the four graduate programs have committed. Buffalo has 2 students available and added that the event could be expanded to provide a full introduction to all the schools, include professors, and perhaps even be open to local pre-program students who are not attending the AIC meeting. While this idea was well received, it also seemed overly ambitious for the first year of this event. Rose suggested surveying participants in this year’s portfolio session to see how it could grow in the future. Paper survey, or possibly collect email addresses and encourage people to complete an online survey (email would make it possible to follow up with them). Keep it straightforward this year, see how it’s received, then build upon it next year if there is a good response. Ryan added that there are a number of Student AIC member registrations already in, so student attendance is expected to be good. Exhibit hall is not open to the public, so it’s difficult to have people coming who are not registered for the annual meeting. Could consider a one-day exhibit hall pass or other special registration category if the portfolio session is opened to the public in the future.

f. Portfolio Session Outreach – Will be posted on Facebook. Rose suggested emailing Student members of AIC to notify them, which Ryan said could be done.

g. Poster – Amy is working on this, but requested file specifications before going further with the design. Printing will be done by AIC, with Amy delivering the file to Morgan for production. Ryan emailed Morgan to ask that she send Amy electronic file specs and delivery requirements.

h. Flier – Amy will add Carrie Roberts and Stephanie Porto. Karen’s position of AIC Board liaison may be transitioned by the time of the meeting, so indicate that position generically on the flier. Amy will send flier with all revisions except the new Flickr page URL to Ryan and Rose. Final approval next call for 4/1 deadline. [Correction of previous minutes – flier is single-sided color, not double-sided.]

IV. Outreach (Heather)

a. Blog – Jason Church willing to write a post – Heather says it can be challenging to identify writers. Heather will follow up with Jason to give him the green light.

b. Webinar – can work with Jason to stage webinars from Louisiana. Possible topics include how to build a portfolio. Ask portfolio presenters at the AIC meeting about participating in a webinar.

c. Flickr – ECPN images will be moved onto the AIC Flickr page. Jason needs to move his images. Ryan handled permissions. Rose to follow up with Ryan. Rose or Ryan to provide new URL to Amy to use on the flier.

d. AIC News – article about mentoring program (Heather) – Jane is writing it with her. Lisa provided a guideline of 500-1000 words. Will include a general introduction to the program, specifics on how the program works, and then will discuss Heather and Jane’s personal experiences. Heather will send the draft to Lisa and Morgan.

V. Communications (Amy)

a. AIC News – article about ECPN at the AIC annual meeting was approved on the previous call and Ryan forwarded it on by the 2/1 deadline for the next issue.

b. Wikis – Amy to follow up with Rachael Perkins Arenstein on ECPN contributions to the SG Wikis. Rose did the Wiki training if anyone has questions.

c. JAIC Peer Reviewers – Amy confirmed that Michele Derrick had enough volunteers and that she did not want to solicit more until there was a need. Rose proposed offering ECPN assistance with book reviews. Ryan indicated that there is one book reviewer at present, so this may be an opportunity area for ECPN. Amy to ask Michele.

d. Position descriptions – Rose sent Communications position description to coordinators and requested that the coordinators develop and maintain descriptions, as this helps with evaluating progress, formalizing committee structure and workflow, and facilitates transitions.

e. Repository/archive for ECPN documents – for Katie and Jason’s notes, proposals, posters, other committee documents. Ryan reported that AIC is exploring various platforms (ie, Dropbox, Big Tent, Yahoo! Group, etc.) and will determine which will be used by all specialty groups and committees. Ryan to advise, then committee members (current and former) can provide the documents to populate it.

VI. Education & Training (Carrie)

a. Recent E&T conference call – discussed ideas ECPN has for possible workshops to develop as part of AIC, including starting a private practice (with Kirsten Travers), grant writing, and publishing (how to publish in JAIC, blogs, other journals, etc.) Setting up a private practice is a workshop that would translate well into a Webinar – Heather will follow up with Jason. Carrie has sent ideas to Stephanie Lussier. Webinars are more permanent so it is ideal to create webinars along with workshops.

b. Research Database – CoOL doesn’t have capacity and isn’t searchable – Rose suggested discussing with Walter Henry. U. of Texas database may be transitioned to AIC, which would also provide a possible platform for the research database, and it contains research already. Concern that it’s pre-populated with the research of just one program. Do not want to give the impression of skewing emphasis within the database to one training program. All programs will help with vetting, so all must be on board with how new information is brought into it. Start with the idea of populating it with research from ANAGPIC.
http://www.ischool.utexas.edu/~anagpic/studentpapers.htm

VII. ECPN at AAM

a. Rose unable to attend AAM. For the future, this is an opportunity for networking and identifying areas for collaboration.

VIII. ECPN and ECC at ANAGPIC (Ryan, Stephanie)

a. Ryan can possibly set up the poster, since Stephanie cannot come to the conference. Stephanie advised via email that there may be a Queens student who can present, and an ECC representative. Rose sent Ryan her talk from last year. Ryan will be delivering remarks and may co-present with the representative from Canada, per Stephanie’s email.

IX. Publications Committee Update (Amy)

a. Amy participated in the January conference call, which centered around electronic publishing. Specialty groups each have their own processes. Each group is providing information on how they handle electronic publishing now (ie, post prints) and this will be used to develop a best-practices document. Considerable discussion on PDF vs. XML. PDF is faster, simpler, and less expensive, but XML is more versatile, and easier to migrate in the future.

b. The Architectural Specialty Group is looking to update its Wikipedia entry with volunteer help, possibly from ECPN. Ryan can provide them with a list cross-referencing architectural conservation and ECPN. Amy posted to listserv. Can also post to Facebook page and encourage ASG to reach out to the conservation graduate programs directly. Amy will circle back with Jenn Capetto of ASG.

Next conference call will be March 17, 2011 (St. Patrick’s Day) at 1PM ET.

Respectfully submitted,

Amy Brost

Tip #10: Make sacrifices

“People make a great mistake in thinking that my art has come easily to me but nobody has devoted so much time and thought to music as I.” -Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

This one I saved for last because it’s sometimes the hardest to hear; when a great opportunity arises, you should take advantage of it, even if it means making some sacrifices. This is certainly true of any goal we set in life, but seems particularly applicable to this stage of becoming a conservator. As I look back over the other 9 tips, two fundamental sacrifices stand out to me: time—to visit conservators, read online resources, attend events, and create a bibliography—and money—to join professional organizations, fulfill the pre-requisites required for application to the programs, and, again, to attend events.

I’m not suggesting that you go without sleep in order to read every conservation blog, or accumulate credit card debt so you’re able to join every organization. Just do the best you can with the resources at hand. If an amazing internship opens up in another city, consider commuting as a possibility. If the only experience you can find is unpaid, take it and maybe a paid position will open up in the future. If an interesting and instructive conference is about to take place and you can’t afford it, ask about volunteer opportunities in order to waive the registration fee. It’s true that the more sacrifices you make the more you’ll reap the benefits, but the main point, no matter what the situation, is to be determined to make it work.

If you chose conservation as a career, you must have a passion for art, or science, or both! You’re giving a lot, but what you’re getting in return is a job that you love–and, in my opinion, that’s worth the effort. There are some great things about being pre-program, like having the opportunity to work with a variety of materials, or take classes in all the areas that interest you. So, when this process becomes stressful and/or you need some motivation to keep at it, remind yourself to enjoy each and every step. Believe it or not, these few years will fly by and before you know it, you’ll be a conservator! Good luck!

Was there something I missed? Please feel free to post an additional tip to the blog as Tip #11 (nobody said there had to be 10!).

The Education and Training Committee Seeks a New Student Member
1-Year Term, beginning May/June 2011 (at AIC), submission deadline: March 15, 2011

The Education and Training Committee (ETC) works in conjunction with the AIC Board Director of Professional Education and the Director of Institutional Advancement in developing short and long-term goals and program content; assists with planning workshops and reviewing professional development award applications and proposals from the membership as needed; develops and implements strategies to increase student interaction within AIC, in conjunction with students, staff, membership committee, training programs, and the AIC board; reviews and updates training related publications.

The ETC communicates primarily via email correspondence and occasional conference calls. The committee meets in-person annually at the AIC meeting.

Please submit a brief statement of interest and your resume to Stephanie Lussier, Chair, AIC-ETC, (stephaniemlussier [at] gmail [dot] com) by March 15, 2011.
Questions about committee activities can be directed to Stephanie, or ETC’s current student member: Kirsten Travers (kirstenetravers [at] gmail [dot] com)

>

I still remember the nerves, excitement, and stress of interviewing for graduate school last spring, and as interview time rolls around again I’ll share some advice and relate my experience at Buffalo State College.

This will sound obvious, but re-read the requirements the school has given you and be sure you have everything they want! If you aren’t sure exactly what the school would like you to bring, ask them. I called and emailed all three departments with questions on their requirements- and they were all slightly different.

I made myself a checklist ahead of time and when I was packing for the trip to be sure I didn’t leave anything out. It also made me feel more relaxed knowing that I was prepared. I interviewed at WUDPAC, NYU, and Buffalo, and by the end of March I was so sleep deprived and anxious I might have forgotten my own head 🙂

I decided to buy two large hard-sided art portfolios with shoulder straps to help transport the 2-D art I was bringing to the interview. The documentation from my pre-program conservation experience went into a three ring binder. I was lucky enough to be able to meet with WUDPAC graduates Kristin deGhetaldi and Brian Baade who kindly showed me examples of their portfolios and gave me a mock interview.

I also arranged to practice my Powerpoint presentation ahead of time in front of the wonderful scientists and conservators at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. They provided a lot of helpful feedback, caught my mistakes, and built my confidence speaking about conservation in front of a room full of people. I picked out an interview outfit ahead of time (slacks and a top) and asked for feedback on that too! I wanted something I would feel comfortable in but that looked professional and wouldn’t wrinkle.

Because I was bringing art (including breakables) and a heavy binder along with my clothes and overnight kit, I decided to drive to Buffalo (from Silver Spring, Maryland) rather than fly. I arrived the afternoon before my interview and had time to see a little of the city by car. I had arranged ahead of time to my first year student host, Gwenanne Edwards, at her apartment near campus, where I left my bags before we headed off to a potluck dinner hosted by another first year student.

Despite being nervous and not knowing anyone, the dinner was actually fun, with lots of great food. I got to chat with many of the first and second year students, and asked a lot of questions about the program, the professors, living in Buffalo, and for last-minute interview advice. It was interesting to hear what other people, including fellow interviewees, had done already, and find out where the students were going for summer internships. Everyone was very friendly and informative.

My interview was the next morning, and Gwenanne took me to school with plenty of time to spare. She gave me a tour and I took a color blindness test and had my picture taken. Finally it was my turn to interview, and we carried my portfolios, binder, bag and box into a conference room where the committee was waiting. All of the artwork was put out on a table, someone helped me load my Powerpoint presentation (saved on my flash drive), and I passed around the treatment binder.

Basically, the presentation outlined the projects I included in the binder. I was frequently interrupted with questions, which I did my best to answer. I wasn’t reading a formal script, but I did have a typed outline which helped me get back on track when I was distracted by questions.

Everyone got up to look at my art portfolio, and I answered questions about specific items. I also had a “cheat sheet” of the history, materials and techniques of my artworks in case I got flustered and forgot something (it came in handy when I was asked about the ingredients of the glaze on a ceramic pot). Then we sat back down and chatted about the program; I asked a few more questions, talked about my background and interests, someone asked how I felt about snow- it was very relaxed, and I felt that the committee was interested and welcoming. With the interview over, we packed everything up again and Gwenanne helped me load the portfolios back into my car for the drive home. As soon as I got back I sent a thank you to the committee, and to my student host, and settled in to wait for a decision.

Asking questions is a recurring theme in this blog, and I’ll repeat the advice- ask questions! I’ve found that conservators are friendly and helpful, and like to share what they know. Rose Daly also wrote a post about interviewing here and you can ask other current and former students about their experiences. Personally I owe a great deal to all the people who contributed their knowledge and advice to help me show the committee what I’d done and what I knew.

Good luck!

p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: “Times New Roman”; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }ol { margin-bottom: 0in; }ul { margin-bottom: 0in; }

ECPN MEETING MINUTES

January 20, 2011

Conference Call Attendees:
Carrie Roberts

Amber Kerr-Allison

Rose Daly

Ryan Winfield

Stephanie Porto

Ruth Seyler

Amy Brost

I. ECPN December meeting minutes approved

II. Discussion on this call included the following clarification on committee process: Draft materials generated by members should go concurrently to the chair and AIC contact (Rose and Ryan) prior to distribution to the full committee. The committee should work through the AIC contact (Ryan) for communications with other staff at AIC.

III. ANAGPIC (Rose)

a. Canadian Association of Conservators (CAC) Emerging Conservation Committee (ECC) will be able to have a poster at ANAGPIC, per Stephanie Porto, but she will not be attending. May have someone from the Queens program set it up, or perhaps the ECPN representative can set it up if in Delaware soon enough.

b. 5-minute talk about ECPN. Preferred attendees are either current students or recent graduates. Determined that Ryan Winfield may be able to represent ECPN and deliver the 5-minute talk. Ryan to explore whether or not he can attend. Rose to provide Ryan with her talk from last year. Emphasize the chance to attend the ECPN Business Meeting at AIC.

c. Ensure that CAC-ECC poster and ECPN posters show that the groups are aware of each other and are collaborating on behalf of emerging conservators across North America.

d. Last year, many attendees expressed interest to Rose about the Mentoring Program in particular.

IV. ECPN Flickr Page

a. Rose asked about combining the main AIC and ECPN Flickr pages. Amy recalled that she and Heather agreed it was a good idea. Rose to ask Jason about how this transition could be accomplished.

b. Can continue to promote ECPN Flickr page in the meantime, and then announce the changeover when it occurs at a future date. Can subsequently promote and encourage ECPN members to submit to the AIC Flickr page.

c. Based on outcome of conversation between Rose and Jason, determine whether ECPN Flickr info should be removed from the flier.

V. AIC Meeting

a. Poster (Amy) – Amy to begin working on a design with what she has so far. Anyone who hasn’t sent her a few bullets about their initiatives is asked to do so.

b. Flier (Amy) – Committee process is to send designs to Ryan who will forward to Morgan. Amy to make corrections from Ryan and send back to him. The flier will be set up as a color, 2-sided 8.5×11 sheet that Ryan can provide to the printer to print with the materials for the AIC conference bag. Amy can provide a digital print-ready file to any specifications. Ryan to advise.

c. PDF Flier (Amy) – Amy will have a PDF of the flier that can be used for outreach to undergraduates who might explore a career in conservation. Discuss distribution with Heather on a future call.

d. Angels Project (Ryan/Ruth) – Site has been selected but not announced because the host agreement has not been signed. Project will take place on Saturday following the end of the conference. Announcement from AIC to come.

e. Business Meeting room (Ruth) – Ruth has already reserved. Group agreed only water was needed in the room, no food order. Rose to provide list of any A/V needs.

f. Dinner (Heather) – Group is assuming no reservations will be needed at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, and that dinner will be drop-in style. Heather to confirm on a future call.

g. Portfolio Review (Amber) – Two of the four U.S. programs are on board, and Amber is following up with the other two. Determined that the session can be held in one of the smaller rooms, which will be quieter than the exhibit hall, offer more space to spread out portfolio materials and gather around tables, and will still be in a high-traffic area. Ryan suggested there could be a sign outside the door, and the door could be propped open throughout the session to encourage foot traffic. Date will stay firm at Thursday afternoon, June 2.

h. Article for AIC News (Amy) – Group approved the final, 1/20/11 version of the news article about ECPN activities at the AIC meeting. Ryan to forward on to the appropriate party before the deadline of 2/1. Carrie was not able to review it because she is not on the distlist yet, but Rose forwarded it to her. She did not want to delay group approval for her comments but will review it.

VI. Student Research Database (Carrie)

a. Very supportive response to hosting it on CoOL, an AIC-sponsored platform. Carrie has spoken with Meg Craft, Karen Pavelka, Rachael Perkins Arenstein, Stephanie Porto, Lorrie Dong, and they are all supportive. Carrie is proceeding with development of a formal proposal based on some overview documents she has already prepared. May also develop a grant application to advance this project.

b. Stephanie Porto offered support of the RATS group based on the fact that student research would fall within the RATS committee charge.

VII. Wikis (Amy)

a. ECPN to promote Wiki contributions as discussed on a prior call. Awaiting response from Rachael Perkins Arenstein to a few outstanding questions regarding the process for the Wiki updates and what specialty groups wish to encourage contributions from emerging conservators.

b. Stephanie added that Rachael is doing trainings on Wiki software for those interested in becoming editors. Stephanie to forward the information to Rose.

VIII. Mentoring Program (Ryan)

a. The mentoring program is proceeding – no updates at this time.

IX. Education and Training Site (Amber/Carrie)

a. Also working with Stephanie on this. Review of the web page is in progress. Determining needed updates and reorganization of information. They will have a call to discuss sometime in early February.

X. Social Media Tutorial (Rose/Karen)

a. Rose will reach out to a contact at UT to advance this idea.

XI. AAM 2011

a. Rose may not be able to attend, but feels it would be a good opportunity to reach out to the Emerging Museum Professionals Network. She offered to assist anyone who would like to apply to attend. Ideal for those working in museum settings to see if their institutions would be supportive of their attendance.

Next conference call 1 PM EST, Thursday, February 17, 2011.

Respectfully submitted,

Amy Brost

Tip #9: Become [more] involved with the Emerging Conservation Professionals Network

Reading this blog is a wonderful way to learn about conservation and, specifically, about the ECPN, but why not engage just a bit more? In tip #2, I suggested that you join professional associations; becoming involved with ECPN is a way to take that one step further, and get even more out of your membership with AIC. For someone who is just beginning a career in conservation, the ECPN offers incredible opportunities to contribute and absorb as much as you like!

The ECPN is a network for those just entering or thinking about entering the field of conservation, helping you make the transition from pre-program student, to student, to conservation professional. The group was created by emerging conservators in 2008, and has promoted the following initiatives (among others) for you to take advantage of:

1. The blog – for articles, events and job announcements; posting is open to all AIC members.

2. Facebook – a place to organize the group, send out updates and begin conversations.

3. Mentoring Program – a way to connect emerging conservators with a Professional Associate or Fellow of AIC who can offer conservation-related advice.

4. Events at the AIC annual meeting- the ECPN business meeting, happy hour, and the Angels Project (more details to come).

If there are any other blog posts or projects that you think would be helpful to you and other emerging conservators, please sit in on a conference call or contact one of the committee members with your suggestions!

CALL FOR PAPERS

Playing to the Galleries and Engaging New Audiences: the public face of conservation

November 13-17, 2011

Williamsburg, VA.

Conservators increasingly find themselves asked to present their efforts through an ever expanding array of methods ranging from more traditional techniques such as exhibits, lectures and behind the scenes tours to newer technologies such as blogs, podcasts and video learning. These activities are important not only as fundraising tools but also because they have the potential to define why and how communities care for their heritage and create social capital.

Colonial Williamsburg’s department of conservation invites paper and poster submissions for a conference dealing with the public face of conservation. Held in conjunction with our exhibit “Conservation: Where Art and Science Meet” the conference will focus on the role of communicating conservation within a museum context. In addition to papers spotlighting other conservation exhibitions, we would welcome papers focusing on educational initiatives linking students to the arts, sciences and social sciences through conservation; projects involving volunteers and the public in museum-led conservation efforts; and strategies for engaging local communities in the preservation of cultural heritage. What has worked? What hasn’t? What impact has it had on audiences? What was the planning process and how have the results been evaluated? We’d love to hear about your forays into this arena!

Abstracts of up to 300 words should provide a clear enough summary of the proposed paper to allow an evaluation of its quality and significance. Submissions will be evaluated by the planning committee. Papers presented at the conference will be published in an edited post-conference publication.

Deadlines:

March 25th 2011 for abstract submission. Acceptances to be announced by May 1^st 2011. Final written versions of the paper or poster will be due November 7^th 2011 for inclusion in the publication.

Please send abstracts to Emily Williams, Department of Conservation-BHW, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776, fax (757) 565-8752.

Tip #8: Ask lots of questions

When you’re just beginning your career in conservation, asking questions is a no-brainer because there’s so much to learn, but as time goes on and you get into the habit of completing routine tasks, it’s easy to forget to ask WHY you are doing them. The point of an internship is not only to help with the work of the lab, you should also be storing up knowledge to apply to future conservation jobs.

With the basic questions of what and how behind you, be sure to ask questions about each project that you work on—questions about:

-The history, materials and techniques of the artist (i.e. when and where did the artist work? or how did the artist prepare his materials?)

– The chemistry behind the damage and repair process (i.e. how did the object deteriorate? or why did you choose that particular adhesive?)

– The treatment techniques and tools used (i.e. what are the future implications for consolidation? or what do you use the suction table for?)

First ask these questions of your supervisor, then they will likely point you in the direction of appropriate books and articles to continue your research. [This is the perfect opportunity to build that annotated bibliography!] Imagine that a visitor will be coming to the lab and wants to know about what you’re working on…you should have plenty to say. And, in the future, when an admissions committee or employer asks you questions about your portfolio, you’ll have very thorough and practiced answers.

I think we often take our supervisors and/or mentors for granted. Not only have they been educated in conservation, they have also built up years of experience working in the field. Ask them specific questions about research they have conducted and any talks or workshops they have given. And, when you go to visit other conservators in their own labs, be sure to ask about their projects and research.

Sometimes your peers can be less intimidating than experienced conservators, so try to meet and talk with other students and pre-program interns. Being in the same situation will help to form a common ground, and unlike other friends and family who sometimes get tired of hearing about conservation, other students and interns will be happy to discuss things—like the application process—over coffee or lunch. You can also share your calendars of conservation-related events, and even carpool to get there. If there aren’t any other interns at your workplace, check the AIC directory or contact your local guild.

Finally, don’t forget to take advantage of your fellow ECPNers! Post a question to the group’s Facebook page, or send an email to one of the committee members.

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px}

The journey to becoming a book conservator is long, like all fields in conservation and requires an understanding of many arts. There are vastly different paths you can take to achieving an education, but it all begins with a love of the book.. It could be the simple comforting pleasure you get holding a book in your hand, smelling the ink on its pages or admiring the special technique used to bind it all together. A book has a function. It is meant to be handled and goes through more abuse than paintings or sculptures. Your perspective begins to change once you realize that you are conserving something that will be touched repeatedly throughout the years to come. The older the specimen the better condition it is, hopefully, stored in, but remember, its primary function is to be opened and admired.

My journey began in graphic design and the desire to create great graphic novels in the art world, but my eyes were opened one semester when I signed up for Art of the Book, changing my perspective on the book world. A form of art, bookbinding, unraveled before my eyes and it was then that I knew my career of working with books had become more focused. A book conservator’s skills all begin with bookbinding. The continual practice of dexterity is vital to your success, but bookbinding encompasses so many other faces. Woodworking (pesky wooden panel covers), hand-crafting the perfect tool to add to your arsenal of conservation, leather paring, embroidery, paper making, etc. It’s good to sign up for all types of workshops. I’m sure metal working is in there somewhere. Vocational schools that offer 2 to 4 years training are the American Academy of Bookbinding and the North Bennet Street School.

It is also important to be involved in your book community, big or small. There are book lovers out there in every neck of the woods and learning about rare books, special editions, history behind printings, and the evolvement of the book over time are important to understanding the era a book comes from. What type of paper and bindings were popular during the 17th century? What is the base of the ink used? Can you remain true to the book’s original heritage? These questions you must ask yourself when approaching any conservation treatment.

I am just at the beginning of this journey and the sources of information on bookbinding and workshops are in no short supply. Book arts and bookbinding do not always go hand-in-hand in book conservation, but there are many book art centers around the country that offer classes in bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking and more to get you started learning the fundamentals. The west coast has the San Francisco Center of the Book and the east coast has the Center for Book Arts in New York City. Be sure to check out local community colleges, as they can hold one day workshops in their art departments. Talk with local rare book dealers and don’t forget about your local library. Often times, preservation departments are hard to find on library sites so be prepared to email a lot of questions. If a library doesn’t have an onsite lab, then find out where they are sending their books out for treatment. Check with your State Archives offices for internships with works on paper.

One question that has been brought to my attention repeatedly and I’ve yet to find an answer for, is if you want to go into book conservation should you be getting a master’s in library sciences? This is where I am having a moment of hesitation because I have started my graduate studies strictly in art conservation and the option of library sciences was only recently presented. If you have the desire to work strictly in a library as a conservator, is an MSLS required? I’ve learned quite a bit and gleaned a lot of information from a variety of sources, but with questions answered more are bound to arise. I believe it’s important to remember that everyone’s journey into book conservation will be different and finding the best path for your needs and goals is vital. There are no concrete paths, but you must hone your skill. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask questions. If all else fails, remember to read, read, read. Know your history and truly embody what the book is all about.