Standards of Excellence 2016

Betsy Palmer Eldridge

Conservation Treatments Revisited

In 1989 at the Guild of Book Workers Standards Seminar in Portland, Oregon, Betsy Palmer Eldridge gave a presentation on Paper Treatments for Bookbinders. It was designed to be a rather quick but comprehensive introduction to the basic paper treatments commonly used by bookbinders on printed book materials: cleaning, washing, neutralizing, de-acidification, light bleaching, sizing, drying, and lining. It was definitely an ambitious, challenging undertaking. A helpful summary was written by Peter Verheyen afterward that appeared subsequently in a GBW Newsletter. A video was also made of it. But like most of the early GBW video attempts, the quality was so poor that it has not been made readily available. For that reason, it was decided that Standards should revisit the topic. In addition, a number of treatments that have come to light in the last 25 years needed to be included, notably some Japanese techniques.

Betsy Palmer Eldridge has been in the bookbinding field for more than 55 years. She was first inroduced to the book arts by Hannah French, the rare book librarian at Wellesley College, in 1957. After graduation, she went abroad and apprenticed at the Metz Bindery in Hamburg, and then studied Finishing with Jules Fache and at the Ecole Estienne in Paris. Back in the US, she worked with Carolyn Horton & Associates in New York, a studio unusual in its focus on both book and paper conservation. Since moving to Toronto in 1974, she has maintained a private practice in restoration and repair, and has taught classes and workshops both there and elsewhere. She has been involved with the Canadian Bookbinders and Book Artist Guild, designing and teaching courses in their certificate program, more than 100 hours of which are on video tapes as a part of the CBBAG Home Study core curriculum.

A member of the Guild of Book Workers since 1960, when “Carolyn Horton brought Miss Palmer to the meeting”, she has been a loyal attendee at the GBW Standards and a Presenter three times. She served as President from 2000 to 2006, which included the GBW Centennial Celebration in New York in 2006. She continues to be active in both local and international professional organizations. She has received Lifetime Achievement Awards from both GBW and CBBAG, and in 2010 was given the Sheldon and Carolyn Keck Award from AIC for “Sustained Excellence in the Education and Training of Conservation Professionals.” Ever onward and upward!

Chela Metzger & Erin Hammeke

Exploration of History and Techniques for Pennsylvania German Liturgical Bookbinding before 1850

Swiss Anabaptist bindings do not exist in great numbers today in Europe, due to the severe persecution of Anabaptists during the 17th century. But many of these highly treasured books came to America in the colonial period along with their owners, and books continued to be bound in America by this religious community using elements of this distinctive style. The Pennsylvania German style often used thick wooden boards, bold metal book furniture, punched metal date and initial plates and beefy metal studded spine straps late into the 19th century. This work is unique for American bindings. The method of building a wooden-boarded binding without lacing on the boards is also surprising compared to the more commonly documented laced wooden board work. Several techniques exhibited in these books will be demonstrated.

Consuela (Chela) Metzger has a degree in librarianship from Simmons College, a Diploma in Hand Book Binding from the North Bennet Street School, and a completion of advanced apprenticeship in rare book conservation from The Library of Congress. She has worked as a conservator at The Huntington Library, The University of Michigan Library, and Winterthur Library. She spent 9 years teaching book conservation at Winterthur/University of Delaware. She is currently working as Head of the UCLA Library Conservation Center and occasionally enters books she has made into exhibits. She is fascinated by the history of bookbinding, and occasionally researches and presents on the topic.

Erin Hammeke is a Senior Conservator for Special Collections at Duke University Libraries. She has a MLIS and CAS in Conservation from the Kilgarlin Center at UT Austin, as well as a B.A. in Art History and Studio Art with an emphasis on Metalworking from UW Madison. She has held internships at the Weissman Preservation Center, Harvard University and at the Pinos y Serriera Archives in Vilassar de Dalt, Spain.

Deborah Evetts

Herrnhuter Paste Papers

Deborah will discuss and demonstrate the Herrnhuter paste paper produced by Moravian Sisters from the religious community at Herrnhut in Saxony during the mid 19th to early 20th centuries. These beautiful papers were often used for covers and endpapers on a variety of books and were made with diverse colors.

Deborah Evetts is an internationally recognized book conservator entrusted by major libraries, museums and private clients with the restoration of their priceless books. She advises librarians and collectors on the best restoration/preservation methods, housing and climate control. Deborah is a lecturer on book conservation, fine binding, decorated papers, etc. to professional organizations, book clubs, publishers and educational institutions.

Trained as a designer bookbinder by several of the greatest exponents of the classical English School of Bookbinding, Deborah exhibits worldwide and her work is represented in numerous institutional and private collections.

As Drue Heinz Book Conservator at the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, she cared for a magnificent and varied collection of Coptic manuscripts and bindings, medieval illuminated manuscripts, early printed books, music and autograph manuscripts, documents and children’s books. She also worked for New York Academy of Medicine, Princeton University Cotsen Children’s Library, University of Illinois Rare Book Library and New York Public Library. Deborah combines her excellent skills as a fine binder and designer, her knowledge and expertise of conservation and restoration with her teaching, lecturing and consulting. She currently runs her own business, Deborah Evetts Book and Paper Conservation.

Cheryl Jacobsen

Calligraphy

“I’ve been attracted to expressive mark making and writing for a very long time, and I’m one of the very lucky people who get to do what they’ve always loved for a living. Even more amazing to me are the connections my lettering allows me to make with different disciplines, projects, people and creative ideas. Being a part of a university community that honors book studies of all kinds and living in a creative city keeps my ideas and opportunities expanding. I will talk about what my life as a modern scribe is like, how I got here, show my work and demonstrate what I do.”

Cheryl Jacobsen is an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book. She also runs a freelance studio in Iowa City in which she gets to create lettering, books, documents and art for all sorts of people and organizations. She loves collaborations, materiality, expressive marks, teaching, and especially living in Iowa City, where she can pursue all of those things on a regular basis.

The conference hotel is The Francis Marion Hotel

• 387 King Street (Map)
• Charleston, SC 29403
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• Phone: (877) 756-2121

The Guild room rate will vary as shown below

* Availability limited on Tuesday and Wednesday
± Additional charge for triple ($10.00) or quad ($20.00) occupancy
§ Taxes subject to change

This room rate is available until August 19, 2016 at 5pm or until the Guild’s room block is full.

For Reservations: Call The Francis Marion toll free at (877) 756-2121 or book online. See Newsletter or Registration Confirmation Email for URL and discount identification code. Francis Marion has Valet parking at the City of Charleston parking garage adjacent to the hotel on King Street ($22 daily and Self-park $17 daily).