Meridith-

I don't know whether you have received a response to your question by now
or not.  One of my co-workers forwarded it to me.  I am a paper conservator
here at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum.

Are you interested in becoming a book conservator?  There are basically two
ways to become one:  you can apprentice yourself to one or more book
conservators and learn the profession that way or you can go through one of
the graduate programs and receive the equivalent of a Masters in Art
Conservation (although the programs require practical experience as a
prerequisite).  There really aren't serious classes taught in book
conservation that are available on a casual basis.  However, a good book
conservator needs to have a solid knowledge of bookbinding and there are
lots of places to take classes in that.  Learning bookbinding would be a
good way to start getting your feet wet in terms of getting to know whether
you really want to go into this profession.  It will also bring you into
contact with book conservators who can help you gain practical experience
through internships or apprenticeships.

Check with libraries, archives and universities to find book conservators
who can give you more specific advice for your area.  I've never yet met a
conservator who wasn't happy to talk to people about his/her profession.
There is a private conservation center in Philadelphia called The
Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (or CCAHA) that has at
least one book conservator on staff.  This person can probably steer you in
the right direction.  Their number is 215/545-0613.  The nearest graduate
program to Philadelphia is the program at the University of Delaware,
through Winterthur Museum.  Their number is 302/831-2479.

As for money, one nice thing about the graduate programs-- even though they
are extremely competitive, once you are in they waive your tuition and
provide a stipend for living expenses.  Some of my classmates took out
student loans to supplement their living expenses, books, etc. but not
having to pay tuition made a big difference.  This is necessary because the
programs are pretty intensive 50-60 hour/week during the two years of
coursework and then the final year is a full-time internship so there is no
time for a part-time job.

I hope this is helpful.  I don't want to sound discouraging.  It isn't easy
to get into the profession but most of us love our jobs and there is always
room for one more!

-Jayne Girod Holt

>>> Meredith Rendall <[log in to unmask]> 02/16/00 10:25AM >>>
Hi everyone!

I am an arts administration graduate student in Philadelphia interested in
taking some paper/book conservation classes.  My program doesn't offer
any.
Does anyone have any ideas on how I might find a workshop/program.  As a
student I don't have much money, so that is another concern.

Thanks,

Meredith

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).