Workshop Fee (includes materials fee): $230
Scholarship available; click here to apply.

This is an in-person workshop. As of January 2023, masks are strongly encouraged but not required unless otherwise indicated. 

While bookbinding and book repair share many skills and techniques, they are also distinct pursuits. This course will introduce the student familiar with bookbinding to key practices within basic book repair. What is the difference between conservation and restoration? What is pH and how is it tested in paper? What are the different adhesives used in book repair and what is the selection process?

Through both discussion and hands-on practice, students will get the answers to these questions and more in order to start to appreciate the challenges and rewards of book repair. 

Topics addressed/activities will include:

• Conservation ethics
• How to distinguish different types of adhesives used in conservation; students will discuss and touch various papers used in conservation
• pH testing paper of various papers
• Various types of paper mending and strengthening with kozo tissue and paste
• Humidification and flattening
• How to make a custom-fitted conservation enclosure
   

 >> Prerequiste: None, though some bookbinding experience or experience in the safe handling of fragile items is recommended. <<

Materials to Bring: None. All tools and materials will be provided.

Date & Time: Sunday, June 18, 2023 :: 9:30am-5:30pm

Location: 375 Rhode Island St, San Francisco, CA 94103

NOTE: Please read over the SFCB Registration Policies before signing up for a class. Registration will close three days prior to the start date of the workshop to allow the instructor time to prep materials for class. 
 

About the Instructor | Clair Emma Smith (she/her)

Clair Emma Smith is a bookbinder specializing in repair located in Oakland, California. She found her love of bookbinding during an art conservation internship at a historical society in Indiana, and she has been setting up her dream home studio ever since. Clair Emma relocated to the Bay Area after graduating from North Bennet Street School's bookbinding program in 2019 and works in private practice for both herself and other conservators as Bouguereau Bindery.