Dr. Melissa Tedone

Dr. Tedone covered the principle of performing robust repairs without interfering with the original book structure (i.e., wet, heat, and solvent-set mends; board corner strengthening and repair; spot sewing; tipping-in; and hinge tightening)

Joan Irving

This seminar explored humidification and flattening techniques on two test subjects (tracing papers and rag papers), such as air-dry, friction dry, hollytex blotter sandwich, hard-soft sandwich, and felts only.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

By observing dozens of book models, we categorized them by covering material-to-textblock attachment, leaf attachment, and covering material.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

In this seminar we learned the many factors that define “board reattachment,” as well as the components and materials to achieve board reintegration.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

Through this seminar we learned about the pros and cons of recasing vs. making a new case, particularly the differences between general and special collections and which approach is optimal in either instance.

Joan Irving

This seminar taught us the differences between rubber and acrylic-based PST, as well as techniques to remove the carriers and films without disrupting the paper matrix such as vapor domes, Gore-Tex packs, immersion, and scrapping.

Joan Irving

This two-day seminar was a deep dive into the different techniques and types of solutions used for bathing works of art on paper. We experimented with immersion bathing, using screens, tekwipe, and Gellan gum, as well as varying pH and conductivity solutions.

Dr. Ellen Cunningham and Andrea Knowlton

During this two-day workshop, we practiced random sampling by surveying the condition of Winterthur Library’s Docs collection.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

The focus of this seminar was to discuss how to operate in an ethical framework when confronting the ambiguities of assessing and preserving library and archives materials that embody the intrinsic duality as objects with historical significance and as objects meant to be held and touched by users.

Matthew Cushman

This workshop explored different gels for their potential use within paper conservation including agarose, gellan gum, curdlan, xanthan and konjac gels. The gels were assessed for their moisture content as well as efficacy in removing degradation products.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

We explored traditional and contemporary materials often used as rebacking materials and how they may be more adequate depending on the book’s mechanical functionality and overall material nature.

Alexis Hagadorn, Morgan Adams, and Emily Lynch

During this online workshop, we learned a comprehensive history of bookbinding with examples selected from the collections of the Rare Book and Manuscript Library of Columbia University. The goal was to build a practical framework for connoisseurship in book and bookbinding history.

Joan Irving

The workshop introduced us to multiple aqueous lining techniques for paper objects with weakened supports. We experimented with the most common lining technoques: “drop”, “dry or remoistenable” and “restrained” with a variation of tissues, adhesives, and drying techniques.

Joan Irving

Developed criteria for choosing pulp filling as a method of compensation and to develop familiarity with the materials and techniques.

Dr. Melissa Tedone & Lara Kaplan, Objects Conservator

Jointly with WUDPAC’s objects majors, we learned about skin, hide and leather species visual and analytical identification, treatment ethics, consolidation, and custom repair materials such as acrylic films.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

In this seminar we learned to characterize historical inks based on their coloring agents, liquid carrier, and binder. We also explored Winterthur’s writing inks collection to learn more about the physical characteristics of the major types of ink-dispensing writing instruments such as reeds, quills, metal nibs, and reservoir pens.

Michelle Sullivan

We gained an overview of loan-caul and high-acrylic gel preparation basics for local treatments such as stain reduction, adhesive reduction, and attachment removal.

Henry Hebert (Duke University Libraries)

We practiced methods for gold tooling with hand tools, pallets, fillets, handle letters, and type holder in addition to processes and risk assessment in the creation of clean impression.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

In the seminar we studied the multiplicity of ways scrapbooks are formatted and discussed its inherent vice, treatment ethics, and the assigning of value in archives and libraries.

Dr. Melissa Tedone

This final seminar had the goal of creating a critical approach to the reasoning behind the enclosures used in cultural institutions depending on individual storage needs while also addressing the pros and cons of material costs, labor to construct, and user-friendliness.

Advanced Book Conservation Internship

3rd Year Placement

Abigail Quandt, Head of Book and Paper Conservation - Walters Art Museum

LACE seminar at Buffalo State College in which I furthered my understanding about parchment making, inherent degradation processes, history of previous treatments, and ethically appropriate treatment interventions. Further expanded my hand skills by practicing multiple humidification techniques such as moisture and vapor chambers, ultrasonic mister, and tek-wipe.

Dyani Feige | Director of Preservation Services - CCAHA

In a series of 5 lectures, the course was focused in enabling conservators to understand the how archivists conceptualize their collections in order to clarify how our expertise may fit in the greater and complex scheme of archival management, processing, preservation, and accessability.