UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — What do book conservators do when a pandemic strikes and keeps them from their workplaces? They make paper at home while the sun shines, thematically based on when it shines longest.
Penn State University Libraries’ Conservation Centre employees, led by Senior Book Conservator Bill Minter, recently joined other Potomac Chapter members of the Guild of Book Workers — “the national organization for all the book arts,” as its organization’s website states — for a "Summer Solstice Swap."
For the swap, chapter members were given a creative challenge to craft unique, handmade paper or a small piece of book art, such as a paper toy, cutout, print or postcard, that could be produced in multiples and sent in envelopes to other participating members. Chapter members also include individuals who work at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Smithsonian Institution Archives and at universities, while others are printmakers, independent bookbinders and book artists.
“The Solstice Swap was a great opportunity to create a unique item outside of the standard projects for the University Libraries collections,” Minter said. “This allowed us to expand our papermaking skills that can be shared during future workshops. While paper is a standard in any library, making decorative paper is educational and fun.”