Conservation Centre summer papermaking events return to the Arboretum

Editor's note: A previously announced event scheduled for June 29 has been cancelled because of air quality concerns.

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Members from Penn State University Libraries’ Conservation Centre will lead hands-on papermaking sessions this summer from fiber to finish, from petals to paper. The event “Paper and Plants: They are connected!” are scheduled to be held from 10 a.m. to noon on July 13, Aug. 10 and Sept. 14 at the Arboretum at Penn State Childhood’s Gate Children’s Garden.

The free event is suitable for all ages and will teach attendees how to use recycled paper fibers and plant fibers, such as flower petals and garden vegetables, to make new handmade paper. Those in attendance will get to take home their own finished paper and an instructional handout. Both regular and decorative paper will be made during the event sponsored by Penn State Outreach.

“Making paper by hand is an engaging, fun and creative activity, which is also considered a high-level skill employed by book artists and conservation experts alike,” said Bill Minter, senior book conservator. “Understanding the physical properties and processes of how paper is made is helpful to those of us who are responsible for preserving books and other documents. We hope our papermaking event will help participants appreciate both plants and paper in a new way and introduce the art and science of papermaking to a new generation of budding conservators.” 

Minter will join colleagues Jacque Quinn, preservation services supervisor; Catherine Orochena, preservation and conservation specialist; and Justin Davis and Clay Wulbrecht, both conservation specialists, at each of the four summer sessions. 

The University Libraries’ Conservation Centre and Preservation, Conservation and Digitization Department are responsible for the preservation of the University Libraries’ collections in all formats including paper-based books, works of art on paper, photographs, maps, media and digital files. The state-of-the art, fully equipped Conservation Centre opened in spring 2019 and uses vintage tools as well as modern, high-tech equipment.