BPG Column from the January 1998 AIC Newsletter

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1998 Annual Meeting

Eleanore Stewart, program chair, and Nancy Heugh, assistant program chair, have organized a full day and a half program for the 1998 Book and Paper Group meeting. Friday, June 5 will be devoted to papers on art historical topics and treatment case studies. Topics to be addressed range from albums to zeolites and will include sessions on exhibition cases, considerations in including pastels in traveling exhibits, removing tape stains, nonaqueous deacidification, and an update on lignin research. Sessions on treatment projects will focus on posters, a photographic album, and an Arts and Crafts bookbinding. Saturday morning, June 6 will be devoted to disaster response and recovery, with sessions on waterlogged documents, techniques for drying wet books, packing a freezer truck, library recovery following a major flood, and natural freeze drying. The program is full and exciting and covers a diverse range of topics; plan to participate! Thanks are extended to all BPG members who submitted proposals for papers.

On behalf of the Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group, Maria Grandinette and Randy Silverman are organizing a session for Saturday afternoon, June 6 on paperback books. Still in the planning stages, proposed topics include the history of paperbacks (such as Yellowbacks, railway literature, dime novels), the physical structure and format of paperbacks and their role in social history (nineteenth century reading and literacy, Armed Services books, the Beat Generation, etc.), nineteenth and twentieth century graphic design, and preservation issues and options.

The Archives Discussion Group will be convening (time and date to be announced) to continue the discussion on surface cleaning that was begun in San Diego. Topics will be expanded to include mechanical removal of surface accretions and adhesive reduction; the focus will be on techniques, tools, and realistic treatment expectations. Contact Hilary Kaplan at (404)656-3554 for information or if you would like to make a brief presentation.

1998 Nominations

The nominating committee is composed of Laura Downey, Rosemary Fallon, Bill Minter, and Walter Henry, chair. The two positions to be filled in 1998 are assistant chair and assistant program chair; after a year each of these slots evolves to chair of the respective activity. Please direct any nominations for these positions to Walter Henry at (510)744-0847.

Reminders

The next deadline for Professional Associate and Fellow applications is January 9; all BPG members who are not yet participating at these levels are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is February 2 for the Carolyn Horton Fund, which supports continuing education or training (including attendance at professional meetings and workshops) of book and paper conservators who are BPG members. Student members of BPG are encouraged to apply to the George Stout Memorial Fund to support attendance at professional meetings; the deadline is also February 2. Contact the FAIC office for guidelines and applications for both funds.