1:57 p.m., Aug. 21, 2009----As a master's student in art conservation and a former English major, I know the value of a good book and want to make sure that even old and fragile books remain available to readers in search of knowledge. This summer, I'm learning the fundamentals of bookbinding and book conservation through an eight-week internship at the School for Formal Bookbinding in Plains, Pa., and a weeklong course in historic European bindings at the London Rare Books School in England.

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In Pennsylvania, I'm training with Don Rash, a fine binder in the German tradition and former book conservator at Haverford College. My internship covers the skills, tools and materials essential for producing well-crafted books, and I'm sharpening my hand skills by creating pamphlets, boxes and six cloth- and leather-bound books. My conservation work includes rebacking three cloth-bound books and washing, resewing and rebacking a tight-backed leather book.

At the London Rare Books School, I'm studying historic bookbinding methods with Dr. Nicholas Pickwoad, whose seminal research documents the binding structures of books hand-printed in Europe from the 15th to 19th centuries. I am examining rare books from the University of London and the British Library, learning to identify the critical sewing structures and binding techniques that help date historic books or locate their points of origin. The knowledge and hands-on experience I am gaining this summer will provide a solid foundation for my further education and training and for my future career in library and archive conservation.