Re: book making workshop (fwd)

[Edith Fuller <efuller@TELEPORT.COM>]

Forwarded message about bookmaking.

Edith M. Fuller
Librarian, Professional Library, Portland Public Schools
efuller@teleport.com  -or-  3824 SW Canby Street
                            Portland OR 97219

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sat, 13 Dec 1997 09:40:16 -0800 (PST)
From: Edith Fuller <efuller@teleport.com>
To: "Judith Dahill, Librarian" <flowerdream@erols.com>
Subject: Re: book making workshop

First, a bit of background.  Perhaps 5 years ago, I
thought that I'd been working in libraries for who knows
how many years--since I volunteered as a teenager in
my home town's library over the summers and since (didn't
we all?) I'd "catalogued" my families extensive used
book collection--but I'd never made paper nor made a
book.  Since then I've taken perhaps 4 "cheap" classes
(under $40) and 3 "real" classes (tuition size money)
for college credit on bookmaking--which included papermaking
and marbling and lots of different kinds of books.

I make books with kids in schools in two circumstances--with
the teacher and  class, and also with library aides at the
end of a term.

When I am working with a teacher and a class,
it is at the end of a project or unit, and the kids are putting a
cover on their work.  A big hint here--make sure the teacher is aware
that 1.5" on the left edge of the paper needs to be enpty to allow
for binding--and that any paper larger that the size chosen will need
to be folded in.  For this kind of book, we usually use a soft japanese
binding--handmade paper works nicely here--but it needs to be BIG--so
usually the teadher's gone out to purchase a heavier larger paper than
can be made by hand--and we all go to work together--drilling holes for
stitching, measuring string, choosing appropriate colors of string,
learning the stitch, measuring precisely for the locationof the holes,
choosing the design that the holes will make--tasks written down in no
particular order.  It can be chaotic, but with two teachers (librarian and
teacher), it goes well.

With library aides, we made star books, accordion books, single signature
books with suede covers (address book size), larger single siguature books
(half 8.5 x 11 size) and japanese bindings.  I redid the projects
beforehand
to make sure that they could be done within a 45 minute period.  To meed
this time limit, I had to have the covers and papers cut ahead of time--no
choices there.  I did have a vvariety of spine cloth and cover paper for
the kids to make choices from.

These, both in class and in library, turn out to be gender-neutral
projects.  Boys and girls are equally interested in, enthusiastic about
and adept in the construction of books.  Anecdotally, when I first did
this with the 4/5 grade teacher to end the westward expansion unit, the
kids assembled their papers in the classroom and then came to the library
ready to work--the teacher said that the boys were the oneshustling to get
their papers organized so they could get down to the library to sew them
together.

All of this is preface to telling you that I use
1. Notes and handouts from the classes I've taken.
2. Rob Shepherd's hand-made books: an introduction to Bookbinding.
     Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England : Search Press, 1994.  I paid
     $16.95 several years ago at our local art supply stores.
3. Franz Zeier's Books, boxes and portfolios: binding, construction
     and design step by step.  New York : Design Press, c1983. I don;t
     remember how much I paid for this--but it's a hard cover book of 304
     pages with lots of illustrations.

There's lots of other stuff on the market--but .....much of it is junk,
showing kids putting together "books" by stapling single sheets together
on the left hand side, etc.  This is an sopportunity to put together
a variety of stuff--book vocabulary (gutter, block, binding, etc.),
precision measuring, artistic choices of paper and spine or of the
placement of the holes and color of string for japanese binding,
step-by-step slowly slowly building a good finished product--that
REALLY IS A BOOK!  (not something stapled together or papers with comb
binding, but a real book, just like they really are made!

Sorry, this is much, much too long, but it's fun, and it's Saturday
and I'm inspired again!

Cheers.

Edith M. Fuller
Librarian, Professional Library, Portland Public Schools
efuller@teleport.com  -or-  3824 SW Canby Street
                            Portland OR 97219

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