This week the Preservation Lab and the Archives and Rare Books Library hosted a 2-day workshop with the conservator and book historian Julia Miller. The workshop, Identifying and Describing Historical Binding Structure: A Stacks Appraisal Workshop, provided the Preservation Lab staff, University of Cincinnati Libraries’ (UCL) special collections catalogers, and UCL special collections stewards an opportunity to strengthen their skills of historical binding identification and description. We honed our descriptive skills by examining collections from the Archives and Rare Books Library and models/exemplars from Julia’s personal teaching collection.

Thanks to Julia Miller, one of the most knowledgeable and giving people that we have had the privilege to learn from.

Thanks to Chris Harter for providing access to so many Archives and Rare Book treasures and a wonderful space to learn and collaborate.

Thanks to Catarina Figueirinhas for suggesting the course and being the on-site coordinator and organizer.

Lastly, thanks to University of Cincinnati Libraries for their continued support of staff professional development!

Holly Prochaska [UCL] — Preservation Librarian