Summer Class 2025: Minimum Intervention, Conservation Techniques

A three-week course for practicing conservators is to engage with the theories, approaches, and techniques of minimum intervention, focusing on historical awareness and research-based decision-making. We will take no more than 8 students to ensure enough individual time with the instructor.

What are you going to learn in this course?

A book is made of several parts, and our goal as conservators is to preserve and protect each element, treating it as a complete object. The field of conservation has moved from the approach of extensive substitution, to one where the maximum historical components are conserved as-is; the role of the conservator is to maximize chemical and structural stability without compromising the original intention and context of the book. One of the conservators central to shifting this methodology and approach, Christopher Clarkson, said “Minimum intervention means minimum interference. Paradoxically, however, a book conservator needs to acquire considerable knowledge and experience before attempting to practice minimum intervention”.

What is the course project?

The goal of this three-week course for practicing conservators is to engage with the theories, approaches, and techniques of minimum intervention, focusing on historical awareness and research-based decision-making. Students for this course will be familiarising themselves with a number of skills, including:

1. The use of unconventional tools, for example microdrill use in endband consolidation
2. Different kinds of support extension and consolidation
3. Sewing consolidation
4. Endband repair
5. Wooden and carton board repair
6. The ethics and techniques of working with fragments that are part of the book structure

Who is the course aimed at?

Due to the intensive, interactive nature of the course, we will take no more than 8 students so as to ensure enough individual time with the instructor. Applicants will be accepted based on their professional experience in book conservation, with priority given to those working with libraries/archives/museums, as this is not an introductory level course.

Requirements and tools

Participants will be provided with all necessary equipment except for their personal lab coats. Personal equipment may be brought into the classroom at the discretion of the participant, who releases the company from all liability for any damage or loss of items belonging to him/her.

Travel & Accommodation informations

We will supply documentation to the relevant embassies for students accepted into the course. Travel costs are to be borne by the student. We support you in locating reasonable accommodation in shared apartments.

Funding

We do not offer scholarships or financial aid at this moment, but we can send supporting documents to your institutions for funding, or if you apply for grants.