McKey Berkman: Conservation Intern

In the late spring Deborah Howe contacted the head of the book binding program at North Bennet Street School in Boston to explore the possibility of summer interns from NBSS working in Preservation Services. I'm happy to announce that our first NBSS intern, McKey Berkman, has been busy at work in the conservation since June.

McKey has finished the first year of the two year NBSS program and in our conservation lab is learning to put theory into practice. In her short time here she has learned treatment assessment, a variety of spine repairs, and developed skills in production oriented conservation.

McKey's last day is August 20.

(By the way, if you marveled at the peonies from Maxine's party, they were from McKey's garden!)

Deborah Howe at PBI

Deborah Howe was selected to teach a workshop at this year's Paper and Book Intensive. The two week summer camp for book artists and binders is a highly regarded workshop so it speaks well of Deborah's teaching talents that she was recruited. Deborah taught "Readdressing the Built-In Groove Case.

She also took advantage of her time there to attend a week long session on late 18th century French binding structures. Drop by Preservation Services to see the beautiful exemplar Deborah created.

Preservation Specialist Announced

I am pleased to announce that Helen Bailey started on July 19 as Preservation Specialist. In this role she will be responsible for assisting with work related to digital preservation and digital pre-production; she will also represent the department in TeCOR, serve as department web-master, and handle non-book media.

Helen may be familiar to many of you in her role as conservation intern for the department while she completed degree requirements from the School of Information, at the University of Texas at Austin. She comes to us with a solid background in preservation theory and practice as well as a strong IT background.

Please join me and the rest of Preservation Services staff in welcoming Helen as a member of the Dartmouth College Library.

Barb Sagraves
Head, Preservation Services

Dartmouth College Library Awarded National Film Preservation Foundation Grant

The Dartmouth College Library has been awarded a grant of $6,350 from the National Film Preservation Foundation (NFPF) to preserve and make accessible “The Orozco Mural Quetzalcoatl,” a 23-minute, color film written, produced, and directed in 1961 by Robert Canton,’58. The film’s purpose is to tell the myth of Quetzalcoatl as depicted in “The Epic of American Civilization” frescos painted by José Clemente Orozco in Baker Library. Using camera techniques such as pans, close-ups and long shots, and aided by Theodore Newman’s dramatic score and a minimal narration, Canton makes the murals come alive. The score was conducted by former “Tonight Show” conductor Skitch Henderson.

At its release in 1962 the film received three citations for Specific Excellence from the Boston International Film Festival. These citations were: outstanding use of the film medium for educational purposes; realization of inherent potential; and original musical score.

The NFPF grant will support the creation of a new preservation master copy and DVD. When the work is completed the film will be available on the Dartmouth College YouTube channel along with a silent clip of Orozco painting the test panel in Baker Library. A public screening of the newly preserved “Quetzalcoatl” will also hosted by the Library.

Barb Sagraves, head of Preservation Services, will serve as Project Coordinator.

Book Arts Prize Exhibit 2010

The winning entries for this year's Book Arts Prize may now be viewed in either the cases outside the Treasure Room in Baker Library or by clicking this link the on-line exhibit.