Able to fix old books in a single bound

A first-year bookbinding student patiently stitches together the pages of an old journal, using a bone folder to hold her work in place. She tightens the thread, examines a companion volume to gauge the tension, then pushes her needle through the stack of recently "washed" paper.

Progress is slow. But the work demands both concentration and care. In the adjoining workroom, a second-year student positions a piece of leather on the lithography stone, used by bookbinders because it does not dull the French knives used for paring and thinning leather.

These and other students at the North Bennet Street School (NBSS), located in Boston's North End, will spend the next two years repairing and restoring historically significant volumes from a valuable collection owned by the American School for the Deaf, in West Hartford, Conn.

The timing of the project is perfect, says Gary Wait, head catalog librarian of the Connecticut Historical Society and consultant to ASD. He had just completed a survey of the collection, including recommendations for restoring and preserving materials, when NBSS offered to help. The collaboration, from his perspective, "is a natural match."

It all started when NBSS's development associate Claudia Ayers discovered that the Frank M. Barnard Foundation, established in 1982, makes annual grants for special library projects. She contacted bookbinding instructor Mark Andersson, who, recognizing the educational benefits of a collaboration to his own students, identified a suitable partner for the project.

Having students work on a valuable collection, he explains, "raises the bar on the level of work that needs to be done." Repairing a historical volume is different from restoring an item picked up at a used bookshop. "Students gain a real appreciation for what a book represents."

The North Bennett Street School was established in the late 19th century as a settlement house to serve the social and educational needs of recent immigrants. It has since evolved into one of the premier trade schools in the United States, with programs as varied as locksmithing and violin-making.

Students who complete the two-year bookbinding program master basic skills, such as folding, gathering, and sewing, as well as advanced techniques that include restoration and conservation, leather binding, and gold tooling. Through their course work, they acquire the ability to evaluate problems, make judgments about what work is required, and develop strategies for completing needed repairs.

Their expertise is especially needed for the ASD collection. A nonprofit institution established in 1817, the ASD is the oldest school for the deaf and the oldest special-education facility of any kind in the United States. Thomas Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc, the school's first teachers, developed the system of American sign language that is still used today.

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