Book Arts

The Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth Libraries has three main areas of focus. 

1. Supporting curricular classes: A variety of different academic classes come and work with us each academic term. Interested in bringing your class to work on a project at the Book Arts Workshop? Contact us book.arts@dartmouth.edu. 
2. Hosting Open Studio: These are hours that students, faculty, staff, and other community members can utilize our studio spaces for their projects. You can work on class projects or personal projects during this time. Find our hours here.
3. Delivering Workshops: We have a number of workshops that run each term. You can see what workshops we have available on our events page. 

For Students, Staff, and Community Members 

We'd love to help you with your project! Here's some advice to help you create your project as successfully as possible. Your experience will be less stressful and your project more successful if you get started well before your due date.

Use this easy checklist to help you plan for and finish a project in the Book Arts Workshop.

• Start working with us at least 3 weeks before your due date to determine:
  • Is your project feasible?
  • How much time will your project take (it often takes longer than you think!)
  • How much training will you need (ie Letterpress or Bookbinding Orientation)
  • What materials will you need, and are they available?
  • Will you need a lot of digital printing? We are unable to print more than 5 sheets of 8.5x11-inch paper on our laser printer, and 3 sheets of up to 13x19 inches on our ink-jet printer. For more copies, you’ll need to use GreenPrint or Gnomon Copy in town
• Register for a Letterpress Orientation (if you haven’t taken one) if you want to work with letterpress
• Register for a recommended Bookbinding Orientation before making a complex book (ie, many pages or hardcover)
• Start setting type (if letterpress)
• Make a rough mock-up of your project—this includes making a blank book in the form of the structure you want your final project to be, and testing out text/image making techniques
• Make a less rough mock-up using the materials you plan on using
• Work on your project during our scheduled Open Studio sessions (the Book Arts Workshop is  not open for work outside of these scheduled hours)
  • plan for at least 1, 3-hr session for the simplest project (collage poster, for example), and know your project may take many of these sessions
  • The times for Open Studio sessions occasionally change—sometimes at short notice. So be sure to check the hours online or email us ahead of time at book.arts@dartmouth.edu.

For Faculty: 

Planning a Curricular Project or Visit in the Book Arts Workshop

To make everyone’s experience positive, fun and productive—as well as sustainable for future classes, please refer to these guidelines:

• The Book Arts Workshop charges academic departments $12/student for full class visits involving the use of materials. This is a once/term fee—not for each visit if there are multiples. Go to this link for more information about fees.

• The class may need to be split into smaller groups to work with us. For hands-on work, we can only accommodate groups as large as 14 in our largest room (the bindery) and 10 at the most in the letterpress room. When logistically possible (not a lot of hands-on work), we can visit your classroom.

• Classes larger than 16 students will need to create group-projects (working in pairs or larger groups) rather than individual projects. Supplies, equipment, and physical spaces are limited, so creating groups will ensure that all classes have enough to work with.

• For projects longer than one session, faculty need to schedule graded (or somehow recorded) check-ins throughout the project to avoid students waiting until the last minute. Hands-on work almost always takes longer than expected, and rushing makes for a less successful experience. The check-ins may be something like:
  • a few days after a lesson (setting type, making simple books structures etc) the student describes their idea for the project
  • a week later—a mock-up of the idea or a draft print of the hand-set type
  • a week before the due date—a work in progress update with photos or actual pieces.

• In order to make sure type is put away properly at the end of term, ensuring the success of future projects, there will be no type-setting started beyond week 8. Additionally, faculty are required to remind their students at least once during Week 9 and once during Week 10 to put away their type.

• If your class is coming in for a typesetting lesson, arrange for students have a piece of text (no longer than 20 words) ready to set before coming in.

• Let us know in advance if your class will require specific supplies so we can make sure to have them ready.

• We are not set up for bulk digital printing. We can’t print a lot of copies, such as more than a few copies of a zine, a long book, or multiple posters. For most bookmaking purposes, students can use Greenprint (the Konica Minolta printers they usually use on campus). They are high-quality laser printers that can accommodate paper up to 11x17 (on specific printers), and they can use custom paper by loading it into the bypass tray. Color printing is also available at select locations on campus. When folks have a lot to print digitally, we send them to Gnomon Copy, a print shop in downtown Hanover.
  • In terms of what we can print for students: we can print a cover for a book, a small 8-page book, a few copies of a zine, or 1or 2 posters.

• Questions to help us plan:

• What is the name of your course? What Department is it listed under, and what is the course number?

• What learning outcomes are you expecting from the project/visit?

• How many students are in the course? Are you willing to split up the class into smaller groups?

• How many class sessions are you able to dedicate to the project/visit? Will you need to schedule special Open Studio sessions outside of regular class time?

• When is the project due? What and when will the checkpoints be?

• Will you need special materials or a visiting artist?

Projects and Timelines

Below are a list of projects and how many sessions at the Book Arts Workshop will be needed to complete them. You can use these as a guide for the planning of your own assignments. As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions!

Three Basic Structures

One three-hour session with our instructors to teach the students how to make a pamphlet stitch book, an accordion book, and a one-page book. This structure can then be used in a larger project that students visit Open Studio on their own to complete or there could be subsequent sessions to talk about book content. See Artist Books.

Introduction to Letterpress 

One three-hour session with our instructors. Students will get an introduction to how to use metal type and print using the Washington Hand Press and one of our Vandercook presses. 

Blizzard Books

One three-hour session with our instructors. Students will learn how to create the structure of the Blizzard Book. To create content, subsequent sessions or visits to Open Studio may be necessary. 

Artist Books 

Multiple sessions and visits to Open Studio are needed, depending on the scope of the project(s). Please inquire by email at book.arts@dartmouth.edu. 

Letterpress Posters

One three-hour session with our instructors. Students will receive an introduction to setting type and printing using the Washington Hand Press. Subsequent sessions or visits to Open Student may be necessary, depending on the project's scope. 

Hands-on at the Book Arts Workshop

One two-hour session with our instructors. Students will be introduced to stamp carving, stencil making, collage, photocopy transfers, and more!