Ways To Work With Us
The Book Arts Workshop at Dartmouth Libraries has three main areas of focus.
- Supporting circular 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.
- 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.
- 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
Consider these questions to help you get ready to make a project in the Book Arts Workshop.
What are you hoping to make (poster, cards, pages of a book, business cards)?
Is this project for a class?
When is the project due?
Does the project involve letterpress printing?
Have you taken the Letterpress Orientation with us or done any letterpress printing before? If not, you might want to register for one of the Letterpress Orientation sessions we have scheduled. Email Sarah M. Smith if you can’t get into one of the sessions.
Are you planning on printing with multiple colors?
Does the project involve bookbinding?
Have you done any bookbinding before? No experience is necessary. It just helps us plan if we know more about your experience.
How many copies of your book or print do you need to make?
Have you looked at the hours to know how many days you can come in that work with your schedule?
For Faculty:
Planning a Curricular Project or Visit in the Book Arts Workshop
Guidelines
In order 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 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, Type, galley trays, and physical space 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, making future projects successful, 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, instructors/professors should arrange for students have a piece of text (no longer than 25 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. 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 11x14 (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.
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- In terms of what we can print for students: we can print a few things — such as, the pages and cover for one short book or a few copies of a zine. But we can’t print a lot of copies, like 8+ copies of a zine. If they need a few copies of something on an inkjet printer—because it’s something large (but no bigger than 13 x 19inches), they can use our printer.
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!