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2012-2013 Schedule:

October 10 - We are now fortunate to be meeting at 7:00pm in the fifth floor hallway of the UI Main Library. We will proceed from there to the Libraries' new Conservation Lab, where our new Conservator, Giselle Simon, will give us a tour of the new facility and show us some of the treatments they are working on, and how treatment decisions have changed over time. We'll also have a chance to examine the Conservation Lab's collection of book binding models. Join us this Wednesday for the chance to experience a behind-the-scenes tour that doesn't come along all that often.

September 12 - We begin our academic year of meetings with a get-together Wednesday, September 12 at 7:00pm in the Special Collections Reading Room on the third floor of the University of Iowa Main Library. Our guest will be Rick von Holdt of The Foolproof Press, speaking about “Collecting and Using Antique Wood Printing Type.” Rick will be bringing several cases of wood type as well as a selection of posters he has printed, so this will be an interactive meeting not-to-be-missed. In Rick’s words, “I have a BA in Graphic Design/Illustration but spent my entire professional career managing the production end of publication printing. To satisfy my creative yearnings, I started collecting old type and presses to play with as they quickly became commercially obsolete and I started the Foolproof Press in 1976. I was simply a fool with a proof press at that point. My dream at that time was to be able to acquire enough type to fill one old type cabinet. Three and a half decades later, I find myself with over 2,000 fonts of handset type and a couple of dozen presses.” Rick is also a director at Printers’ Hall in Mt. Pleasant, IA.

We start programs promptly at 7 p.m., and presenters are asked to conclude by 8 p.m. so those who need to leave can do so.  Everyone, however, is welcome to stay until at least 8:30, either to carry on the discussion or simply to socialize with other Bibliophiles. Guests are always welcome. Booksellers catalogs recently received by the Libraries are available for review and can be taken away if wanted.