Rare Books Summer School

Immerse yourself in the world of rare books, from medieval manuscripts to contemporary handpress printing techniques.

Select one of four intensive five-day courses, presented by leading experts, at the State Library of Victoria from Monday 8 to Friday 12 February 2010.

Exploring Medieval Manuscripts: Traditional and Digital Techniques

Medieval manuscripts are rich resources for the study of the history of the book and medieval culture, and digital technology is revolutionising our access to, and understanding of, them. This course will provide instruction on the various ways of cataloguing the contents of medieval manuscripts, with particular emphasis on digital methods of manuscript and image reproduction, and the state of development in this area worldwide. The course will include the study and analysis of original manuscripts.
Tutors: Professor Emeritus Margaret Manion, guest curator of The Medieval Imagination: Illuminated manuscripts in Cambridge, Australia and New Zealand; and Professor Bernard Muir, Professor of Medieval Literature, University of Melbourne.

The Italian Renaissance Book, and Afterward

This course will give an overview of the history of the printed book in Italy, focusing on the Renaissance period and the interaction between technology and capital in Venice between the late 15th and early 16th centuries. In this period Italy developed a modern publishing industry, many of whose innovations have survived to today. Italian books were exported all over the known world and became objects of desire for bibliophiles and collectors. The course will look at the history of this dispersion and how Italian scholars are constructing a bibliographical record, particularly of 16th-century books.
Tutor: Professor Neil Harris, head of the Department of History and the Conservation of the Cultural Heritage, University of Udine (Italy).

The Changing Image in Children's Books

A specific literature for children emerged in England in the mid-18th century. This course will trace developments in children's books in England and Australia from the 18th to the 20th century, with special emphasis on illustration, printing and imaging techniques as well as on the Australian children's book publishing field. Participants will have hands-on access to rare children's books from the collections of the University of Melbourne and the State Library of Victoria.
Tutors: Merete Smith, former Curator of Rare Books, Special Collections, University of Melbourne; and Juliet O'Conor, Children’s Research Librarian, State Library of Victoria.

Handpress Printing

This course will provide instruction on how to set and print metal type on both a cylinder proof press and a hand-fed platen press. It will cover the minutiae of handsetting, locking up and makeready, and students will learn how to recognise a tight tympan and to check roller height as well as to understand the finer points of good inking and impression. The course will also provide practical instruction in how to feed the press, maintain ink levels, avoid offset and maintain registration.
Tutor: Carolyn Fraser, proprietor, Idlewild Press (Melbourne).

Fees

The fee for each course is $750. Successful applicants must pay the full fee by Friday 18 December, by credit card (Visa or MasterCard) or cheque.

Applications

Please use the application form below. Applications close on Friday 11 December. Numbers are strictly limited, and early application is encouraged. Courses will proceed on the basis of applications received by Friday 27 November (to give interstate and overseas participants time to make travel arrangements).

All applications will be acknowledged upon receipt (preferably by email), and all applicants will be notified of their selection or otherwise in December.

To apply, download and complete the application form below and send it with your payment. If you would like a printed copy of the form, contact the Library on 03 8664 7099.

 Rare Book Summer School application form PDF 120 KB

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Further information

For more information, please phone 03 8664 7099 or email rbss@slv.vic.gov.au