On Tuesday, August 13th, Gary Frost, UIL Conservator, taught book sewing to kids of all ages at the Iowa State Fair. Young fair goers were able to pick from a colorful array of cover papers and then sew their cover and specially printed sheets into souvenir booklets. The hands-on exhibit was presented by the Preservation department as part of the entertainments at the University of Iowa booth at the Fair.

Adults, including teachers and librarians, also took an interest in the hand bookbinding exhibit. A surprising number of Fair visitors told stories of early job experiences in the publications industries. Gary reported that,”the traffic was immense with plenty of real interest in the UICB Bookbinding kits that we had on display.”

George McCrory, from UI’s University Relations, was also pleased with the Library participation which provided contrast with other medical and physics presentations. Gary encouraged more participation of the Libraries as well as the School of Library & Information Science in future Iowa Fair presentations.