Book and Paper Group Wiki

In the early 1980s a group of AIC members began a volunteer, collaborative effort, in the absence of much published literature, to gather and exchange information about techniques and materials used by paper conservators. This effort resulted in the Paper Conservation Catalog (PCC). The PCC was published from 1984–1994 by the AIC Book and Paper Group, with assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Each edition added more chapters and the focus was on specific techniques and insights gained through practical experience. A PDF facsimile of the 1984-1994 chapters is available. A similar effort was begun for a Book Conservation Catalog (BCC), but was never published in print.

In 2009, the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (FAIC) launched the AIC Wiki with funding assistance from the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), a division of the National Parks Service. Along with catalogs from other specialty groups, the published PCC and the unpublished BCC were transcribed into a Wiki environment.

The Book and Paper Group Wiki has been updated and has grown significantly since then. As of 2020, there are 29 Paper Conservation pages, 20 Book Conservation pages, and 19 pages of shared interest, as well as multiple how-to-edit and navigation pages. Links have steadily grown between the BPG pages and the AIC Wiki pages maintained by other specialty groups.

The BPG Wiki is overseen by two volunteer Wiki Coordinators, one book and one paper, who report to the BPG PubComm chair. They are responsible for overseeing page and section revisions, raising awareness of the Wiki, keeping BPG members informed of its progress, recruiting contributors, organizing editing events, assisting anyone that comes forward with research and expertise they want to share, and integrating the Wiki with other BPG PubComm efforts. Like all BPG volunteer positions, the Wiki Coordinators serve on rotating, renewable three-year terms.

If you would like to be involved in the Wiki, contact the BPG Wiki Coordinators at <BookandPaperGroup.Wiki at gmail dot com>.

The Paper Conservation Catalog and the AIC Wiki were developed by, and for, professional conservators. While persons in related fields will benefit from being acquainted with its content, neither is intended to provide step-by-step recipes for the untrained. Also, the PCC was created over the course of several decades, and there are out-of-date sections. When using either the print edition facsimile or the wiki, readers are strongly encouraged to consult the growing body of relevant literature.