The Book and Paper Group (BPG) is the largest of the specialty groups within the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). More than 1180 members represent a wide variety of backgrounds and specialties but share a common interest in the preservation and conservation of artifacts and collections of paper-based materials.
A main activity of the group is the BPG program at the AIC annual meeting. The program is usually a full day or more of papers, panel discussions, and special sessions, as well as a business meeting and social events. BPG discussion groups are forums at the annual meeting for exchanging focused experiences and ideas on areas of specific expertise such as art on paper and museums (Art on Paper Discussion Group, APDG), as well as books and libraries (Library and Archives Conservation Discussion Group, LACDG) through open dialogues, practical hands-on experiences, and round-table discussions.
The BPG publishes the Book and Paper Group Annual, a non-juried postprint publication that includes the abstracts and fully-developed papers based on presentations from each annual meeting and other independent submissions. Another BPG publication was the Paper Conservation Catalog (PCC) an outline of practices and procedures used by paper conservators published from 1984–1994. The PCC evolved into the basis of the Book and Paper Group Wiki, a forum for members and conservation practitioners to learn about topics in book and paper conservation, share their expertise with colleagues, and discuss emerging trends in the field. Like all wikis, the site's contents are collaborative and dynamic works-in-progress.