Library Bookbinders

One of the book related blogs that I follow is Bibliophemera which I discussed in a previous post. Recently Chuck Whiting, the author of Biblophemera, wrote about the American Bookbinders Museum. As a promoter of a library history museum, I was impressed with the model used by the American Bookbinders Museum in "Preserving and Presenting the best of America's Bookbinding Traditions". The museum which is located in San Francisco has a physical facility which can be visited by appointment and the website has a significant amount of content. Bookbinders, of course, were one of the many vendors/partners that helped America's libraries accomplish their missions. The artifact displayed in this post is from my collection. It is a small (1 1/2" x 3") miniature bound item created by the Hertzberg Cratfsmen bookbindery in Des Moines, Iowa. Its purpose is to hold postage stamps, and it was created as a favor for attendees of the 1948 South Dakota Library Association Conference in Rapid City. The Hertzberg Bindery had connections to a variety of bookbinding and library services dating from the 19th century to the present. The Special Collections Department of the University of Iowa has an archival collection related to the Hertzberg Bindery and its website provides an excellent overview of the bindery and its many connections to the bookbinding industry.