Since the spring, a lot of my thinking and energy has been devoted to the development of an exciting new endeavor in the Baylor Libraries – the creation of the Book Arts and Letterpress Lab. The spring and this summer have been busy developing the space (on the first floor of Jones Library) and the concepts behind this space. Part of this journey was attempting to articulate the What and the Why of this idea.
Often when people learn about the Book Arts and Letterpress Lab that we’re building, the response is in ONE or BOTH of the following camps:
“That’s amazing! When do we start?” and “What does this have to do with libraries?”
To set the stage for my musings on the Why, I want to share with you a couple questions that I think about a lot that help shape my thoughts on this topic – questions I would encourage you to think about from your own perspectives on your work and what you do.
What do we want this place to be known for?
What things are happening here in the libraries that manifest the role of research and engagement on campus?
To preface why we’re starting this lab, I want to first talk about “library as place.” I’m using the word “place” to mean the intersection, interconnection of geographical and philosophical spaces and opportunities (think events, workshops, collaborations, teaching/learning moments, and conversations (formal and informal).
I see library as a place:
- for community and creativity
- for experimentation and collaboration
- of belonging and flourishing
- to engage with ideas and with others
- for active learning and transformational education
In earlier centuries, we might define library as the repository of humanity’s recorded communication. Some might argue that this is still the definition, but as we think about the miles of shelves full of printed matter, I would suggest that these artifacts are, in and of themselves, the final iteration of creative practice – a record of someone’s research, documentation, poetry, novels, or ideas. And in an academic library especially, these recorded ideas — these artifacts — are part of a larger, ongoing iteration as others engage with, refute, support, or build upon them.
The books and journals that sit seemingly static on the shelves are both the result of creative practice and are building blocks for more creative practice. These materials as well as all the recorded information that exists online, reflect this same activity of creative practice, though the practice might be invisible.
This is why you’ll see visible signs of other kinds of creative practice throughout the Baylor Libraries (like in galleries and exhibition spaces and makerspaces), to remind us that creative practice comes in many different forms and the library is a perfect reflection of that, not just a storage facility.
It’s a place that illuminates and celebrates all forms and stages of scholarship and creative practice. This is precisely why I believe makerspaces make perfect sense in libraries and the new Book Arts and Letterpress Lab is another example of that – with clear historical connections to the history of recorded communication and creative practice with which libraries have always been connected.
So why are we creating a Book Arts and Letterpress Lab?
In addition to the reasons listed above, I think the creation of this lab is also a response to the university’s focus on transformative educational experiences for Baylor students. I would add that I think it’s just as important that this focus also creates ripples that even the rest of the community can benefit from as well.
The vision for the lab is to:
- Support the integration of literacies and active learning experiences into the curriculum – specifically in the technologies and histories of communication, printing, and the book,
- Serve as a working model of printing practice and history that ushered in a pivotal chapter in the creation, documentation, and dissemination of knowledge and human expression, and
- Serve as an experiential lab where users can create their own expressions rooted in the rich heritage of the book and printed communication and a place to learn about the history and craft of book arts and letterpress printing.
Some have asked (for various reasons) why this lab isn’t in the art department. It’s a great question and the art department could certainly support such a creative space, but such a space in the art department would be for art students. Creating this lab in the library puts it on neutral ground and makes the resources and opportunities available to the entire Baylor community and students of all disciplines, just like all the other spaces and services of the University Libraries.
My hope for this lab is that it provides all of the expressions in the above vision for the lab, but also serves as another window to how the library can provide tools and spaces for manifesting the role of research, engagement, and creativity on our campus.
POST SCRIPT
I want to share a story of the naming of this new adventure that I think really reflects what we’re seeking to create. Initially I thought we should name it something like “The Center for Letterpress and Book Arts” as this space will provide the tools and experiences in letterpress printing and other realms of book arts. After mulling over this potential name, my colleague Jeffry Archer (Dean of University Libraries, Museums, and the Press) said [something like], “I was thinking about the word “center” and to me it implies a place to learn about something and that doesn’t quite capture what I think you’re trying to create here as a place for “doing” rather than just learning about.” We talked about how the word “studio” seems like more of a label you would see if this were in an art department and then said, “What about this — you know how you might have a physics class where you go to a lecture hall and learn ABOUT physics, but then you go to the physics lab where you actively DO experiments (the practice and work of what you learned about)? What if we use the word “lab” to reflect the idea that this is an active space. Not a museum on the history of printing or the book or book arts, but a place where people will be actively creating?” I thought this was brilliant! (not just because he’s my boss!) I really do like how the word “lab” embraces the act of practicing what you’ve learned about as well as the experimentation I envision for this space. A place to learn, experiment, practice, and create.
