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Bookinder Betsy Eldridge says bookbinding is a difficult field to get into.
She says it's a complicated and elaborate craft that earlier in history was
known as the King of the Craft.
She suggests that a good place for people interested in the field to begin
is with workshops, and from there to develop connections with people in the
trade.
Getting a career going is possible, however, and Shelagh Smith has the
recipe for potential bookbinders. Smith is the managing director of a bookbinders
guild.
"First of all, they've got to establish their own business," she says.
"Second, they've got to beat the bushes for the work. Third, they've got to
get to the point where they're good enough to be recognized in some way; and
then what they do is exhibited in order to be seen."
Traditionally, the craft was learned through apprenticeship with a master
bookbinder, but today's workplace climate doesn't really allow that.
"In order to have an apprentice program, you have to have a very steady
flow of work and a large variety," Eldridge says. "It's very difficult to
take an apprentice when you're working in a single man shop. You never have
the right kind of work for them."
Commercial binderies prefer high school graduates with basic skills in
math and language. Without additional training, bindery workers may only advance
to supervisory positions in the larger binderies.
"Employers look for mechanical aptitude and an ability to remain alert
and on top of things in a assembly line-oriented workplace," says Brad Clement.
He works at a bindery company.
"The need is for employees to be mindful of detail in fast-paced production.
If a measurement is out by one-16th of an inch and not caught in time, the
resulting mistake can cost thousands of dollars."
Graphic art training is also an asset. Community and junior colleges offer
two-year programs in graphic arts. Vocational-technical institutes sometimes
offer training with sponsorship by an employer or a union.