137 people attended the meeting, which was combined with breakfast before the Saturday session of papers.
The business meeting started with a greeting by Walter Henry, who then introduced Lisa Goldberg, the new editor of the AIC Newsletter. Goldberg announced a new project for the Newsletter. Each specialty group will sponsor one issue of the Newsletter on a two year rotation. This means that once every two years the BPG will be responsible for the lead article. The BPG is scheduled for the May 1999 issue.
Next Henry introduced Kate Garland, AIC Specialty / Sub-Group Liaison. Garland showed the members an AIC postcard to order new AIC publications, such as Caring for Works of Art on Paper. She encouraged members to get these pamphlets from the AIC office and distribute them to the public.
Garland also had a request from Elizabeth Schulte, chair of the Awards Committee. This committee processes nominations for such awards as the Rutherford John Gettens Merit Award, and also nominations for Honorary Membership. BPG members are encouraged to nominate people who should be recognized.
Garland reminded everyone that the Kress Foundation has offered finances for three more grants for Kress Publication Fellows at $18,000 / year. Members are strongly urged to apply.
Next Henry announced the awards that had been given the previous night at the Banquet. Several BPG members were honored with awards. Ellen McCrady was awarded Honorary Membership in the AIC. Henry pointed out that this is the tenth year of McCrady's honorary membership in the BPG. Margaret Holben Ellis received the Rutherford John Gettens Merit Award. Clara Keyes won the Gaylord Brothers Award. There was much applause following each of the above announcements.
A request from Pamela Hatchfield, Senior Objects Conservator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, was read. Hatchfield is currently working on a Kress Publication Fellowship on the Mitigation of Pollutants in the Museum Environment. She would like to include methods used by conservators and exhibition designers used in closed environments. She is looking for detailed specific examples of solutions that did not work, as well as for solutions that did work.
Henry announced that the WAAC is giving out a free issue of their newsletter at the conference, the one dealing with Disaster Preparedness. This issue features a comprehensive chart put together by Betty Walsh.
The Secretary / Treasurer, Elizabeth Morse, spoke next. First Morse gave the Secretary's report and announced the new officers that were voted in this past Spring. The new Assistant BPG Chair is Abigail Quandt. The new Assistant Program Chair is Nancy Heugh. The new Secretary / Treasurer is Alison Luxner. Morse thanked all members who returned their ballots. The Treasurer's Report was given next. (Both reports are printed elsewhere in this mailing.) Morse closed by thanking everyone for their support during the past two years and passed the job on to Luxner.
Next to speak was Robert Espinosa, Editor of the BPG Annual, and Chair of the Publications Committee. Espinosa described this year's Annual as "hefty". It is 200 pages with 21 submissions. The Annual is more expensive this year due to its size. Espinosa admitted it is becoming more difficult to do the Annual every year because they put more and more labor into it. Also there are more pictures. This year there are 288 illustrations compared with 88 from the previous year.
Henry spoke after Espinosa finished to say that at this point, about 1/3 of the membership has received the first message sent via the BPG on-line mailing list. He also told the members that the BPG web pages are up. Included there is the BPG newsletter column, which can be seen before the AIC Newsletter comes out.
Henry related an interesting request that came to the board during the past year, something everyone is very happy about. Mary-Lou Florian retired last year. The board has resolved to award her with an honoraria, the amount of which covers the amount she paid on illustrations to her last article. (The text is included in this mailing.)
Next on the agenda, Henry said it is time to nominate people to be on the nominating committee for next year. There will be two offices open for election next year, Assistant Chair and Assistant Program Chair. Rosemary Fallon, Laura Downey, and Bill Minter were quickly nominated, and agreed, after some discussion, to act on the committee. At this point Henry expressed thanks to all who ran for office last year. He said running for an office is a service to the organization whether or not you are chosen.
Henry went to talk about the Publications Committee, which has been dormant since the Paper Conservation Catalog got off the ground. He talked about the need to come up with a publications policy to help determine to whom the BPG should give funding.
Betsy Palmer Eldridge suggested we pick up discussion about the Annual, and pointed out that there is no policy to keep the Annual from doubling in size and cost every year. She would like to talk about alternatives such as a selection committee to choose articles, limiting the Annual to purely post-prints, perhaps limiting the length of an article, or submitting articles to a full peer review.
Much discussion followed about how to go about forming a publications committee, how that committee would work, and what its responsibilities would be. Some members stressed that they like the fact that the Annual is not subject to peer review and that it remains informal.
Henry asked for volunteers for the proposed committee, and several people volunteered. The following discussion raised the problems of how the committee would meet and what sort of funding they would have for that purpose. A few different motions were raised but not voted on. The questions were left ope due to lack of time remaining for the meeting.
Robert Espinosa asked the membership for a show of interest in having an index for the Annual. The idea was enthusiastically supported.
A request for funding for the upcoming conference Chainlines and Watermarks: Paper Evidence in Western Art, (tentative date Spring 1999 in Toronto, Ontario), was considered. A motion was put forward to fund the event by $1,000.00. The motion was seconded and carried by vote of the membership.
The meeting ended with a thank you gift to outgoing Chair Walter Henry. As the BPG session was starting already in another part of the conference complex Henry said he would open the gift on his way down the hall. The meeting was adjourned at 9:00.
Prepared by Alison LuxnerThe following Resolution was enacted by the Executive Council of the Book and Paper Group on 14 June 1997.
Whereas Mary-Lou E. Florian has throughout her distinguished career devoted her research efforts to the exploration of topics of great practical concern to members of the Book and Paper Group; and
Whereas her work even in subjects far afield from book and paper conservation has served to broaden the knowledge of book and paper conservators; and
Whereas through her teaching, publication and speaking she has consistently enhanced the body of knowledge in our field, informing our practice with the fruits of rigorous scientific investigation; and
Whereas the BPG enthusiastically applauds and endorses AIC's decision to recognize her many contributions to the field by awarding her Honorary Membership in AIC; and
Whereas her efforts on behalf of the conservation community have not slowed following her retirement, but rather she has continued to publish and to teach; and
In hope that our recognition will in some small way encourage her to continue publishing and teaching in the areas that she has so well served, now therefore be it
Resolved, that the Book and Paper Group of the American Institute for Conservation does honor Mary-Lou E. Florian for the lasting contributions she has made to our profession.