Both training days went down really well, with participants mentioning that they really enjoyed doing some practical work, and it was a nice change from watching a presentation.
I structured the day very similarly to the course I attended at the Bodleian, with an introductory presentation describing the background and development of the fascicule system before the practical session started, so that the participants knew what they were aiming for. I had also prepared some Blue Peter style step-by-step examples as well as a few filled fascicules to show the desired outcome. Each participant got a blank fascicule that I had made back at the studio, as well as a selection off cuts of different types of paper to hinge in and some mocked-up “problem” cases. The first half of the morning I demonstrated how to attach the Japanese paper hinges to the items, and then how to attach hinges to the “problem” items. After lunch we prepared the items for hinging in, arranged them in the correct order and then adhered them to the fascicule with a dry WSP. Holly then explained how to insert a multi-page pamphlet, by sewing it to a folded page. Sam, Holly and I were around all day for advice and gave answers to any questions they had.