My grandmother, Janet Longcope, was a bookbinder. She studied with Arno Werner in Pittsfield, Mass, and joined the GBW in 1941. With her encouragement, I took private lessons from Deborah Evetts, for whom I eventually worked @ the Morgan Library as a part time apprentice during the mid 1970's for about 10 years. When my grandmother died in 1976, I inherited her bindery which I moved to NY and then worked part time as a free lance as a book conservator. After my second son was born in 1981, I found that I didn't have the time to devote to all the lengthy processes that proper book conservation requires and decided to limit my work to paper conservation. To this end I became a part time apprentice to Alexander Yow, who for many years was the paper conservator at the Morgan, but had left to set up his own practice in semi-retirement. I worked for him for nine years until he gave up his studio, as well as taking on private commissions restoring works of art on paper, which I still do on a very limited basis. I collect contemporary miniature books and some 20th C. bindings and books on binding + paper - all in a rather desultory fashion. I was Exhibition Chair of the GBW for its 75th Anniversary and worked on all aspects of that show including the research and writing of the catalogue, fund raising and installation of the show at the Grolier Club. For many years I was a member of the Hroswitha Club until it merged with the Grolier, and presently I sit on the board of the Morgan Library.