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Practical conservation performed at a specialist conservation bindery

Book Conservation Services (BCS) was established in April 2006 by qualified Book and Paper Conservation and Bookbinder Karen Vidler. The business is part of the heritage sector and began trading in Twickenham, South West London, before moving the business, to Northampton, UK then Australia in 2014. The core business was initially book and paper conservation and period bookbinding of books created before and after the 17th century.

Over time Karen has approached different people to collaborate with her on various conservation and bookbinding projects. She designs and delivers teaching and training at different client sites and at her conservation bindery. This includes book professionals, conservators-in-training and conservation interns. Since 2010 she has invited international professional bookbinders to deliver workshops at her bindery on various topics in bookbinding and boxmaking techniques. Karen continues to collaborate with bookbinder, Nicky Oliver, of Black Fox Bindery in London.

Since re-establishing the business in Australia, the greater focus has been on delivering high quality teaching and training that is hard to gain in Australia. As the main teacher, Karen has recently become a validated teacher with the Society of Bookbinders, UK and Fellow of the International Institute for Conservation (IIC).

More About Our Staff

Current Staff

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Bookbinder, Book & Paper Conservator, Bookbinding Leather Specialist

Karen Vidler (FIIC, PMAICCM)

Karen has managed Book Conservation Services (formerly Karen Vidler Book Conservation) since 2006 and is also the Senior Book & Paper Conservator-Restorer and Bookbinder. Her achievements include establishing a Book and Paper Conservation Studio for The Leather Conservation Centre, Northampton UK and teaching on the conservation of leather bookbindings to students of conservation at West Dean College (2010-2014).

In 2007 she completed leather technology studies as part of ongoing research into an improved understanding of bookbinding leather deterioration and conservation. In 2012 she became an accredited ‘Leather Specialist’ with the International Union of Leather Technologists and Chemists (IULTCS). See the Portfolio page of this website for more information on her interest in bookbinding leather conservation. Karen became a Professional Member of the AICCM in 2015 and Fellow of the Institute for Conservation (IIC) in 2020. Please go to Karen’s Portfolio for more details of her experience. A full list of Karen’s publications can be found at the Publications & Presentations page.

Karen began working in conservation as a Conservation Technician with the University of Melbourne in 1993. She then completed a Diploma in Fine Bookbinding and Paper Conservation at Guildford College, Surrey UK in 2001. After completing her studies she worked as a Bookbinding Conservator in the Conservation Bindery of The National Archives, Kew UK then returned to study to complete a Post-graduate Diploma in Book Conservation at West Dean College, West Sussex UK. In 2003 she was employed as a Book and Paper Conservator with the Book Conservation Studio of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London. In 2006 she worked on a project with Elizabeth Neville in the treatment of iron gall ink damaged 17th-century letters, which they presented as a conference paper at the 2006 Institute for Conservation (ICON) Conference in Edinburgh. In 2013 she was employed as a Book & Paper Conservator by The National Library of Australia to work on the Proeschel Conservation Project. In 2014 she re-established BCS in Australia and is currently pursuing an MA in Education (Higher Education) with Flinders University, Adelaide.