The following information is a guide for students who have enrolled or plan to enroll in a course. It is an outline of requirements.

It is possible to use a Home Study Course as a pre-requisite for enrolling in a CBBAG In-Studio workshop or course by enrolling in the Monitoring Stream and completing all Submissions satisfactorily. The Resource and Reference Stream is not acceptable as pre-requisite for In-Studio courses.

The CBBAG Home Study Programme consists of five segments: Bookbinding I, II, III, Finishing, and Restoration and Repair. A segment on Endpapers is included with Bookbinding II and one on Leather is included with Bookbinding III. Endpapers and Leather are also available individually. All courses are divided into Units for Monitoring stream critiquing purposes.

Bookbinding I consists of approximately 12 hours of DVDs/videos, a manual, a Lexicon, and a bone folder. The Manual includes a short Recommended Reading List and Suppliers List.

Bookbinding II consists of a manual, approximately 8 hours of DVDs/videos, and an Endpaper enrichment segment of two videos. The Lexicon is available on request.

Bookbinding III consists of approximately 8 hours of DVDs/videos and a manual, plus the Introduction to Leather segment of two videos and a manual, plus the CBBAG publication, in sheets: Bookbinding, Material and Techniques 1700-1920 by Margaret Lock, designed by Roy Nicol.

Restoration and Repair consists of approximately 10 hours of DVDs/videos including one DVD/video each by Martha Cole (Colour Theory) and Don Etherington (The Use of Japanese Paper in Book Conservation) and two manuals.

Finishing consists of approximately three hours of DVDs/videoss and a manual.

Marbling consists of a 160 page manual (including 63 colour and 43 B+W illustrations) and three instructional DVDs.

The audio-visual material is provided in DVD format. Video tapes are also available in VHS format.

Programme Options:

There are two streams available to those interested in the CBBAG Home Study Programmes.

All courses are available in DVD or VHS format video.

The stream chosen must be indicated on the application form.

1) Resource and Reference Stream: The participants in this stream receive all of the material in the course package and use these as they require, but do not apply for comment or critique from CBBAG Instructors. There are no pre-requisite requirements for Resource and Reference Stream Courses.

The fee for this stream is less than the fee for the Monitoring Stream.

2) Monitoring Stream: The participants in this stream submit projects and models for comment or critique. The dates for submissions of projects are January 31, May 31, and October 31.

Submissions are not to be sent more than ten days before these dates.

The fee for this stream is higher than that for the Resource and Reference Stream since it requires a time allotment by the instructors.

Monitoring Stream Pre-requisites:

Students must be CBBAG members during every Monitoring Stream Unit.

Students may transfer from CBBAG pre-requisite In-Studio courses to Home Study.

Students may transfer from satisfactorily completed Home Study Monitoring Stream Courses to CBBAG In-Studio workshops and courses; Bookbinding I is pre-requisite for Bookbinding II; Bookbinding II is pre-requisite for Bookbinding III; Bookbinding I, II, and III are all required for Repair and Restoration and for Finishing (or permission of instructor).

The Resource and Reference Home Study Stream courses may not be used as pre-requisites for In-Studio courses.

Submission Dates Monitoring Stream:

Due dates for the CBBAG Home Study Programme are January 31, May 31, and October 31 in the 12 months following commencement of the programme. Assignments should not arrive earlier than 10 days prior to these due dates.

Students may commence the Programme at any of these dates and should inform the Home Study Director of which of these dates will be used for their first critique.

Students will be informed by the instructor of any address or date change before assignments are due.

Students must inform the Home Study Director of any delay in submission of the assignments well in advance. The expectation is that the Course undertaken will be completed within one year of commencement.

Late Submissions:

If no unit is handed in for critique within six months, the student will be contacted. After commencement of submissions, it will be assumed that all three submission dates will be met.

If nothing is handed in within one year of enrolment, the student will be automatically dropped and forfeit the fee paid for critiques. Exceptions may be made under extraordinary circumstances, explained in writing only.

Critique:

Monitoring Stream students will receive a critique indicating whether projects and/or units are acceptable or should be done over.

Each unit will be critiqued by an instructor/evaluator on: the skill/technical ability demonstrated, the suitability of the materials used, the accuracy of the models and comprehension of their requirements, and overall presentation.

Critiques will utilize CBBAG standards established over the past 15 years, based on recognized criteria for excellence in any technique.

Instructors will critique the assignments in a timely manner. Assignments should be returned to the student within six weeks of their receipt, by the same packing and shipping method that the student used.

A letter indicating completion of the Bookbinding I Home Study Course will be presented at the following Annual General Meeting. If the student cannot attend the AGM, the letter will be mailed.

After all six core courses: Bookbinding I, II, III, Finishing, Repair and Restoration, and Paper Treatments for Binders (currently offered In-Studio only) are completed, either through Home Study or In-Studio, a Certificate of Completion will be awarded.

Manual:

Each Home Study Manual includes a Course Outline, Objectives, detailed descriptions of the projects and models required, and directions in written form with diagrams and/or on DVD/video, of techniques to be used. The location of the subjects in the DVDs/videos is indicated in the manual.

All material is copyrighted and not to be duplicated. Please respect the CBBAG copyright and do not duplicate these notes or DVDs/videos except for your own personal use. Violations of copyright will be prosecuted.

DVDs/Videos:

It is recommended that DVDs/videos be viewed in their entirety at least once. The material in the DVDs/videos will be used in parts, with the written material, while the practical work is in progress. It is extremely useful to review these DVD/video segments as required. DVD/video indexing is included in the Manual.

Fees:

Fees for the individual courses are set by the Stream selected and by the length of the course, that is, how many DVDs/videos are included and the length of the Manual. These are not necessarily related to In-Studio course fees.

The fee for the Bookbinding I Monitoring Stream has been set currently at $400. CDN but may be revised as necessary. The fee for the Resource and Reference Stream is $250.00 CDN.

Postage and handling charges are in addition to the above fees.

Students must pay for all materials used in models and projects, and for shipping completed assignments to and from the instructor.

Refunds:

Purchases of either the Monitoring Stream or the Resource and Reference Stream are final, with no refunds available.

Support:

After registration in the Monitoring Stream, you will be assigned an instructor and supplied with their postal address, fax, and/or e-mail address, For clarification of course content or problem areas concerning projects, models, or supplies, contact the instructor by one of these means.

The instructor undertakes to respond as quickly and as fully as they can possible do so.

Equipment:

Home Study Bookbinding I has been designed so that little equipment is required, and suggestions are made as to how any required equipment may be improvised or obtained. Bookbinding II and III require some equipment. Information accompanies the course indicating how this equipment may be made or acquired.

Mailing the Finished Units:

The completed Units are to be sent to the instructor so as to arrive by an agreed upon submission date (see Submission Dates above). The package has to be trusted to the parcel services and requires a sturdy reusable container. Flimsy cardboard boxes and lots of packaging tape does not make for easy opening or easy re-sealing! Courier services, some stationery stores, and post offices offer sturdy boxes. HINT: If a re-sealable Baggie is attached to the top of the package, the mailing labels can be changed easily.

Each project must have the student’s name and address with it. The package should contain the return address label and fees to cover the return of the package.

Pack your projects to arrive safely and in good condition.

U.S. and Foreign Students:

If at all possible arrange to send your package from within Canada. This makes everything much easier.

If sending your parcel from outside Canada, you will need to state on your export declaration, that this package needs an A29B form and that it is covered under item DB-1-1, Item 17, goods to be tested. It should then qualify for duty and tax exempt status or refundable duty. Do not use the word SAMPLES under any circumstances. If for some reason your package is not duty and tax exempt, then any duty or taxes would be charged back to you by CBBAG. Do not send by UPS. They charge a hefty brokerage fee which we will charge back to you.

Remember, the insurance value is used as the declared value of the goods. A package of declared value of $20.00 CDN or less is exempt. We suggest that you mark on the parcel "no commercial value".

Resource Material:

Books, journals, and monographs contain much useful material. Books may be obtained through inter-library loan (ILL) from many local libraries. There may be a fee charged for ILL service by your local library. CBBAG has a small but useful library which may only be used at the bindery in Toronto. If you are planning on visiting Toronto at any time, contact the Guild office well in advance to arrange a time to browse through the library.