There are two streams available to those interested in the CBBAG Home Study Programmes: the Independent stream and the Guided stream. The fee for the Independent stream is less than the fee for the Guided stream, as shown on the Home Study Price List.

All workshops are available in MP4 format on a USB drive.

The stream chosen must be indicated at the time of application.

1) Independent Stream: The purchasers of this stream receive all of the material in the workshop package and use these as they require, but do not apply for comment or critique from CBBAG mentors. While there are no prerequisite requirements for Independent stream workshops, a participant would have difficulty taking Bookbinding II without the having completed Bookbinding I or its equivalent, and so on. It is therefore recommended in the Independent stream take the workshops in order: Bookbinding I, II, and III, and then Restoration & Repair and Finishing. The Home Study Independent Stream is not sufficient as prerequisites for In-Studio workshops nor towards a CBBAG "Certificate of Completion."

2) Guided Stream: This stream is available for Bookbinding I, II, and III only. The participants in this stream submit projects by mail to their mentors for comment and critique. Successful completion of Bookbinding I is a prerequisite for Bookbinding II. Successful completion of Bookbinding II is a prerequisite for Bookbinding III.

Guided Stream Prerequisites:

Participants must be CBBAG members during every Guided stream unit.

Participants may transfer from CBBAG prerequisite In-Studio workshops to Home Study.

Participants may transfer from satisfactorily completed Home Study Guided stream workshops to CBBAG In-Studio workshops; Bookbinding I is prerequisite for Bookbinding II; Bookbinding II is prerequisite for Bookbinding III.

Registration and Project Submission Dates for Guided Stream Workshops:

For Bookbinding I:

As of 2021, the Guided stream of Bookbinding I is delivered through an online platform called Thinkific. Registration will be open for four sessions per year. Workshops will begin in February, April, July, and October and will last 8 months. Registration will close one month in advance of the workshop start date.

Participants will work through the materials at their own pace, but the successful completion of certain projects are required before additional work can be done. A steady pace of submissions with accommodation for shipping time back and forth will be expected.

Participants will have access to the online workshop for a total of 16 months, but the mentor will not be active in the online platform beyond the 8-month end date. 

For Bookbinding II and Bookbinding III:
Due dates for the CBBAG Home Study Guided Stream workshop for Bookbinding II, and III are January 31, May 31, and October 31 in the 12 months following commencement of the programme.

Participants may commence the programme at any time and should inform the CBBAG Mentor of which of these dates will be used for their first critique. Participants will be sent an e-mail with the name of their mentor when they purchase a Home Study Guided Stream workshop.

Participants must inform their Home Study mentor of any delay in submission of the assignments well in advance.

The expectation is that the workshop will be completed within one year.

Late Submissions for Guided Stream Workshops:

For Bookbinding I:

The workshop is designed to last 8 months, so participants are expected to submit projects regularly. If a participant is not able to meet the deadlines, a discussion should be had with the mentor about the possibility of an exception. Exceptions will be granted at the mentor’s discretion.

For Bookbinding II and Bookbinding III:

If nothing is submitted for critique within six months, the mentor will reach out to the participant to re-engage. After commencement of submissions, it will be assumed that all submission deadlines will be met.

If nothing is submitted for critique within one year of enrolment, it will be assumed that the participant has abandoned the programme. Exceptions may be made under extraordinary circumstances and are granted at the mentor’s discretion.

Critiques for Guided Stream Workshops:

Guided Stream participants will receive a written critique indicating whether projects and/or units are acceptable or should be done over.

Each project will be critiqued by the mentor on the skill/technical ability demonstrated, the suitability of the materials used (for Bookbinding II and III only), the accuracy of the models, and comprehension of their requirements, and overall presentation.
 

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

Certificate of Completion:

CBBAG gives a “Certificate of Completion” on completion of all six of the core workshops whether taken In-Studio or a combination of In-Studio and Guided stream Home Study. The six Core Curriculum workshops are: Bookbinding I, II, and III, Restoration & Repair, Finishing, and Paper Treatments for Binders.

Note that only Bookbinding I, II, and III are available through the Guided stream of the Home Study Programme; therefore, in order to qualify for a Certificate of Completion, one must complete Finishing, Restoration & Repair, and Paper Treatments for Binders In-Studio.

The Certificate of Completion is not formal accreditation; rather, it is an acknowledgment that the holder has completed the six foundation bookbinding workshops of the CBBAG core curriculum.

Manuals:

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 the videos, of techniques to be used. The location of the subjects in the 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 videos except for your own personal use. Violations of copyright will be prosecuted.

Viewing videos:

With the exception of Bookbinding I in the Guided stream, videos are provided in MP4 format on USB drives. It is recommended that videos be viewed in their entirety at least once. The material in the videos will be used in parts, with the written material, while the practical work is in progress. It is extremely useful to review these video segments as required.

Fees:

Prices are shown on the Home Study Price List. Postage and handling charges are in addition to the fees shown.

For the Guided stream, Bookbinding I participants will be provided a full materials kit for their projects as part of their fee but must pay for shipping of the materials kit and shipping for all their submissions to and from their mentor. All Home Study mentors live in Canada.

 
Purchases of any or all Home Study workshops, either the Guided stream or the Independent stream, are final, with no refunds available.

Support for Guided Stream Workshops:

Bookbinding I:

Each intake group of participants will be assigned a mentor who will work with them through the Thinkific.com platform. Mentors will answer questions and encourage discussion with the entire group of intake participants. Participants will also be encouraged to support each other in the online environment.  

In the case of a particularly large group of participants, CBBAG might assign two mentors to that session. The mentor’s e-mail and postal addresses will be provided to participants after successful registration.

Bookbinding II and III:
After registration in the Guided stream, participants will be assigned a mentor and supplied with their mentor's e-mail and postal addresses, for clarification of workshop content or problem areas concerning projects, models, or supplies, contact the mentor by one of these means.

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

Equipment:

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 Guided Stream Projects:
The completed projects are to be mailed directly to the mentor. Shipping with tracking is recommended.

Each project must have the participant’s name and a clear return address. Participants will need to cover the return postage for the package. Method of payment for return postage will be worked out between participant and mentor.

If the participant lives outside of Canada, shipping the projects for critique will require a customs declaration. Canada has a very low exemption value to allow items to enter the country duty-free. Books are typically duty-free for import, so indicate on the declaration that you are shipping a book. 

Many courier services (such as Fedex or UPS) will charge a brokerage fee for assessing if a package requires any payment of duty or taxes, so even if a package is duty-free and tax-free, there could be a charge to the mentor to collect the package. The best option is regular postal mail as Canada Post does not charge any brokerage fee if the item is deemed duty and tax-free.

If the participant choses to insure the package that insurance value will be used as the declared value of the goods. A package of declared value of $20.00 CDN or less is exempt. It is suggested that you mark on the parcel "no commercial value."

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. Student materials will not be returned if there are any postage, duty, or taxes owing to the mentor or CBBAG.

CHART OF UNITS FOR GUIDED STREAM SUBMISSION:

Submission Dates for Bookbinding II and Bookbinding III are January 31, May 31, October 31