[Posted by Paulette Rosen, Instructor in Book Arts, Hartford Art School, University of Hartford]

On September 19 I brought my class of 8 Book Arts I students from Hartford Art School to visit the Watkinson Library. I had asked Associate Curator Sally Dickinson to put together a presentation of some history of the book as well as a good selection of contemporary accordion and codices. Her choices for the history of the book really impressed the students. A cuneiform tablet, with magnifying glass for closer examination was passed around and elicited comments “This is so cool” and “Wow!” The more worn, and even rotting, a book appeared the more they were curious about it. After washing our hands, we were also allowed to handle the contemporary books. As my students will be creating their own unique hand bound books with images and text, this was a special opportunity to see how other artists combine structure and content in a variety of ways. An hour and a half was the perfect amount of time to visit. Many thanks to Sally for this unique opportunity.