Training on bookbinding at the complutense university of Madrid: own titles, continuing training and training activities

Abstract

This paper aims to show the evolution of bookbinding studies at the Complutense University of Madrid, the different types of designation, the different modules taught, their programmes (theoretical and practical), types of students and teaching staff, from 1999, the year of the first Basic Techniques course, until 2020, when they were stopped due to the pandemic and which we are now starting up again. It is important to value these more than 20 years of training in bookbinding within a public university, with an independent workshop, open to everyone, not only to the university community, with affordable fees and with the necessary means to carry out this type of training. We are going to develop this work by analysing important aspects such as the types of modules or courses given, the most successful from the point of view of the students, starting from the most basic to the most specialised, carried out by professionals from the world of bookbinding and restoration, belonging to important institutions such as the Complutense University of Madrid and the National Library of Spain, which have departments of restoration and bookbinding. The Faculty of Documentation Sciences has an independent bookbinding workshop, where bookbinding workshops and courses have been held since 1999. Since that first year, 18 different workshops or courses have been given, ranging from 20 to 50 hours in duration, the vast majority of which were practical. The work analyses the objectives of each workshop, the programmes, the number of hours, the ECTS credits for UCM students, among other aspects. As results, it is worth highlighting that in these more than 20 years of training, 18 different workshops have been given, with several groups in the same academic year. They have been a success, many of them with waiting lists and always given by excellent professionals from UCM and external institutions. As students we have had participation from all age groups, from 18 year olds to retired people, from beginners to professionals in the world of bookbinding and books, students living in Madrid, but also from other parts of Spain such as Valencia, León, Seville, Salamanca, Barcelona and from abroad such as Mexico, Germany, France and Portugal, among others. In conclusion, it should be noted that this type of training, regardless of the name it has had and has, was a good idea to carry it out due to the lack of workshops and regulated courses, having as an umbrella a public university institution, which allows everyone, both people who want to get started and professionals who wish to improve their knowledge in the modules or advanced or specialised courses, within this fascinating world of bookbinding.