San Gemini Book & Paper Conservation School
Training for Conservators and Restorers of Library and Archival Materials
August 17 - December 20, 2026
This new school will offer an intensive training program in the restoration and preventive conservation of books and paper. Students will gain proficiency in the fundamental skills required to work as conservation technicians specializing in paper-based materials in libraries, archives, and museums.
The program will be offered during the Fall 2026 semester and will last four months. It will take place in the town of San Gemini, in Umbria, Italy. The intensive coursework will be held five days per week and will include both theoretical classroom instruction and hands-on practical training in workshops. All instruction will be conducted in English and delivered in person in San Gemini.
The curriculum is organized into four modules, with a nine day break between each module for rest or travel. A portion of the work carried out in the restoration laboratories will involve materials from local historic archives.
This new program is part of the International Institute for Restoration and Preservation Studies (IIRPS) of New York and is associated with its San Gemini Preservation Studies program in Italy, which has been organizing educational programs in the field of conservation in San Gemini since 2009.
The program and its courses have been developed and operated in collaboration with several local organizations, including the Associazione Valorizzazione Patrimonio Storico San Gemini (Onlus), the Public Administration of the City of San Gemini, the Catholic Dioceses of Terni, Narni, and Amelia, and The department of Restoration and Conservation of Cultural Objects at the Università degli Studi della Tuscia
San Gemini and many nearby towns in southern Umbria have existed for more than 2,000 years. These towns possess a rich history and house notable museums and archives, with archival materials often dating back to the Middle Ages.
Students in the program will have the opportunity to study and work with rare and historically significant materials from these archives. In addition to the Historic Archives of the City of San Gemini, IIRPS maintains active working relationships with the State Archives of Terni, the Historic Archives of the Diocese of Terni, the Historic Archives of the Diocese of Narni, and the Archives of Collescipoli.
All student work on original archival and library materials is carried out under the direction and supervision of professional restorers and with the authorization and oversight of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage.
What students can expect to learn in this course
The history of books, paper making, writing and printing
The structure and the materials used in books bookbinding techniques from the 16th century to the present and to identify them.
Identify different types of paper and their age.
Identify different types of inks and printing methods.
Cleaning methods: dry and wet
Restore books made with paper including the bindings, the sewing, the textblock, and the individual paper sheets
Restore archival material made of paper
Restore various forms of art on paper
Restore photographs and various other photographic materials
Restore various forms of reproductions on paper media
Do preventive conservation on various forms of paper media
Principles of preventive conservation of books and archival documents made of paper.
Evaluation and documentation of the state of conservation of books and archival documents.
Documentation of the restoration process.
Make conservation plans for libraries and archives.
Ethics and theory of Restoration.
Bind books, using the various handmade methods commonly used from the 16th century to the present.
ACADEMIC PROGRAM
SAN GEMINI PRESERVATION STUDIES 4 WEEK SUMMER COURSES
SAN GEMINI HISTORIC ARCHIVES
