(The following is a guest post by Luke Ayers, an intern with the Conservation Division. Luke recently earned his Master’s degree at the University of Iowa School of Library and Information Sciences.)

An old high school classmate asked me recently how I decided to go into library work. I was stunned to realize I didn’t really have an answer – it just felt like something that had always been true. As a lifelong reader, writer, and overall appreciator of books, it just makes sense that I would end up somewhere in a library.

Now, figuring out *where *in the library I wanted to work? That took a little longer. Over the course of my two-year Master of Library Science program, I considered teacher librarianship, then public, then reference. It wasn’t until last January, when I applied for the General Collections Conservation Section (GCCS) internship the first time, that I began to consider conservation as an option. After I heard I hadn’t gotten the internship, I spent the next year seeking out as much bookbinding, book repair, and conservation experience as I could. Through that year-long process, I discovered that I *love *conservation work. (Enough to be considering going back for a second Master’s degree!)

This summer, I had the honor of working alongside the fantastic General Collections Conservation team. I got the opportunity to practice so many new skills and techniques, to explore the Library, and to get to know all the talented conservation staff. I’ve also gotten to work with the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, applying protective covers to the dust jackets of hundreds of rare books.

Thinking back on all the treatments I’ve worked on this summer, I think my favorite experience was learning to do a lined recase from Preservation Specialist Leslie Long. If a book has a lot of wear but isn’t quite so damaged as to need a whole new spine, a lined recase preserves the original cover, adds stability to the spine, and fills in any gaps where the material has worn away. I liked the satisfaction of restoring a book in its original case, giving it a refresh without doing a total overhaul, but I think the real reason I enjoyed this lesson so much was that Leslie makes everything fun. Once we got started with a demo, I could always count on learning something new about conservation history or hearing a funny story from her days as a beginner bench technician. In the style of all good teachers, Leslie struck a perfect balance between focus and fun. I’ve included a photo here of me learning how to use the board slotting machine. Board slotting is a spine repair technique which allows leather-covered books to retain their original boards, without causing damage to the leather.

In addition to my work in General Collections Conservation, once a week I made my way over to the Jefferson building to do some work in the Rare Book Division. There are hundreds and hundreds of books in Rare Book with delicate, often damaged original dust jackets, which must be preserved along with their accompanying books. Over ten weeks, I applied over one thousand plastic dust jacket covers to these books, so that the dust jackets and the books can be protected from further degradation. Jackie Coleburn and Jessica Zieman, as well as the rest of the Rare Book catalogers, were always welcoming and cheerful on Friday mornings, which made this work all the more enjoyable.

During my final weeks in GCCS, I had the opportunity to demonstrate a bookbinding technique for the rest of the team. At some point over the summer, I had discovered that the way I was taught to make a case (the outer part of a book, including the covers and outer spine) at the University of Iowa Center for the Book was different from the method in General Collections Conservation. Having the opportunity to share different techniques for book binding and repair was gratifying, as was the chance to practice my teaching and demo skills!

Giving a demo on the UICB method of making a case, August 14, 2025 (Leslie Long/Library of Congress)

Now that I’m at the end of my internship and looking ahead to job-searching and the possibility of more school on the horizon, I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunities the General Collections Conservation Section has given me. I’ve learned dozens of new skills, completed over 70 conservation treatments, and connected with folks from all across the Library. This has truly been the opportunity of a lifetime.