The FAIC (Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation) oral history interview project is a little-known resource documenting the carreers of individual conservators; almost 400 have been interviewed since the 1970s. More information about the history of the project and how to access the transcriptions here.
The interviews often provide revealing insights into their lives, education, work history, and observations concerning the current state of conservation. Book conservators interviewed include Paul Banks, Tony Cains, Jim Canary, Chris Clarkson, Deborah Evetts, Peter Waters, and most recently, me. I’m unaccustomed to such illustrious company!
It was a lot of fun to be intensely interviewed for over two hours, think about my own history, and about the massive changes in book conservation that have occurred during the past 30 years. If this topic interests you, also check out “Outside of the Text: My Work in Book Conservation” and “A Future for Book Conservation at the End of the Mechanical Age“