AIC's 52nd Annual Meeting

Collaborative projects have the potential to uncover new perspectives and the ongoing exploration of leather by the Leather Discussion Group (LDG) is no exception. The group, established in 2016 to discuss the effects of leather dyes on leather, has evolved into a much larger project with many facets. What started as a discussion among a small group of book conservators now includes conservators in multiple disciplines as well as leather researchers, suppliers, and leatherworkers in both the US and Europe. The group has learned a great deal about the ways in which people view leather, the philosophies behind its use, and how variations in training and region affect outlooks.

Today, shifting institutional and client priorities play a large role in the place leather has in any given setting. Where it was once ubiquitous as a bookbinding material, changes in the tanning process, ostensible longevity issues, training, and the availability of alternative materials have created a divide between typical institutional and private client trends. Institutional focus on rehousing or minimal treatment is economical yet often fails to return a book to its fully functioning potential. Meanwhile, individual clients often opt for more leather use with future handling in mind.

There is a need to perform more research into many leather topics such as health and safety concerns, sustainability, the environmental impact of leather production, the long-term effects of recent leather treatments and the relative longevity of modern skins compared to traditional (stable) and industrial (highly unstable) skins. However, research into various aspects of leather longevity is nothing new, and investigations into the properties of bookbinding leather go back centuries.

Assessing the potential drivers behind the decision making surrounding this very traditional material, as well as evaluating the relative permanence of modern leather in comparison to historic leather, may be accomplished best if the data is coalesced into one place. In this talk we will introduce a newly launched georeferenced leather database, which is intended to serve as a cross-referenced repository for leather research. The database will allow for input from bookbinders, leather researchers, tanners, and other leather workers worldwide and data within it can be accessed and analyzed freely. It is the LDG’s goal that this repository and the associated knowledge-sharing will shed new light on both historic and modern leather as a material and serve as a basis for guiding future treatment.