May 1983 Training in Paper Conservation by Ellen McCrady People learn paper conservation in a variety of ways, but anyone who intends to pursue it seriously should make formal full-time education in an academic setting the main component of their preparation. Columbia University has a degree program in library and archival conservation, dealing with bound and unbound record materials, as distinguished from art on paper, which is taught in the other institutions. It is often customary for conservation students to spend a year or so in an apprenticeship, often unpaid, before applying for admission to these programs. Whether or not a person intends to apply for admission afterward, he or she would do well to ask the school admissions people what conservators they would recommend to work with. An apprenticeship in a good lab not only gives the student a better education, but makes it more likely that they will be accepted in the school when and if they apply.
Competition is keen and only the host are accepted.
There are other forms of education, too. It is not unusual for a conservator to use several forms of training in the course of his or her career, even if they already have a degree from a formal program. Europe, like North America, has everything from weekend workshops to degree programs. However, a degree from a European program carries less weight here than one from an American program. It is hard to learn about these before they happen, even if one takes all the right newsletters.