This presentation addresses ways to engage students while teaching the history of the book within a theological library context. The first part of the presentation considers the importance of teaching the history of the book in a theological or religious education setting. Most of the skills and trades involved in bookmaking have been forgotten today, thus incorporating some of the basic principles of book production and printing illuminates the cultural contexts in which books were made. The second part of the presentation looks at tools and technologies that are useful for teaching the history of the book. In addition to books or manuscripts, this includes traditional printing equipment (e.g., printing press, type, composing sticks, and ink balls) as well as new technology that can replicate or illustrate aspects of the printing process (CNC woodcuts, 3d printing, and photopolymer plates). The third section addresses hands-on activities that demonstrate various aspects of bookmaking, such as pulling a print on a printing press and creating an octavo book from a printed sheet. The approaches covered in this presentation connect the old world of books with the growing movement in libraries to be spaces for creative thinking and innovation.
