Bindery Workers :Job Description, Education, Skills and Duties, Earnings and Outlook
Submitted by: paula
Job Overview Bookbinding is an honored craft since the early days of civilization. Animal skin and papyrus were used for books and the manuscripts were stored in between two boards. Monks in monasteries developed bookbinding into a fine art during the Middle Age.They used jewels, enamel, ivory and metal to bind the board covers of sacred books. Leather had been introduced to cover the boards around year 900. The English are the pioneer users of leather in bookbinding and this material had been used since then. Kings, nobles and other powerful figures employed binders for books in their own library. Since the invention of the printing press, the binding of books are no longer done in palaces and monasteries but had been transferred to shops of binders and printers. The skilled machine operators in printing shops are now known as bindery workers.
Education, Knowledge and Trainings Required
Knowledge in binding and printing gives the applicant an edge when applying as a bindery worker. Attending vocational technical high school or taking shop classes will expose the applicant in this field. Graphic Arts class which is offered in junior and community colleges are beneficial. Those who are interested in developing their skills in bookbinding can take a four-year apprenticeship program where they will be taught how to bind and restore old and rare books.
Skills and Abilities
Good eyesight is needed since they need to be detail-oriented. It will be costly to commit errors or mistake especially in the last stage of the printing process so bindery workers need to pay attention to every detail when working. Creativity, artistic imagination and ability together with neatness, accuracy and patience are essential in this field.
Duties
Bindery workers are responsible in inserting and collating materials in the binding machine since most of the processes are automated.
The machine would cut, fold, gather, stitch, glue, trim and wrap the materials. Those who specialize in binding large volume of books are called edition binderies while those who handle pamphlets are called pamphlet binderies. Those who bind blank forms and pages into notebooks, calendars, notepads, ledgers and checkbooks are called loose-leaf or manifold binderies. Those who are in contract basis with publishers and printers to bind smaller quantities of materials are job or trade binderies. Those who rebind or restore old books are called hand bookbinders.
Earnings and Job Outlook
People now seldom look for skilled workers in bookbinding since most books now are highly automated and the binding process is mechanized. In 2005, the average income for a year of a bindery worker is $25,050. Their income would depend on the type of responsibility they have, geographical location and if they are under a union contract. They usually work for 35 to 40 hours a week and working for more than 40 hours will entitle the employee an overtime pay.
Paula Hiz is a researcher and a human resource specialist who helps newly graduates, job applicants and post graduate professionals be aware of their job opportunities and available trainings for skills and practice upgrading.
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Word Count: 504 Date: Fri, 17 Dec 2010 Time: 1:46 AM
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