From 13th to 15th April 2016, the postgraduate students of Books & Library Materials Conservation took ourselves off to the University of Copenhagen to attend the sixteenth Care and Conservation of Manuscripts conference.

It's not exaggerating to use language like 'meeting the maker' and 'died and gone to heaven', honest. When this early twentieth century Japanese cigarette case was shown to me, I had to work on it.

After completing the MA in Conservation Studies at West Dean, I served as an assistant for six weeks in the conservation studio of Michael Parfett in London. Michael works primarily on harps, harpsichords and frames, and the short work placement offered the opportunity to gain experience in conserving musical instruments, decorative surfaces and gilding.

A first job after graduating took me towards the conservation of sculptures---a discipline I studied back in Portugal and which, in combination with what I had learned at West Dean, proved successful.

Mariko graduated from the book conservation program in 2013, and immediately moved to Singapore and started working for Q Art Conservation-the place where she had done her work placement as a postgraduate student. We last heard from her when she first started; here's what she's been up to recently.

A report from alumnus William Bennett (Books '13), who is currently working at the Smithsonian Institution Archives.