Louisiana Tech University’s School of Design recently held a bookmaking workshop for a local Girl Scouts troop hoping to earn their bookmaking badges. Art Associate Professor Frank Hamrick, who specializes in photography and book arts, and Hannah Cooper McCauley, a graduate fellow studying photography and book arts at the School of Design, conducted the workshop, which included a brief overview of various book structures and book anatomy. Hamrick and McCauley got involved with the project through Crystal Woodard, who works in Louisiana Tech’s financial aid office and has two daughters in the Girls Scouts. Hamrick then taught the Girl Scouts how to sew a 20-page, soft cover pamphlet book. On the back of the book was the sentence, “I, ________, made this.” “The girls all seemed proud to make their book,” Hamrick said. “Different girls were excited about various things. A younger Girl Scout, who was probably 10-12 years old, told me about the different kinds of books she had seen in response to the various bindings I shared with them during the workshop. One of Chrystal’s daughters is in the 10th grade and was excited to talk about going to college to study art or architecture.” Each Girl Scout wrote her name on the back of her book upon completion, showing she was eligible for her bookmaking badge. “The experience was good,” Hamrick said. “The School of Design has done similar projects with K-12 groups. It is a good idea to get kids to think about college because that possibility may not be encouraged or talked about depending on their background. Additionally, it is good for them to know there are courses and careers in the arts to also consider.” The School of Design plans to continue working with more Girl Scouts in the region so they too can earn their bookmaking badges. Written by Judith Roberts – jroberts@latech.edu