A Typology for Book Arts Programs

Abstract

There is great variety within and across American book arts programs, however, there have been very few attempts to systematically analyze programs. As the field of book arts education matures, a typology for classifying programs can contribute to the field’s critical dialogue and may aid teachers, administrators, and students in developing and sustaining book arts programs. A typology is a classification strategy typically used in the social sciences that is problem-oriented. Typologies are used to analyze variables and create useful categories for phenomena that are evolving and changing. This typology was developed to stimulate systematic thinking about the teaching of the book arts and may contribute to promoting the continued evolution of book art programs in a wide variety of institutional contexts.