Humboldt County Library Kiosk

The current display in the Humboldt County Library kiosk celebrates NORBAG's 20th anniversary with books made by some of our charter members. In September 1995 Shereen LaPlantz gathered together 14 fellow book enthusiasts to form the North Redwoods Book Arts Guild. We currently have a membership of more than 180 with at least 60% living outside of Humboldt County. Of those original members, eight are still active today. 

One of Shereen's objectives was for the Guild to host a book arts conference the following June. To raise money for the conference, the group made a collaborative book that is pictured here and can be seen in the kiosk. 

The Guild's monthly book exchange started with the first official meeting (October 1995) and has been going on ever since. It is a wonderful way for our members (both local and out-of-town) to be inspired to make a book. It is purely voluntary with an average of 10 to 15 participants each month. The themes for the exchanges are voted upon by the membership and a blind draw determines whose book one receives in exchange. Members have also made books that have been in exhibits in art galleries and other venues.

Although 20 years have passed since the first meeting, NORBAG's original goal still remains "to promote, encourage, and educate participants, as well as the general public, about book arts (traditional as well as non-traditional forms of bookbinding) and related arts."

Shereen LaPlantz was the author of The Art and Craft of Handmade Books
and Cover to Cover shown here.

Handmade book by Shereen LaPlantz

Handmade book by Pamela Eberly

Floating Dragonflies by Dolores Guffey

Marbleous Cats by Dolores Guffey

Dong: A Chinese Sewing Box by Gail Rossi

Carnival Cats by Dorothy Swendeman

A Never Ending Story by Dorothy Swendeman

Anniversary by Brenda Tuxford

Thank you to the Humboldt County Library for allowing us to maintain the displays in this kiosk, Becky M for arranging the display, and Dolores G for providing the photographs used here.