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A distinctive degree-granting program that integrates training in book arts practice and technique with research into the history and culture of books.

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Facilities

We offer a wide variety of experiences in bookbinding, letterpress printing, papermaking, lettering arts and more.

Special Collections

Student Handbook

References for procedures, policies and resources for all UICB students.

Graduate study opportunities

The UICB offers an MFA degree and a graduate certificate in book studies or book arts.

Center news

Kimberly Obee

Tuesday, January 20, 2026
a view of the oxbow lake at Paper Book Intensive

UICB MFA Student Summer Adventures

Monday, September 29, 2025

Upcoming events

How Renaissance Scholars and Printers Decided on the Size of Books promotional image

How Renaissance Scholars and Printers Decided on the Size of Books

Thursday, April 2, 2026 5:30pm
Adler Journalism and Mass Communication Building
This lecture by Harvard historian Ann Blair explores how Renaissance scholars and printers determined book size, showing how commercial and cultural factors—and collaborations like those of Erasmus in Basel and Conrad Gessner in Zurich—shaped publishing norms and the production of knowledge in early modern Europe.
2026 Annual John Martin Rare Book Room Open House promotional image

2026 Annual John Martin Rare Book Room Open House

Wednesday, April 29, 2026 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Hardin Library for Health Sciences
Iowa Icons: Leaders, Innovators, and Trailblazers in the History of Iowa Medicine
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A woman holds up a poster with calligraphy on it and another woman examines it
UICB papermaking
Two hands and various type settings