Yasmeen Khan has worked in the field of conservation since 1987. She came to the United States to study, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies from Barnard College of Columbia University and a Master of Library and Information Science degree (MLIS) from the University of Texas with a certificate in Conservation of Library and Archival Materials. Presently, she is the head of paper conservation at the Library of Congress where she has worked in various conservation roles since 1996.

Trained as book conservator, she has treated paper and parchment manuscripts and books from various cultures and periods. Her research has and continues to be focused on the characterization of bookmaking and its associated crafts in the Middle East and South Asia, and the development of techniques for the preservation of illuminated manuscripts from the same geographic area. She has taught and consulted on the subject in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Her publications, some co-authored, include technical studies of early Arabic parchment leaves and Armenian bindings, conservation treatments of manuscripts and bindings, research into treatment development for iron-gall ink, and the evolution of conservation practice in the U.S.

The William Anthony Conservation Lecture Series, hosted by the University of Iowa Libraries Conservation Lab, invites book and paper conservators and bookbinders to share their experience and work with the UI book arts community and beyond. Funded by a generous gift that established the William Anthony Endowment in 1989, it honors our first library conservator and the first bookbinding instructor at the UI Center for the Book.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Giselle Simón in advance at (319) 335-5033 or giselle-simon@uiowa.edu.