As a part of his duties as a Rare Book Librarian, Tom is training in book binding, book repair, paper and environmental preservation.

Tom has spent two weeks, so far, at the American Academy of Bookbinding in Telluride, Colorado, significantly advancing his knowledge, skills, and abilities in the binding and repair of books. Additionally, Tom has spend two weeks with Don Etherington in Summerfield, NC, studying both cloth and leather book repair. As well, Tom has spent two weeks at the Rare Book School in Charlottesville, Virginia, studying the history of book binding and book making.