Gadfly Book & Paper Conservation is owned and run by Steven Loew. He first learned bookbinding and book conservation as a student employee in his college’s library, but his principal training in the treatment of rare books and paper items was while working as a conservation technician for the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. He later became the conservator in charge of the treatment and preservation of the general collections of the Sheridan Libraries, Johns Hopkins University.

Steven has worked as a full-time professional in book and paper conservation since 1990, and he is a Professional Associate member of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. He established his private practice in book and paper conservation in 1993, which he now conducts full-time and then some.