What do the Pernese use for scrap paper and figuring things out on? Okay, we know that paper itself is a bit of a luxury item, and most people would use hides, but for doing rough work on?
I've been thinking maybe some sort of slate with chalk that you can use a rubber with (*g* for the Yanks I mean an eraser!)? Or maybe they scrape hides for reuse like the Egyptians did with papyrus?
I would think it would depend on who and where they are. I mean, scraps of paper can be left over from other coorespondence, etc. Also, slates as you suggested, or scraps of hide could be used over and over again, just scraped clean for the next time. Paper would be more likely to be had by Lords, etc...whereas the hide/slates would be more likely to be had by the common folks.
In ancient Rome people would use tablets covered with a thin layer of wax to write in and a slightly raised cover to protect the work. Then when they no longer needed the message they'd just melt the wax and reuse the tablet.
Mesopotamians also used clay tablets that were baked and stored, and school children in ancient Egypt wrote on pot sherds. Ancient Britians (post-Romanization) used thin slabs of wood with water based ink that could be rubbed off (again, reusable).
http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/k12/materials.html (http://www.lib.umich.edu/pap/k12/materials.html) <- goes into a bit more detail.
*g*
In the harper hall they would use a sand table. There was a glass that they would move over to cover the work until it could be transcribed. I think I have that right. I remember readingit in the Harper Hall trilogy.
Yes, they might have every one of those things. However, considering the technology level of the club, I would have to say that sand tables may not be as widely used as they used to be. And paper and reuseable hides, and slates would be more used.
So, as I said, hides and slates would be used more by those who can't afford much more. And paper would be used by those of higher stature. Paper isn't as uncommon as all that, however, it's a bit expensive.
We have to keep in mind, that we're on the level of mid to late 1800's so we're quite a bit past the ancient times technology-wise. And AIVAS would have made things a bit easier and cheaper anyway.