Announcing BSA Bibliography Week Events
November 16, 2019
Bibliography Week happens each year in New York City at the end of January, when the BSA, American Printing History Association, the Grolier Club, and other organizations hold their annual meetings. With so many bookish people in town, a number of bibliophilic organizations plan events related to the history of books, printing, reading, and other topics. A complete calendar of events appears on the Grolier Club’s website. Most events, including BSA’s, are free and open to the public.
In January of 2020, the BSA is excited to host two events: a Gathering for New Members and Friends hosted by the American Jewish Historical Society and our Annual Meeting. Details below.
BSA Members & Friends Gathering, Wednesday, January 22, 6-8pm
The Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, NYC
The Bibliographical Society of America welcomes new members and old friends to an evening of bookish camaraderie at the Center for Jewish History, sponsored by the American Jewish Historical Society.
Come meet your fellow BSA members, enjoy tours of AJHS collections and exhibits, and learn more the BSA – how we work and what we do. Reception follows. Free and open to the public, advance registration is requested. Click below for more details about curator-led tours of AJHS collections and exhibits, and to RSVP.
BSA Members Only Tour of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Library, Thursday January 23, 2-3:30pm
The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, 2 East 91st Street, NYC
Join an intimate tour of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Library led by Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi, co-curator of Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color. On view will be many rare books and historical treatises illustrating our understanding of color and how it has evolved over time. From Isaac Newton’s Opticks to Josef Albers’ Interaction of Color, visitors will learn about major color discoveries and be able to browse the Library’s vibrant collection.
Jennifer Cohlman Bracchi is the Acting Head Librarian of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Library, one of 21 branches of Smithsonian Libraries, and a leading repository of European and American design and decorative arts in the nation and the world. With twenty years of experience at Cooper Hewitt, Jen has a background in digital imaging and has lead numerous digital initiatives for the Museum and the Library. She curated her first exhibition Color in a New Light (February 2016 – May 2017) for Smithsonian Libraries at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC. She co-curated the expanded exhibition Saturated: The Allure and Science of Color (May 2018 – March 2019) for Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum with Susan Brown, Curator of Textiles. She enjoys exploring the intersections of art and science and providing access to as much information as possible.
RSVP for the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Tour
The BSA Annual Meeting and New Scholars Program, Friday January 24, 2-7pm
Convene, 237 Park Avenue, NYC – Please note that there is no building entrance on Park Avenue. Enter at 466 Lexington Avenue, or review transportation and entry options here.
Each year the Bibliographical Society of America gathers for its Annual Meeting on the Friday of Bibliography Week. This free, two-part event is open to the public highlights new work and outstanding scholarship in bibliography, beginning with papers by three New Scholars and followed by a panel or lecture chosen by the BSA President.
Schedule of Events
- 2-3:15pm: Papers by New Scholars
- 3:15-3:45pm: Coffee break
- 3:45-4:30pm: Brief business meeting and award presentation
- 4:30-6pm: “Bibliography and Technologies” panel presentation
- 6-7pm: Closing Reception
The 2020 New Scholars are listed below. Read their paper abstracts here.
- Dr. Alison Fraser, University at Buffalo, the State University of New York: Homemade Books in Twentieth-Century Poetics: A Feminist Bibliography
- Dr. Elisa Tersigni, The Folger Shakespeare Library, Two Sides of the Same Book: The Creation and Use of Early Modern English Receipt Books
- Matthew Wills, University of San Diego, California, The Paper Crisis and the Scramble for Stability in Mao-Era Publishing
The theme of this year’s presentation is Bibliography and Technologies. Bibliographers and book historians have long studied the impact of technology on the production of material texts. In the 21st century, we must also confront the ways that new technologies impact bibliographical research methods and results. This year’s annual meeting presentation (and some New Scholars Papers) will explore this very topic with three papers and a formal response from scholars who study and use technologies in meaningful new ways. Panel presentations by Michael Witmore (Folger Shakespeare Library), Lisa Fagin Davis (The Medieval Academy of America), Earle Havens (Johns Hopkins University) with a formal response by Haven Hawley (University of Florida). Read their paper abstracts here.
Join us after the presentation for a lively reception.
During the Annual Meeting the Society also elects our board and conducts a brief business meeting in accordance with our by-laws. The 2020 slate of Nominees will be announced soon.
Annual Meeting Details & Registration
Traveling to New York for Bib Week?
Click here to reserve a room in the BSA Block at the Maxwell Hotel (Lexington Ave & 49th Street), at the discounted rate of $149/night with free wifi for guests. The rate is available throughout Bibliography Week. The reservation deadline is January 10, 2020.
The BSA Annual Meeting is generously supported by:
The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America
Bonhams
The Brick Row Book Shop
Bromer Booksellers
Charles Wood Bookseller
Christie’s
The Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar
De Simone Company
Donald A. Heald Rare Books
Honey & Wax Booksellers
Jonathan A. Hill Bookseller
Kenneth Karmiole Bookseller, Inc.
Nina Musinsky Rare Books
Penn State University Press
RIVERRUN Books & Manuscripts
Richard C. Ramer, Old & Rare Books
Thomas A Goldwasser Rare Books
Type Punch Matrix
William Reese Company