Washington Rare Book Group Scholarship

The Washington Rare Book Group (WRBG) takes advantage of the vast bibliographic resources in the capitol region, from the Library of Congress to small secondhand bookshops. The group offers its members tours of special collections libraries and exhibitions, specialized bookshops and conservation labs, and lectures on bibliographic topics. Members include librarians from many of the area’s prominent universities, cultural institutions, and government agencies, as well as conservators, historians, collectors, and booksellers. The WRBG strives to create a friendly and supportive community of rare-book enthusiasts in the Washington area.

To encourage newcomers and young people to pursue book-related interests and support the rare-book and bibliographical professions, the WRBG offers a scholarship annually for a deserving, talented individual to attend an RBS course. The scholarship will cover tuition for one course, and membership in the WRBG for one year.

The successful applicant will live within the metropolitan Washington, DC area (northern Virginia, the District of Columbia, or suburban Maryland) and have a strong personal or professional interest in bibliography, the history of the book, book arts, or other aspects of rare-book scholarship.

Following completion of the RBS course, the scholarship recipient will be invited to speak to a WRBG meeting about his or her experience.

Applications will be accepted directly by RBS. To apply, please submit an RBS scholarship application by the 1 November deadline. See the main scholarship page for application instructions. Scholarship applicants will be considered for all awards for which they are eligible. Participation in the RBS scholarship program implies acceptance of the scholarship Terms and Conditions.

Previous Winners

2024 – Allison Buser
2023 – Elissa Krieg
2022 – Ryan Zohar
2021 – Hannah Jones
2020 – Julia Fine
2019 – Ashleigh Coren