News Archives

Library Services Supervisor for Rare Books & Special Collections – Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is hiring for the position of Library Services Supervisor for Rare Books & Special Collections. The Library Services Supervisor will work to conserve, develop, manage, and promote the Library’s rare books and special collections, implement policies and procedures to ensure secure access and long-term preservation of the collections and develop relationships within the local community designed to foster current and future interest and care of the collection.

Applications are due 5 May 2022. Click here to review the full position description. […]

APHA Conference: Call for Papers

47th Annual APHA National Conference: “Making Artistic Noise: Printing and Social Activism from the 1960s to the Present”
(Los Angeles, California, 13–15 October 2022)

The American Printing History Association (APHA) is pleased to announce a call for papers for its 2022 annual conference in Los Angeles. The theme of this year’s conference: the social and political movements of the 1960s and 1970s that reverberated in the printing and printmaking world, inspiring artists and art collectives nationwide. An era that started with the continuing struggles of the Civil Rights Movement, the Kennedy assassination, and the explosion of youth culture gave way to the counterculture, […]

Announcing the 2022–24 RBS-Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellows

Rare Book School is pleased to announce the 2022–24 RBS-Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellows in the Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship for Diversity, Inclusion & Cultural Heritage. Many congratulations to all the fellows.

The 2022–24 RBS-Mellon Cultural Heritage Fellows are: […]

BSA Workshop: “Touch to See: A Nineteenth-Century Book for Blind Readers”

The Bibliographical Society of America invites registration for “Touch to See: A Nineteenth-Century Book for Blind Readers,” a workshop at Swem Library, the College of William and Mary, 3 June 2022, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. ET.

Led by Dr. Amanda Stuckey, Assistant Professor of English at Central Penn College in Harrisburg, PA, this workshop is free and open to the public, and participants may attend in person (lunch will be provided) or via Zoom. Click here to register. Registration is requested by 10 May.

We often think of sight-impairment as a barrier to literacy, […]

Librarian (Codicology Specialist) – Law Library of Congress

The Law Library of Congress is hiring for the position of Librarian (Codicology Specialist). This position is located in the Collections Services Division, Global Legal Collection Directorate, Law Library. The position requires the joint skills of a cataloger and a subject matter expert in rare books, and particularly in incunables. There is a foreign language requirement for this position based on the language of the material being described, and the incumbent should have a professional proficiency of one or more of these languages in addition to English: Latin, German, and Italian. Applications close 2 May 2022. Click here for full details. […]

Announcing the Kenneth W. Rendell Annual Endowed Lecture at Rare Book School

Rare Book School is pleased to announce that Kenneth W. Rendell and Shirley McNerney have generously endowed an annual lecture and publication series on the importance of original manuscripts and rare books to human understanding. The Kenneth W. Rendell Endowed Lecture at Rare Book School will focus on the connection that rare book and manuscript collecting provides with people and events of the past, our shared human history, and the intellectual thrill and emotional pleasures of collecting. This lecture series will spotlight the roles of collectors, librarians, and dealers, not only in preserving human history but also in providing insight and perspectives into the present and future. […]

“The Eternal Return of Print-Digital Literary Publishing” with Élika Ortega

The Scholars’ Lab at the University of Virginia invites you to attend a virtual presentation on “The Eternal Return of Print-Digital Literary Publishing” by Élika Ortega on Wednesday, 20 April, 2–3:15 p.m. ET. This Zoom presentation is free and open to the public; advance registration is required. Click here to view the details and register.

Élika will look at the cycles of enthusiasm and retrenchment in print-digital literary publishing since the mid 1980s. In an era where it’s still unclear if the digital will yield a new standard form of the book beyond the e-book, […]

“Digital Writing & Digital Divides in the U.S.” with Leonardo Flores

The Scholars’ Lab at the University of Virginia invites you to attend a virtual presentation on “Digital Writing & Digital Divides in the U.S.: Electronic Literature & Privilege” by Leonardo Flores on Wednesday, 6 April, 10:30–11:45 a.m. ET. This Zoom presentation is free and open to the public; advance registration is required. Click here to view the details and register.

Leonardo will trace how white practitioners have dominated e-lit authorship and study: materially through who’s had access to technology and programming education, and via biased definitions of the field limiting it to only certain privileged aesthetics. […]

ABAA Mentorship Program: Call for Applications

The Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) Women’s Initiative Committee is proud to announce the second round of the ABAA Mentorship Program.

In an effort to further the Association’s mission, the mentorship program builds relationships between ABAA dealers and early career booksellers, provides professional development opportunities for prospective ABAA members, and creates a recruitment pipeline that increases the number and diversity of qualified applicants to the ABAA. The 2022 mentee application can be found here.

During the year-long mentorship period, with support from ABAA Headquarters, mentors and mentees meet monthly to discuss aspects of their individual businesses and the trade as a whole. […]

“Found Objects Objetos encontrados: A Bilingual Poetry Reading” with Nicole Cecilia Delgado

You’re invited to attend “Found Objects Objetos Encontrados: A Bilingual Poetry Reading” with Puerto Rican poet and book artist Nicole Cecilia Delgado, Thursday, 24 March 2022, 5:30 p.m. ET, in Clark Hall 108 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

Nicole Cecilia Delgado will read from her most recent bilingual anthology, Objetos encontrados / Found Objects (DoubleCross Press, 2021).

This live-only event is free and open to the public; no registration is required.

“Nicole Cecilia Delgado is a poet, translator, and book artist. Her latest book of poems, Periodo Especial(Aguadulce/La Impresora), […]

2022 Library of Congress Literacy Awards: Call for Applications

The Library of Congress invites nonprofit organizations (large of small) that have an impact on literacy to apply for the 2022 Library of Congress Literacy Awards. Winners receive cash awards and public recognition, and have the opportunity to network with other recipients. Click here for application instructions. Applications close 4 March.

Read the full press release here. […]

RBS Announces M.C. Lang Fellows in Book History, Bibliography, and Humanities Teaching with Historical Sources

With pleasure, Rare Book School announces the third cohort of M. C. Lang Fellows in Book History, Bibliography, and Humanities Teaching with Historical Sources. Congratulations to all, and we look forward to welcoming you to RBS this summer! […]

RBS Announces Summer 2022 Course Applications

Applications for summer 2022 courses are now being accepted. To apply, you will first need to create an account in our new Salesforce-based myRBS system. […]

Chapin Librarian – Williams College

Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is hiring for the position of Chapin Librarian. The Chapin Librarian will champion an inclusive curatorial vision for rare book and manuscript collections in support of the broad Liberal Arts curriculum of Williams College, and will enthusiastically engage the campus community and beyond through instruction, outreach, exhibits, and scholarly programming. The position offers a broad portfolio of curatorial responsibilities, and Williams College seeks someone who is eager to gain experience in a range of special collections library functions and to advance principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. The Chapin Librarian will have primary oversight of Chapin gift and endowment funds, […]

RBS General and Buice Scholarship Awards for 2022 Announced

Rare Book School is pleased to announce the recipients of its General Scholarship Committee awards, as well as the winners of the Buice Scholarships for returning RBS students. Congratulations to these recipients! […]

Virtual Book Talk featuring Matthew G. Kirschenbaum, 27 January 2022

The American Antiquarian Society invites you to attend its latest Virtual Book Talk, Bitstreams: The Future of Digital Literary Heritage with Matthew G. Kirschenbaum,  on Thursday, 27 January 2022, 2–3 p.m. EST. The program is free but requires advance registration. Click here for full details, including registration instructions.

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Executive Director, Library & Archives – Drexel University

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (ANS) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is hiring for the position of Executive Director, Library & Archives. ANS seeks an experienced and dynamic library and archives professional to unlock the extraordinary potential of one of the finest natural history library and archive collections in the Americas. The executive director will be a visionary leader and collaborative manager, with proven skill in facilitating and sharing research, developing programming, fostering networking and collaboration among other libraries, building new audiences, and establishing a service-oriented philosophy. Applications close 14 February 2022. Click here for full details. […]

RBS Remembers the Passing of Donald Fry

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Donald Fry on 6 December 2021 in Charlottesville, VA.

In 2007, Don joined Rare Book School’s Board of Directors as the UVA President’s representative—a position he held until January of this year. His tenure distinguishes him as our Board’s longest-serving member.

Throughout his time on the Board, Don served as an essential bridge from the RBS Board to the Office of the President of UVA, working as an enthusiastic and able ambassador and advocate, and as a highly trusted and deeply prized advisor to two RBS Executive Directors, […]

RBS Announces Summer 2022 Schedule

The summer 2022 Rare Book School course schedule is available! Summer courses will be held at the University of Virginia in the Rotunda and adjacent buildings; the Latin American Library at Tulane University; the Firestone Library at Princeton University; the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the Sterling Memorial Library at Yale University; the Oak Spring Garden Library; the Grolier Club; the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts at the University of Pennsylvania; the Library Company of Philadelphia; and the Free Library of Philadelphia. […]

RBS Mourns the Passing of Jay T. Last

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Jay T. Last, friend and benefactor of Rare Book School. He died in Los Angeles on 11 November 2021; he was 92.

As a physicist and entrepreneur, Jay Last is renowned as one of the founders of the Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, the origin of Silicon Valley. As an art collector, publisher, scholar, author, and philanthropist, Jay’s legacy of support for the arts, art history, and education will endure for many years to come. A collector of West and Central African Art, Jay, along with his wife Deborah, […]