The Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) is offering, for the first time, a $750 scholarship for collectors to attend any one of five notable rare and antiquarian book seminars and schools. Anyone may apply. There is no need to be a bookseller or member of any professional organization. These seminars regularly have a number of collectors as well as booksellers and librarians attend, their lessons valuable to all. Collectors thinking of becoming booksellers will also find these seminars very helpful. The only requirement is you send in your application no later than June 4.

 

Here is a list of schools and seminars from which you may choose:

 

Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS). CABS is an intensive program on all aspects of bookselling held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA for one week each summer.

 

Rare Book School (RBS, Charlottesville, VA, USA). RBS courses focus on specific aspects of book history, bibliography, printing and book arts. Most of these week-long courses are offered in the summer in Charlottesville, but others are offered at other venues around the East Coast and at other times of the year.

 

California Rare Book School (CALRBS, various locations in California, USA). CALRBS courses are also similarly focused and are week-long courses covering a broad range of topics, from the history, identification and preservation of motion picture materials to the history of typography.

 

York Antiquarian Book Seminar (YABS), to be held in York, England in September. YABS is a three-day intensive seminar modeled after CABS but tailored for booksellers in the UK.

 

London Rare Books School (LRBS). Two week-long intensive sessions on specific topics about antiquarian material are offered each summer at the University of London, England. Courses have included A History of Maps and Mapping, The Medieval Book, and Children’s Books.

 

Financial need is not a criterion. Selection will be made based on interest and merit. Just let them know who you are, how to reach you, and a bit about your collecting focus and why you would like to attend. Please don't write more than two pages. The reviewers are busy! Also let them know which seminar you would like to attend, and they would be pleased if you can write up a description of your experience at the end for publication in The Standard, the IOBA journal.

 

Send your application to IOBA by email at scholarshipcontest@ioba.org. Use "IOBA Scholarship Application" as the subject header. The winner or winners will be selected by the IOBA Scholarship Committee and will be notified by telephone or email by June 15, 2017. Collector scholarships to rare book seminars do not draw a high number of applicants so you have a decent chance of winning. Just apply quickly as the June 4 deadline will be here shortly.

 

You can learn more about this scholarship at the following link: www.ioba.org/pages/scholarships-for-collectors

 

IOBA is an organization of booksellers, formed during the early days of the internet, for online dealers. It provides services to assist online booksellers in their trade while requiring subscription to a code of ethics to assure trustworthy and professional service for their customers.