Related Institutes

Rare Book School

Rare Book School (RBS) is an independent, non-profit institute supporting the study of the history of books and printing and related subjects. Founded in 1983 at Columbia University, it moved to its present home at the University of Virginia in 1992. In addition to CALRBS, RBS offers about 30 five-day, non-credit courses of high distinction on topics concerning old and rare books, manuscripts, and special collections. Courses are almost always limited to 12 or fewer students, who make a full-time commitment to any course they attend, from 8:30 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The majority of courses take place during the summer in Charlottesville, VA, but courses are also offered throughout the year in New York City, Baltimore, Washington, DC, and (starting in 2008) Princeton, and Chicago. To see a summary of forthcoming courses offered in a given year, consult the current RBS Course Schedule. For a general list of courses, arranged by topic, refer to the online RBS Course Bulletin.

College Station, Texas

Since 2001, Professor Steven Escar Smith (Director, Cushing Library and Archives, Texas A&M University) has directed an annual Texas A&M Workshop in the History of Books and Printing. The five-day workshop is intended for librarians, archivists, students, teachers, collectors, and private individuals who have an interest in the first three and a half centuries of the printed book. The course consists of a unique combination of labs and seminars designed to provide students with practical experience as well as a broad historical survey of the field. The labs, centered around Cushing’s period-accurate common press, will allow students to experience bookmaking in the hand press era, with sessions devoted to printing, typesetting, papermaking, typecasting, and bookbinding.

For further information, consult the Book History at Texas A&M workshop website.

Urbana-Champaign, Illinois

In 2007, the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign partnered with the IU Rare Book & MSS Library, to form the Midwest Book & Manuscript Studies Program (MBMS). The MBMS offers a series of courses and workshops focused on special collections and the book arts. The program offers both two-week summer classes that can be taken credit/no-credit, and traditional semester-long credit courses. A wide variety of subjects are covered, including rare book & special collections librarianship, archives, and the history of papermaking, printing, and manuscripts. The MBMS also offers a Certificate in Special Collections, a 12-credit-hour graduate certificate open to library and information science professionals and students who want to develop expertise in special collections librarianship and to other professionals interested in developing or enhancing their knowledge of special collections.
For further information, see the Midwest Book & Manuscript Studies Program website .

Colorado Springs, Colorado

The 30th Annual Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar will be held August 3-8 2008 at Colorado College, Colorado Springs. "Specialists share their expertise and experience with booksellers, librarians, and collectors in this comprehensive survey of the out-of-print, antiquarian, rare and used book markets. Basic procedures and problems are discussed both formally and informally through a series of lectures, demonstrations, discussions and practical workshops."

For further information, consult the Book Seminar's website .

UNITED KINGDOM
Centre for Manuscript and Print Studies

In 2001, a Centre for Manuscript and Print Studies was created at the University of London by merger of the Centre for Palaeography and the Research Centre in the History of the Book. The Institute of English Studies (part of London University's School of Advanced Study) hosts the Centre for Manuscript and Print Studies for a partnership including the British Library, St Bride Printing Library, the University of London Library, the English Departments of the Universities of Birmingham and Reading, and the Open University. Since 2004, the new Centre's Summer School in Manuscript Studies has offered a variety of related one-day courses on medieval manuscripts and related subjects. For details consult the Centre's website.

Further details can be found at the Institute of English Studies .

New Zealand
Rare Books Summer School 2008

The fourth Australia and New Zealand Rare Book Summer School will be held in Melbourne at the State Library of Victoria (and other associated venues) from 11-15 February 2008. The four courses proposed are as follows:

Lithography: The popularisation of printing in the 19th century. Instructor: Michael Twyman

The Colonial book trade in Australia and Canada: A comparative approach. Instructors: Mary Jane Edwards & Des Cowley

The book in transition, 1750-1850. Instructors: Brian McMullin & Pamela Pryde

Book collecting. Instructor: Wallace Kirsop

Each of the four courses runs for the five full days of the school.The tuition fee is Aust $700.

For further information contact: Centre for the Book School of English,Communications & Performance Studies Monash University Victoria 3800 Australia Tel: 61 (0)3 9509 7570 or 61 (0)3 9905 2135 (afternoons only)Fax: 61 (0)3 9905 2135 E-mail: centre.forthe.book@arts.monash.edu.au

Links

Antiquarian Booksellers of America (ABAA)

Rare Books & Manuscripts (RBMS) Division of ACRL

UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies