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It Is Renewal Time!

Thank everyone who continued to be or became members of The Bibliographical Society of Canada, supporting Canadian scholarship in bibliography and book history.

As the membership year for the BSC runs from 1 January to 31 December annually, your membership is now due for renewal. Renewing is easy. You can pay online using your credit card via AffiniPay or by cheque. For more information and to renew your membership: https://www.bsc-sbc.ca/en/membership-donation

We also welcome anyone with an interest in bibliography and book history to consider joining us in 2021!

BSC/SBC Council

Call for Papers: Bibliographical and Book Studies in Canada

The central Congress organizers and their partners at the University of Alberta for Congress 2021 are committed to offering an excellent Congress, with many opportunities for collaborations across societies and new ways to connect with old friends. They are still deciding on how to best deliver on this promise in the context of COVID-19 and are exploring all options, including investigating some of the latest technologies to offer us a range of possibilities. They are talking about making this a groundbreaking event. They promise a clear announcement about the format for Congress 2021 (i.e. virtual, in-person, or hybrid) by November 1st. Like most associations, the BSC/SbC is moving forward on the assumption that it will be a virtual conference, running on shortened days to accommodate both time zones and ZOOM fatigue. We are interested in offering traditional panels, but also in exploring new formats for presentations and new ways of arranging panels, so we will be happy to discuss wide-ranging options with presenters as the planning process unfolds, and hope to offer an exciting and innovative program.

Call for Nominations: Tremaine Medal 2021

The Awards Committee invites nominations for the Marie Tremaine Medal, offered by the Bibliographical Society of Canada (BSC) for outstanding service to Canadian bibliography and for distinguished publication in either English or French in that field. The Tremaine Medal is accompanied by the Watters-Morley Prize, a $500 scholarly award.

Call for applications: 2021 Emerging Scholar Prize

The Bibliographical Society of Canada (BSC) invites applications for the Emerging Scholar Prize. The Prize promotes the work of a researcher who is beginning a career in the fields of book history and bibliography broadly defined, including a study of the creation, production, publication, distribution, transmission, history, and uses of printed books, manuscripts, or electronic texts. Preference will be given to topics with a Canadian dimension.

In Memoriam Ernest (Ernie) B. Ingles

It is with great sadness that we note the sudden passing on September 17, 2020 of Ernie Ingles, BSC-SbC President from 1989 to 1991 and the 1996 Marie Tremaine Medal recipient. Although in ill health for a number of years, his health was recently much improved and in a letter to the BSC-SbC in July he optimistically reported, “ life is good” and mentioned that he was looking forward to our 2021 annual meeting in Edmonton.

BSC-SbC Annual General Meeting

During these extraordinary times, we are not able to come together for our normal Annual General Meeting. For the work of the BSC-SbC to continue a number of annual tasks must be undertaken. To carry out these tasks we will hold a virtual AGM via Zoom on Wednesday, 24 June 2020 at 2:00 p.m. (EST). We deeply value the input and insights of our members and urge you to join us.

Please register here via EventBrite before June 22, 2020. Registrants will be provided with the Zoom link for the meeting and agenda a few days prior to the meeting.

— Karen Smith
President, The Bibliographical Society of Canada/la Société bibliographique du Canada (BSC-SbC)

Announcement of Greta Golick Award for the Study of Book Culture

The Bibliographical Society of Canada/la Société bibliographique du Canada (BSC-SbC) is pleased to announce the inauguration of an award to support the education of graduate students and early career researchers by facilitating their participation in the Society’s annual conference. The award is named in honour of Dr. Greta Golick (1956-2018) whose scholarship and teaching are remembered with admiration and gratitude. Inaugurated with a residual sum given to BSC-SbC by the Canadian Association for the Study of Book Culture/l’Association Canadienne pour l’étude de l’histoire du livre (CASBC/ACÉHL) at its dissolution, the award fund has been augmented by generous donations in Dr. Golick’s memory.

2019 issue of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada is now available online

Purple cover of Vol 57 (2019): Special Issue: LGBTQ+ Print Culture: Overviews and Perspectives — Cover of Vol 57 (2019): Special Issue: LGBTQ+ Print Culture: Overviews and Perspectives

We are very pleased to announce that volume 57 of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada is now available online. BSC members will receive printed copies of the journal later this summer. This special issue is dedicated to LGBTQ+ print culture in Canada and beyond and is guest-edited by Rebecka Taves Sheffield and Nicholas Giguère. As the guest editors reflect in their introduction to the special issue, “[a]lthough these studies cannot possibly represent the totality of LGBTQ+ print culture in Canada, they illustrate the diversity and complexity of LGBTQ+ histories and should serve as catalysts for further study.” The BSC is proud to support scholarship on Canada’s vibrant LGBTQ+ communities and their engagement with textual culture, books, and print.

Annual BSC-SbC Conference Cancelled

The BSC-SbC Council has voted to cancel the 2020 Bibliographical and Book Studies in Canada Conference after consulting with our prospective presenters and assessing the many difficulties and stresses of mounting a virtual conference. We do not want to add to the many demands on our members at this difficult time. Meanwhile, we will explore options for running a virtual Annual General Meeting.

May you all find solace in a good book or two, stay well and take care of yourselves and your families.

Karen Smith, President
Bibliographical Society of Canada / La Société bibliographique du Canada

2020 Bernard Amtmann Fellowship Awarded

The members of the Bibliographical Society of Canada Fellowships Committee are very pleased to announce that Geoffrey Robert Little has been selected as the recipient of the Bernard Amtmann Fellowship for 2020 for his project, “What Did John Buchan Read?”