2013 Call for emerging scholar prize applications

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

The recipient of the BSC Emerging Scholar Prize will be invited to deliver a paper at the Society’s annual spring conference. A revised, article-length version of the paper will be published in the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada / Cahiers de la Société bibliographique du Canada, subject to peer review. A grant of $500 accompanies the Prize and may be used to help the recipient attend the annual conference or to meet costs associated with research. The recipient will also receive a one year complimentary membership in the BSC.

Eligibility: Students of any nationality enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program are eligible (e.g., MA, PhD, MLIS), as is anyone who has completed such a program within the last four years from date of convocation (e.g., teaching faculty, librarians, postdoctoral fellows, independent scholars, members of the book trade). There are no restrictions regarding the topic of research so long as it relates to some aspect of bibliography or book history.

Application: Applicants must submit the following documents electronically in English or in French:

  • A one-page cover letter that explains the applicant’s interest in and suitability for the prize;
  • A brief CV (maximum of three pages);
  • An abstract (maximum of 750 words, including bibliography) of the proposed paper;
  • Proof of student status or of graduation within the past four years (copy of diploma, copy of student identification, or official or unofficial transcript);
  • One confidential letter of reference, e-mailed directly by the referee. The letter may be given as text or sent as an attachment, but it must include the referee’s contact information and any institutional affiliation.

All application materials, including letters of reference, should be sent to Geoffrey Little, Chair, BSC Publications Committee, publications@bsc-sbc.ca, no later than 15 November 2013. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Paper submissions will not be accepted. The recipient will be announced in January 2014.

For more information, please contact Geoffrey Little, publications@bsc-sbc.ca.

CFP: What Is the History of (Electronic) Books?

Four decades after the launch of Michael Hart’s Project Gutenberg and three decades after the publication of Robert Darnton’s seminal essay, “What Is the History of Books?,” are we able to start telling the history of electronic books? If so, what are the ways by which authorship, publishing, reading, and scholarship have been influenced, shaped, or changed by electronic books? Do electronic books transmit texts in new ways? What relationships do electronic books create or threaten amongst authors, publishers, and readers? What does it mean to collect and curate electronic books? Continue reading “CFP: What Is the History of (Electronic) Books?”

Emerging Scholar Prize: Fundraising Drive

The Bibliographical Society of Canada (BSC) is pleased to announce the creation of the Emerging Scholar Prize. The Prize will be given annually starting in 2014 and will recognize and support a scholar at the beginning of her or his career who is undertaking research in bibliography, book history, or print culture. The Emerging Scholar will be invited to deliver a paper at the annual spring conference of the BSC. A revised, article-length version of the paper will be published in the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada, subject to peer review. A grant of $500 accompanies the prize and will be used to help the recipient attend the annual conference or to meet costs associated with research. Continue reading “Emerging Scholar Prize: Fundraising Drive”

Canada’s National Book Collecting Contest

Prizes were awarded to the winning entrants of the third National Book Collecting Contest in Vancouver and Waterloo on May 28, 2012.

The National Book Collecting Contest Previous Winners

2011:

2010: