The 2022 Annual Fund

The Society is grateful to the following current and former members of the Council for funding the Challenge Grant:

Anonymous (1)
G. Scott Clemons
Caroline Duroselle-Melish
Joan M. Friedman in honor of Barbara A. Shailor
Mark Samuels Lasner
Megan Peiser
Alice Schreyer
Barbara A. Shailor and Harry W. Blair

Thank you to everyone who gave in 2022 to help achieve our goal!

Dear Friends and Fellow Bibliographers,
Bibliography is more than a method: it is a bridge, connecting people in various disciplines and professions, working on texts, images, and objects. For nearly 120 years, the Bibliographical Society of America  has provided a home for our broad and diverse community, fostering the dynamic interdisciplinary exchange that makes our field unique. We are especially proud of the enormous accomplishments of the last four years, which have included new, innovative programming; the successful launch of the redesigned BibSite; record-breaking attendance at our Annual Meetings; and a remarkable sixty-percent increase in membership. 

As our world grows increasingly global and interconnected, BSA’s role as a community-builder is more crucial than ever. In 2022, we seek to invest in programs that nurture members and the wider bibliographical community. Our aim is to refresh the look of our journal and website and introduce fresh perspectives into the field. To do so, we ask you to help us by making a gift to the Annual Fund.

This year, we are asking those who can to consider a major gift in support of these initiatives. Four BSA Short Term Fellowships have been awarded this year to scholars working on subjects as varied as sixteenthth-century Dutch ‘hybrid’ books, Black Bibliography, and Marathi lithographic printing. A gift of $3,000 will cover the award that will further their research. 

Our successful outreach to Latin American bibliographers started in 2021 and led by Drs. Corinna Zeltsman and Alex Hidalgowill continue with a published translation of their virtual roundtable, “Collecting and Preserving Colonial Latin America Materials Today”. Zeltsman and Hidalgo are also planning a conversation on the state of the field in a fall virtual panel. A gift of $6,000 will fund both of these projects. The redesign of the Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, led by co-editors Jesse Erickson and Sarah Werner will bring a fresh look to our journal and distinguish it from its peers. A $10,000 investment over two years will support this ambitious project. The BSA website is also ready for a redesign, aligning our digital presence with the look of our print material and BibSite. Its cost will be $6,000 in 2022, and 2023. Finally, a gift of $3,000 will help us maintain the recently launched BibSite as a growing resource for the teaching and study of bibliography, and make improvements to the site in response to user feedback gathered this summer.

The BSA is a small, volunteer-led organization. We make the most of every dollar, and your gifts make a real difference in what we are able to do. The Annual Fund allows us to invest in programs that make a difference in this interdisciplinary, inter-professional community. Please, consider contributing to the Annual Fund with a gift of any amount. We hope that those who can will consider making a larger investment in one of the projects on our list for this year.

Yours sincerely,

Caroline Duroselle-Melish
President