The Bibliographical Society of America’s New Scholars Program promotes the work of scholars new to bibliography, broadly defined to include the creation, production, publication, distribution, reception, transmission, and subsequent history of all textual artifacts. This includes manuscript, print, and digital media, from clay and stone to laptops and iPads.
Thanks to a recent donation to BSA in honor of Jacob Blanck (1906-1974), the New Scholars Program now provides named support for bibliographical and book historical scholarship focusing on printed works of writers of the United States and their publishers, in addition to the program’s Malkin and Pantzer awards.
The New Scholars award is $1,000, with a $500 travel stipend. Three awards are made each year as part of a two-pronged program:
1. New Scholars present fifteen-minute talks on their current, unpublished bibliographical research during a program preceding the Society’s Annual Meeting, held each January.
2. Expanded versions of New Scholars’ papers are submitted to the editor of The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America (PBSA) for publication, subject to peer review.
The committee strongly encourages applications from those who have not previously published, lectured, or taught on bibliographical subjects.
Bibliographical scholarship pursuing new methods and new approaches, including applications from candidates applying bibliographical theory and principles to diverse materials and media, is welcome. Guided by the Society’s Equity Action Plan, the committee also welcomes submissions that embrace diverse, multicultural perspectives.
For more details on the New Scholars program, including eligibility and application information, please visit the BSA website, and watch the 2020 information session recording on YouTube. A short video outlining the terms of each of the three named awards will be posted to the same channel.