The Bibliographical Society is delighted to announce that two new members have been elected to the Society’s Outreach sub-committee. The sub-committee was established to promote the Society and bibliography through activities catering to a variety of audiences, in addition to our regular monthly lectures and summer visit. To gain fresh perspectives and encourage professional development, the sub-committee opened applications for two new co-opted members.
The sub-committee were pleased to receive a high number of applications from across the world of libraries, archives and the book trade, as well as from students. At the September meeting of Council, Sam Brown and Annabelle Hondier were elected by Council to join the sub-committee.
Sam is a part-time PhD student at UCL, where her work looks at engagement with the Arabic language in early modern England, primarily through a book historical lens. Her research revolves around early printed books and manuscripts, those who read them and the early collections in which they were housed. From 2022-3 Sam was a research assistant for David Pearson on his Book Owners Online, and last year Sam was a National Trust-British Library doctoral fellow, researching the provenance of Arabic manuscripts across both institutions. Sam writes: I have been attending Bibliographical Society events for several years and really value the community of expertise and shared interests it fosters. I was really excited to see the Outreach sub-committee role advertised, and I applied because I would love to encourage more students and early career professionals to engage with the Society, and to welcome them into the wider network of book historians it represents.
Annabelle is a library assistant at the Foyle Special Collections Library at King’s College London. Anabelle previously worked at the Bodleian Libraries Special Collections department in the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera. Annabelle has also volunteered at a booth at Firsts and currently serves on KCL’s new Inclusive Collections Working Group. Annabelle writes: I applied to join the Bibliographical Society’s Outreach sub-committee because I was keen to contribute to the book-historical field beyond my place of work, and to collaborate with like-minded individuals. The work of this sub-committee is particularly important for attracting and retaining members, so I hope to bring my congeniality, enthusiasm, and advocacy for book history to this role. I’m delighted to take up this opportunity, and I greatly look forward to promoting the Bibliographical Society and fostering the advancement of its aims as part of this sub-committee.
We are delighted to have Annabelle and Sam join us for this two-year opportunity. Meg Ford, Chair of the Outreach sub-committee writes: Sam and Anabelle bring fresh perspectives and enthusiasm for the world of books and bibliography to the Society’s many activities, and we look forward to their engagement in and contribution to our work.
