Public Services Librarian Hannah Helmey recently had the opportunity to attend Bibliography Week, a yearly event held in New York City at the end of January. Centered around the annual meetings of “several national organizations devoted to book scholarship and the book arts,” including the Bibliographical Society of America (BSA), the American Printing History Association (APHA), and the Grolier Club, Bibliography Week brings librarians, scholars, book-sellers, collectors, and others from around the country to New York.
As part of the week’s programming, Hannah attended the Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America Showcase, toured the exhibit “Paper Jane: 250 Years of Austen” at the Grolier Club, and attended Jeremy Norman’s lecture “Incunabula of the Second Printing Revolution.” She also visited two branches of the New York Public Library: its flagship location at the Stephen A. Schwartzmann Building, where she took a behind-the-scenes tour, and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, “one of the world’s leading cultural institutions devoted to the research, preservation, and exhibition of materials focused on African American, African Diaspora, and African experiences.” In honor of their centennial anniversary, the Schomburg staff have curated a fantastic exhibit, 100: A Century of Collections, Community, and Creativity, which Hannah was able to see on a tour guided by curators Barrye Brown and Tammi Lawson andDeputy Director of Operations & External Engagement K.C. Matthews. She was especially appreciative of the opportunity to see how other special collections libraries engage visitors with primary sources, assist researchers, and facilitate access to their collections.
Hannah was a first-time attendee at the Bibliographical Society of America’s Annual Meeting, and relished the opportunity to hear from leading scholars in the field and meet colleagues from New York, Michigan, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas, Washington, D.C. and more. The day’s program included three presentations focused on “Mysterious Publication Histories,” a panel discussion titled “Exploring Exhibitions as Bibliographical Work,” the 2026 New Scholars Program, a keynote lecture delivered by Dr. Nora C. Benedict, and the organization’s business meeting. Gaining familiarity with the emerging research trends explored over the course of the day will benefit her work as a librarian supporting research in special collections. She also plans to apply the knowledge gleaned from these sessions to her work providing instruction and participating in exhibits and other outreach activities.
Contributed by Hannah Helmey, Public Services Librarian