Save the date! 30th July 2025 - The ILAB Symposium comes to Melbourne

Old Books, New Perspectives: Rare Booksellers, Librarians & Collectors in Dialogue

Following the successful symposia in New York (2019), Oxford (2022) and Paris (2024), ILAB invites rare booksellers, librarians, collectors, and anyone handling antiquarian materials to the next edition of its international series of symposia, this year taking place in Melbourne.

Date & Time: 30 July 2025 | 13:00 – 18:00
Location: Wheeler Centre, Melbourne | 176 Little Lonsdale Street

This global forum will bring together leading voices from across the rare book trade, special collections and the academic world to explore pressing issues in the field:
How can we protect collections from theft and prevent the illicit trade of stolen books worldwide?
Where should we draw the line between ethics in conservation and commercial desirability for historical objects?
What are the best practices for cataloguing and recording rare materials with care and integrity?

Speakers
Mats Petersson – Centralantikvariatet, Stockholm (Sweden)
Dawn Albinger – Archives Fine Books, Brisbane (Australia)
Prof. Lynette Russell – Monash University, Melbourne (Australia)
Nina Whittaker – Museums Victoria, Melbourne (Australia)
Alexander Akin – Bolerium Books, San Francisco (USA)
Natasha Herman – Redbone Bindery, Groningen (Netherlands)
Pom Harrington – Peter Harrington, London (UK)
Philippa Stevens – Fellow, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (Australia)
Scott DeWolfe – DeWolfe & Wood Rare Books, Maine (USA)

The symposium is co-sponsored by ANZAAB, The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers.

The full programme will be available very soon.
Participation is free, but registration is essential. Please register at secretariat@ilab.org
The event will be followed by a cocktail reception.