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

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

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

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

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.

REGISTRATION

Participation is free, but registration is essential. Please register by sending an email to secretariat@ilab.org or using THIS LINK

The event will be followed by a cocktail reception, sponsored by ANZAAB.

PROGRAMME

Session 1
Why It Matters: Care and Integrity in Cataloguing

How do we as guardians of our printed heritage ensure that records are accurate, respectful, and free from bias? What responsibility do booksellers and librarians have when describing sensitive or contested materials?

This session explores the ethical imperatives and evolving standards of cataloguing rare and sensitive materials, with a focus on reparative practices. Bringing together perspectives from academia, libraries, and the rare book trade, speakers will discuss initiatives by the book trade as well as institutional efforts to address historical biases in collection records. The panel will highlight how cataloguing can become a more inclusive and responsible practice in both commercial and institutional contexts.

Speakers:
Professor Lynette Russell AM – Monash University, Melbourne (Australia)
Nina Whittaker – Museums Victoria, Melbourne (Australia)
Alexander Akin – Bolerium Books, San Francisco (USA)
Moderator: Dawn Albinger, ANZAAB President; Archives Fine Books, Brisbane (Australia)

Session 2
Ethics and book repair: What’s the big deal?

Have you ever felt that you sanctioned an unethical book repair? Or judged a colleague for having done so? What does it actually mean to repair a book in an unethical way?

Ethical principles that guide book conservation often intersect, sometimes contentiously, with commercial interests and personal values. Led by internationally renowned conservator Natasha Herman, a panel discussion will consider how aesthetic choices, historical integrity, and cultural perception shape decisions about book repair. Using real-world examples, the session aims to prompt nuanced dialogue beyond a simple good/bad binary, highlighting the complex ethics surrounding the care of book heritage.

Speaker: Natasha Herman of STILT® Book Cradles and Redbone Bindery, Groningen (The Netherlands)
Moderator: Mats Petersson, ILAB Vice President; Centralantikvariatet, Stockholm (Sweden)
Panelists:
Nicolas Malais, ILAB General Secretary; Librairie Nicolas Malais, Paris (France)
Dr Anna Welch, Principal Collection Curator, History of the Book, State Library Victoria, Melbourne (Australia)

Session 3
Security – A Shared Concern

How can libraries and booksellers work together to combat theft, fraud, and the circulation of illicit material?

Both the rare book trade and institutional collections are vulnerable to security threats, and addressing these risks is a shared responsibility. Pom Harrington (Peter Harrington Rare Books, London) will open with a discussion on digital fraud and its growing impact on the trade, followed by Philippa Stevens on best practices in library security management. The session concludes with ILAB Security Chair Scott DeWolfe presenting the ILAB Missing Books Register and highlighting the importance of transparent reporting in protecting rare books and antiquarian materials.

Speakers:
Pom Harrington, Peter Harrington Rare Books, London (United Kingdom)
Philippa Stevens – Fellow, Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, Sydney (Australia)
Moderator: Scott DeWolfe, ILAB Security Chair; DeWolfe & Wood Rare Books, Maine (USA)

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