News, Equity Action Plan, In Memoriam

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Previous articleNext article FreeSociety InformationNews, Equity Action Plan, In MemoriamPDFPDF PLUSFull Text Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmailQR Code SectionsMoreSociety NewsRedesigning PBSA and the BSA WebsiteAs an organization, BSA is invested in the ways material forms both effect and affect meaning. The PBSA Editors and Council are deeply aware of how design can accurately express our intentions and truly reflect the Society’s purpose and values in both print and digital media. As the Society seeks to expand its audience and reach a new generation of bibliographers and readers, the organization must broadcast its intentions both in the intellectual content we publish and in the visual look and feel of the material qualities of the journal and our web presence.The BSA mission to foster the study of material texts is the beating heart both of these redesign projects. BSA’s graphic designers, Julia Novitch and Ghazaal Vojdani, think deeply about how design choices and production decisions will reflect that mission back to the larger scholarly and professional community. The redesigned website will align with the new design of BibSite, using a contemporary look that will attract new audiences to the Society’s vast network and resources. In alignment with the identity work done for the Society’s printed mailings and digital resources, the new design for PBSA will be fresh and timely, while also communicating a fundamentally scholarly purpose for the journal.The Council is grateful to the Peck-Stacpoole Foundation and an anonymous donor for funding the website redesign, and to one anonymous donor for funding the PBSA redesign.PBSA Book Reviews: Editorial and Other ChangesThe PBSA editors have asked BSA Executive Director Erin McGuirl to be the journal’s Book Reviews Editor, and she began serving in this role in July 2022. This work aligns well with her other duties as Executive Director, especially those pertaining to keeping up with new developments in bibliographical scholarship and the activities of BSA members, and we are grateful she is stepping into this role.PBSA is actively expanding our coverage of the field through what we review, looking not only to cover books on a broader range of topics from a broader range of publishers, but also providing reviews for open-access digital resources and projects. Members and readers are invited to recommend bibliographical works for coverage in PBSA though a new, online recommendation form: https://bit.ly/pbsa-book-review-recs.BSA members and readers are also invited to check our list of publications available for review and correspond with Director McGuirl about submissions. For more information and a complete list of titles available for review, visit the PBSA website at https://bibsocamer.org/publications/papers/#reviewbooks.BSA Bylaws, Minutes, and Auditor’s ReportAs part of the revamping of PBSA, the journal is moving away from printing Society governance matters to allow for more room for scholarly content. Henceforth the BSA Bylaws will be published in PBSA only when they have been changed; the bylaws printed in this issue were approved in May 2022. The current BSA Bylaws can always be found on the Society website: https://bibsocamer.org/about-us/by-laws/. The distribution of minutes and financial reports are being further considered as part of the Society’s website and journal updates.Equity Action Plan Quarterly ReportPresident Caroline Duroselle-Melish and Executive Director Erin McGuirl developed and published guiding values for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the Nominating Committee with respect to the Council nomination process. The document is available on the BSA website at https://bibsocamer.org/join-bsa/how-to-volunteer/nominating-committee/guiding-values/.Starting in 2023, the award letter that BSA Fellows receive and sign to accept their fellowship will include language indicating that the Society’s consultant ombudsperson (per the Professional Conduct policy) will be available to them for confidential discussion of harassment, discrimination, or other matters of concern experienced within libraries or research-adjacent spaces during their fellowship period. While the Society cannot play a role in mediating or resolving complaints, the consultant ombudsperson should be made available as an impartial, neutral listener.In support of the Society’s work toward drafting a meaningful land acknowledgment, the Society has taken two steps toward recognizing both the organization’s long-established presence on Lenape land in the place now known as New York City and the organization’s broader impact on colonized land in North America through financial investments and banking. In November, the Council approved a $1,500 contribution to Lenapehoking Land Acknowledgement Honorarium, representing approximately 4% of membership dues received in 2022. The Nanticoke-Lenni-Lenape Tribe established the honorarium fund as a way for settlers and settler-colonialist institutions to contribute to Indigenous land rematriation efforts (also known as the “Land Back” movement). This honorarium is a first step toward building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and their textual and cultural heritage; it demonstrates that Society honors the ancestral, traditional, and continuing presence of the Lenape on this land. Indigenous land rematriation efforts establish a foundation upon which Native peoples can self-determine how to preserve, create, and disseminate their unique textual heritage—their sovereignty. Learn more about the Lenapehoking Land Acknowledgment Honorarium and the work it supports at https://nllhonorarium.carrd.co/.The Council will consider continued support of the Lenapehoking Land Acknowledgement Honorarium in the future and will continue exploring meaningful ways to engage with and support broader Indigenous communities through bibliographically oriented programs. In the meantime, the Executive Committee and Executive Director changed the Society’s banking institution from JP Morgan Chase to Amalgamated Bank. This change will reduce the Society’s climate footprint and demonstrate the Council’s commitment to global land stewardship. JP Morgan is one of the world’s major investors in fossil fuel production and extraction, a leading cause of climate change. Amalgamated Bank is a certified B Corporation with a B Impact score of 115 and a strong record of advocacy for the environment, social justice, and labor. As of September 2022, BSA’s business checking and credit card accounts are held by Amalgamated. Throughout the coming year, the Investments Committee will explore divestment strategies for the Society’s endowed funds and expects to report back to the membership on this issue in 2023.In MemoriamEach year at the Annual Meeting in January, the Society honors the lives and legacies of members who died during the preceding year. In the December issue of each year, BSA will also recognize those members in print here in the Society Information section.As of September 1, 2022, Secretary John McQuillen is pleased to report that no deaths have been registered among our membership. If you are aware of a fellow BSA member who passed away in 2022, please contact Dr. McQuillen at [email protected].BSA members are invited to submit brief obituaries for members of the broader bibliographical community for In Memoriam. We also welcome obituaries for non-members who have made substantial contributions as collectors, dealers, librarians, scholars, or through other aspects of bibliographical work. Submit brief obituaries (one hundred words or less) at https://bit.ly/bsa-in-memoriam.Stillwell Society MembersIn 2020 Bibliographical Society of America established a Legacy Society named after distinguished bibliographer Margaret Bingham Stillwell (1887–1984). Our intent in founding the Margaret B. Stillwell Legacy Society was to recognize the long tradition of giving at BSA and to ensure a vibrant future for tomorrow’s bibliographical scholars. Founding members are designated with an asterisk. Anonymous (1)* Martin Antonetti* R. Dyke Benjamin in honor of Dr. Barbara A. Shailor* John Bidwell* G. Scott Clemons* Bruce and Mary Crawford* Elizabeth Denlinger in honor of Erin McGuirl* Caroline Duroselle-Melish Joan M. Friedman* Thomas A. Goldwasser John Neal Hoover* Wallace Kirsop* Mark Samuels Lasner Erin McGuirl in honor of Joan Cullen Palattella* John T. McQuillen Andrew and Eleanore Ramsey Nadell* Jennifer Lowe and Gregory Pass* Justin G. Schiller* Caroline Schimmel in honor of Miss Stillwell* Alice Schreyer Barbara A. Shailor in memory of Marjorie G. Wynne* Daniel J. Slive* Kenneth Soehner* Peter Stallybrass in honor of James N. Green William P. Stoneman* David J. Supino* Jacqueline M. Vossler*We celebrate our Stillwell Society Members for their generosity and hope their leadership inspires you to join them in making a similar legacy gift to BSA. These unrestricted gifts fortify the long-term stability and financial security of BSA and will allow us to promote bibliographical study and to expand our scholarly community in the years to come. For more information on the Stillwell Society, and to learn how to join, visit https://bibsocamer.org/support-bsa/stillwell-legacy-society/. Previous articleNext article DetailsFiguresReferencesCited by The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America Volume 116, Number 4December 2022 Published for the Bibliographical Society of America Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1086/722491 For permission to reuse, please contact [email protected]PDF download Crossref reports no articles citing this article.