IOBA SCHOLARSHIPS - 2026
General Information
IOBA offers several scholarships each year so members can continue their education and professional development. Scholarships are awarded without regard to current level of accomplishment, financial need, full- or part-time bookseller status, or length of time in the book trade. IOBA is committed to the belief that every well-educated, well-informed, and ethical bookseller is a credit to the trade and to our organization, and we consider these scholarships to be our investment in the future of bookselling.
These scholarships are available to any current IOBA member in good standing, excluding members of the Scholarship Committee and current Officers. Prospective members who are currently participating in the mentorship program are also eligible to apply, if approved by their mentor.
Three scholarship is specifically reserved for CABS-Minnesota.. CABS-Minnesota is an intensive program on all aspects of bookselling, now held on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, USA for one week each summer.
IOBA also provides open scholarships that can be used at the following institutions:
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York Antiquarian Book Seminar (YABS), held in York, England. YABS is a three-day intensive seminar modeled after CABS but tailored for booksellers in the UK.
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Rare Book School (RBS, Charlottesville, VA, USA). RBS courses focus on specific aspects of book history, bibliography, printing and book arts. Most of these week-long courses are offered in the summer in Charlottesville, but others are offered at other venues around the East Coast and at other times of the year.
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California Rare Book School (CALRBS, various locations in CA, USA). CALRBS courses are also similarly focused and are week-long courses covering a broad range of topics, from the history, identification and preservation of motion picture materials to the history of typography.
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London Rare Books School (LRBS). Two week-long intensive sessions on specific topics about antiquarian material are offered each summer at the University of London, England. Courses have included A History of Maps and Mapping, The Medieval Book, and Children’s Books.
Each Scholarship covers tuition and required expenses.
The CABS and YABS scholarships must be used in the year in which they are awarded. In order to allow time for the LRBS, RBS and CALRBS admissions process, a scholarship awarded to one of these schools is valid until December 31 of the year following the one in which the scholarship is awarded.
Testimonials
Each of the book seminars and courses listed above provides valuable information about how to be a better bookseller. Whatever your needs or interests, IOBA encourages you to strongly consider attending one of these programs and to apply for a scholarship to assist with the costs. Aside from gaining knowledge and insights, you will also meet mentors, collectors, librarians, and colleagues and help foster greater community in our trade.
Here is what some of the past IOBA Scholarship winners have to say about their experiences:
Pauline Hammerbeck of Noctua Books was a happy 2025 scholarship winner and used her time wisely at CABS. She shares her experiences with us..
"The faculty at CABS-Minnesota are invaluable, respected dealers pushing the industry in exciting directions. By sharing the "how" behind their businesses, they provided insights that would otherwise have taken decades to acquire. I was also struck by the breadth of business models among my peers: from heritage archivists to progressive online dealers, they expanded my view of what successful bookselling can look like. It's an experience I'll draw on for years to come".
Kristina Intinarelli is a Partner at Evening Land Books. She traveled to Minnesota in 2025 as an IOBA Scholarship winner. Kristina shares her experience:
“I attended CABS-Minnesota in 2025 and the experience was invaluable. Getting to learn from and network with faculty and fellow booksellers at CABS was so rewarding, both personally and professionally. As an online bookseller, spending a week connecting with bibliophiles helped strengthen my business acuity and reminded me that this isn’t such a lonely trade; in fact, the welcoming and encouraging atmosphere reminded me that the trade is vibrant, lively, and full of future friends and colleagues waiting to be discovered. CABS was an experience of a lifetime, and all booksellers, no matter how experienced, would benefit from such a unique opportunity.”
Warwick Sven Jordan of Hard to Find Books in New Zealand recounts his memories of the trip to attend London Rare Books School in 2025:
"I am incredibly grateful to IOBA for prompting me and supporting me in the experience. I was at the University of London and chose the course which covered general book dealing. Although I have been a bookseller full-time since 1983 I still learned many new “angles” to the trade, and it introduced me to a variety of dealers and academics interested in similar (but not the same) fields, all of whom had unique appreciations and insights. Visiting Quaritch’s and chatting with Ben Maggs (the fifth generation manager of Maggs Bookshop) were highlights, along with many exchanges with the course leaders and participants. I strongly recommend this scholarship to all IOBA members seeking genuine inspiration, education and insight".
Ben Pagel of Buzz Bookstore recalls his experience as a 2025 participant at CABS-Minnesota:
"I attended CABS-Minnesota last summer and found it immensely useful. The hands on experiences, coupled with the expert staff, made for very practical applications of the principles taught there. And the network you leave with is unbeatable".