Funding for Bibliographical Events

BSA events present the study of material texts to our community, bringing people and ideas together. They celebrate, nurture, and incubate new ideas around research, practice, and pedagogy, and almost all are open to the public. Virtual and in-person events offered year-round include lectures, panel discussions, receptions, and workshops.

If you have an event in mind, you can submit a proposal for your event to be funded by BSA and request modest administrative support. These events can happen anywhere and at any time. Our events committee invites event proposals three times annually.

The community of BSA members, fellows, New Scholars, writers, speakers, presenters, and newsletter subscribers is the Society’s greatest strength. We nurture this community by facilitating connections between individuals and small groups. These connections create a dynamic community which breathes life into the field of bibliography.

What kinds of events do you support? ↑

In all BSA events, the material text – that is, handwritten, printed, or other textual artifacts, broadly conceived – as historical evidence, and/or the theory and practice of descriptive, historical, and/or critical bibliography, should be a central concern to participants and organizers. 

We invite applicants to review the BSA’s Strategic Pillars and its definition of bibliography as they prepare their applications.

Event formats

BSA welcomes proposals for events in traditional and innovative formats; hybrid, virtual, and in-person. Types of events might include but are not limited to:

• lectures

• panel presentations

• hands-on workshops

• conference sessions

• receptions following events that are bibliographical in nature

We strive to make our events free for attendees and open to all.

International events

The BSA actively seeks to foster community building for bibliographers around the world, and in particular across the Americas. The Events Committee welcomes proposals for virtual events from non-US residents.

Organizing in-person events outside of the US can be complicated for various reasons, including, but not limited to, visa and tax considerations, vendor management and payment, and other logistical issues. If you have questions about organizing an international event, you can contact BSA Executive Director Erin McGuirl by email. In general, virtual events are the easiest way to assemble speakers and audiences from around the globe.

How much money can I ask for? ↑

Event organizers can request up to $1000 USD per event.

Funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including, but not limited to, honoraria, closed captioning, translation services, and venue rental. Requests for funding other necessary costs will also be considered. 

The BSA set amount for honoraria is $500 USD for an individual speaker, or $250 USD per speaker for multiple speakers. This allows us to help compensate presenters and organizers for their intellectual and organizational labor.

Events organizers are welcome to seek additional funding from other organizations. The BSA is delighted to co-sponsor events with libraries, museums, and institutions of higher learning!

The BSA can also provide administrative support for your events. Such support can take the form of:

• hosting your event on Zoom

• taking registration for your event and communicating with attendees in collaboration with the organizer(s)

• sharing a recording of your event on the BSA YouTube channel

• securing permission to record and share video from your presenters

• securing captioning and interpretation services

If you have a specific need that does not appear in the list above, please contact the BSA Executive Director before submitting your application to confirm that the BSA office can provide the administrative support you require.

What do I need to prepare my proposal submission? ↑

Your application should include:

Proposal Summary

1. Contact Information and Event Summary

2. Primary Contact Name & Preferred Pronouns

3. Primary Contact E-mail Address

4. Location of Event

5. Proposed Dates and Times.
   Please include time zones. If your timing is flexible, please say so and propose a rough time frame for your event.

5. List of co-sponsoring organizations, if any. 

Detailed Proposal

Please provide a 1-2 page proposal. Please be sure to cover the following topics and questions in your proposals:

• Provide an event description and a statement of goals. What do you hope to achieve?

• Describe the scale of this event. Is there a maximum number of attendees? Is your event one component of a larger conference or other gathering?

• Specify whether the event will be in-person, online, or hybrid.

• Who is the intended audience for your event? How will this event bring bibliography to new and established audiences? Please also describe any prerequisites or limitations regarding who may attend this event. For example, is this event open only to registered conference attendees?

• How does this event align with the BSA’s mission and values statements and our Equity Action Plan?

• Describe any accessibility accommodations you intend to guarantee, and how you will address requests for accommodations by attendees.

Speaker Overview

Please provide a 1-2 page list, with brief bios, of the speakers, moderators, and/or facilitators who will be leading your event or delivering keynote addresses.

Budget

Please provide a detailed budget for your event. See “How Much Can I Funding Can I Ask For?,” below, as you prepare your budget.

• Your budget should clearly indicate how much funding you are requesting from the BSA and exactly what items in your budget you hope the BSA will fund.

• If there are registration fees for event participants, please indicate this.

• Please also list any other sources of funding that you have applied for or that have been secured.

Questions?

If you have questions about preparing a proposal, please contact the Events Committee Chair at events@bibsocamer.org.