News | June 13, 2013

The Independent Online Booksellers Association Announces Winners of the Annual Scholarship Contest

IOBA awards two scholarships annually to support the professional development of its member booksellers, without regard to their level of accomplishment or the length of their time in the book trade.  IOBA believes that every well-educated, well-informed, and ethical bookseller is a credit to the trade and the organization and considers these scholarships to be an investment in the future of bookselling.  One scholarship is given for the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar (CABS) (http://www.bookseminars.com/) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and one open scholarship is given and can be used at CABS, the London Book School (http://www.ies.sas.ac.uk/london-rare-books-school), the California Rare Book School (http://www.calrbs.org/), or the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia (http://www.rarebookschool.org/).

Receiving the scholarship to the Colorado Antiquarian Book Seminar is Marc Kuritz of Churchill Book Collector (http://www.abebooks.com/churchill-book-collector,-ioba-san-diego/51662285/sf).  As his business name indicates, Marc specializes in material relating to Winston S. Churchill. He has been in business for over five years and has an impressive catalog of material within his area of specialty.  His depth of knowledge about the content, edition points, relative scarcity, and even writing style, of various Churchill titles is the result of careful research, patience, and a genuine connection with the material.  Churchill Book Collector is located in San Diego, California.

Receiving the open scholarship is Andrea Tomberg of Tomberg Rare Books (http://www.tombergrarebooks.com/).  Andrea, herself a CABS graduate, has built a solid reputation in her niche of the book trade.  She specializes in modern and contemporary literature, The Beats, counterculture, poetry, little magazines, Mimeo Revolution, and literary and art ephemera.  Andrea plans to use the open scholarship to attend the Rare Book School’s course Developing Collections: Donors, Librarians & Booksellers. Her scholarship application showed laser focus and clearly explained exactly which skills she expects to learn and how she plans to use those skills.  Tomberg Rare Books is located in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

The Independent Online Booksellers Association is an international trade organization for internet booksellers, offering opportunities for continuing education and providing a forum to network with colleagues and discuss issues that affect booksellers and buyers worldwide. When you join IOBA (http://www.ioba.org/pages/member-application/), you are strengthening the ranks of a trade association that preserves traditional bookselling standards and traditions while embracing new technologies.