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News & Updates The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers Peter Harrington Rare Books (UK) De Wolfe & Wood

Security – A Shared Concern: Recordings from the 2025 ILAB Symposium

31 October 2025
On 30 July 2025, the 4th ILAB Symposium, held in Melbourne, brought together leading voices from the rare book trade, libraries, and academia to explore pressing issues our trade is facing.
ILAB Symposium 2025 Session 3

Session 3 of the day focused on security measures for both institutions and booksellers - protecting not only businesses and organisations from external threats but also safeguarding the cultural heritage and material in our care.

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) opened the discussion with an overview of digital fraud and its growing impact on the trade, followed by Philippa Stevens on best practices in library security management. The session concluded with ILAB Security Chair Scott DeWolfe presenting the ILAB Missing Books Register and emphasising 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)

To view all recordings of the 2025 ILAB Symposium, please follow --> THIS LINK