"Shhh... I’m Cataloguing a New Chapter"

YABS means a week of lectures, conversations, and hands-on workshops, where participants explore everything from cataloguing and pricing to the art of selling books.

Organised and run by Antiquarian Booksellers Association, the faculty makes every effort to produce a successful seminar each year and ILAB is proud to have supported the seminar for many years and will continue to do so.

"Shhh... I’m Cataloguing a New Chapter"
A reflection of my time at YABS by Kate January-McCann (Literary Cat Books) of the 2025 class and recipient of the Bibliopolis scholarship

Attending the York Antiquarian Book Seminar was an absolute joy and a genuinely transformative experience. The sessions were rich with information - thorough, insightful, and deeply engaging - yet always delivered in a friendly and approachable manner. At no point did I feel intimidated; questions were warmly welcomed, and it was made clear from the start that there truly are no stupid questions.The tutors - Sophie, James, Simon, Adam, Stephen, and Hazel - were not only incredibly knowledgeable and inspiring, but also wonderfully human and supportive. Their passion for the trade was infectious, and their generosity in sharing their expertise made the learning experience feel both empowering and personal. Everyone I met, including my fellow course-mates, contributed to the warm and welcoming atmosphere. There was a shared spirit of curiosity and encouragement that made the week especially memorable. Thanks to this seminar, I now feel on much more secure ground as I continue my journey cataloguing beautiful books for Literary Cat Books. A heartfelt thank you to Kees Van Woerkom for introducing me to this world - your guidance and encouragement mean so much. I absolutely love my time in Machynlleth Library as one of our three librarians (all amazing friends and colleagues), and now I feel genuinely excited to step into the role of cataloguer alongside my librarian duties. Huge thanks to ILAB for their support and confidence, and an especially big thank you to Bibilopolis for the scholarship that made this incredible opportunity possible.

Faculty member and London bookseller Sophie Schneideman writes: "The York Antiquarian Book Seminar, known to all as YABS, is now over 10 years old. Several members of the faculty have been teaching and mentoring at the seminar from the very beginning. We all work pro bono and we all thoroughly enjoy what we do for the future of our trade. We have seen many attendees start or develop their bookselling businesses - showing at fairs, opening shops and becoming members of the best trade organisations - the PBFA, the ABA and of course ILAB. We have to thank ILAB for the annual sponsorship of a scholarship to YABS and, this year, for enabling us to print the workbook for the students. This really helps people who cannot afford the fees and who want to get into bookselling. We hope to continue to provide education for future booksellers and do all we can to help our joyful, collaborative trade to thrive for decades to come."

For more information about the 2026 course and the various scholarship opportunities, visit the website --> HERE