ILAB Congresses, Symposia & Presidents' Meetings
ILAB Announces 4th ILAB Symposium 2025:
Old Books, New Perspectives: Rare Booksellers & Librarians in Dialogue
Date & Time: 30 July 2025 | 13:00 – 18:00
Location: Wheeler Centre, Melbourne | 176 Little Lonsdale Street
Following the successful symposia in New York (2019), Oxford (2022) and Paris (2024), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB) invites rare booksellers, librarians, collectors, and anyone handling antiquarian materials to the next edition of its series of symposia, this year taking place in Melbourne.
This global forum will bring together leading voices from across the rare book trade, special collections and the academic world to explore pressing issues in the field.
How can we protect collections from theft and prevent the illicit trade of stolen books worldwide?
Where should we draw the line between ethics in conservation and commercial desirability for historical objects?
What are the best practices for cataloguing and recording rare materials with care and integrity?
REGISTRATION
Participation is free, but registration is essential. Please register by sending an email to secretariat@ilab.org or using THIS LINK
The event will be followed by a cocktail reception, sponsored by ANZAAB.
PROGRAMME
The full programme can be viewed >> HERE
Please find a review by French art market magazine, Gazette Drouot, about the 2024 ILAB symposium in Paris in June >> HERE
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2026 ILAB Congress:
The German Antiquarian Booksellers Association, Verband Deutscher Antiquare, invites ILAB booksellers to Berlin!
After the successful congress in Amsterdam in October 2024, the next ILAB Congress will take place from 14-17 September 2026 in Berlin.
More information will be released shortly.
Looking back at the 2024 ILAB Congress in Amsterdam
In October 2024, the Dutch Antiquarian Booksellers' Association, the Nederlandsche Vereeniging van Antiquaren (NVvA), welcomed colleagues and fellow bibliophiles to their capital city. We look back at the Amsterdam Congress:
>> 77 years and counting: Amsterdam at the heart of ILAB & A day at the Rijksmuseum
>> Smaller collections around Amsterdam & Treasures at the Dutch Maritime Museum
Budapest, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Los Angeles, Vienna, Tokyo, Munich, New York, Madrid, Los Angeles, Montréal, Melbourne, Paris, Bologna... booksellers have travelled the world and been welcomed into libraries, private collections, national treasures, given access to scholars and experts, and established long-term business relationships and lasting friendships.
Since 1948, the League and its member associations have organised Congresses, now held every two years in a different part of the world, providing a wonderful opportunity for ILAB member booksellers to network, but also to get to know the literary and cultural heritage of the host country. Traditionally, a congress is followed by a book fair.
After Paris (2014), Budapest (2016), Los Angeles (2018), Oxford (2022) and Amsterdam (2024), join us in Berlin in September 2026!
All ILAB Congresses and meetings since ILAB's inception are listed HERE.
Congresses and Fairs are open to all booksellers affiliated to the League and are announced through the League at least one year before the Congress. Information on scholarship opportunities can be obtained from the ILAB Secretariat.
ILAB Presidents' Meetings (General Annual Meeting)
The presidents of the 22 national associations affiliated to the League meet once a year at the General Annual Meeting or "Presidents' Meeting", which is held in a different country each year. In the year of a Congress, the Presidents' Meeting takes place the day before the start of the ILAB Congress.
The Presidents' Meeting is the supreme governing body of the League.
The international ILAB Committee meets once a year in person and regularly via video conference. Its task is to manage the affairs of the League and to implement the decisions taken at the Presidents' Meeting.
After the ILAB Presidents' Meeting, the presidents of the national associations report to their members.
Due to the COVID pandemic, the 2020 and 2021 meetings were held as virtual meetings. The 2022 ILAB Presidents' Meeting was held in Oxford, the 2023 ILAB Presidents' Meeting was held in Stockholm and the 2024 ILAB Presidents' Meeting was held in Amsterdam.
Next ILAB Presidents' Meetings
Melbourne: 28th July 2025, State Library of Victoria, hosted by The Australian and New Zealand Association of Antiquarian Booksellers (ANZAAB)
Berlin: 14th September 2026, Berlin, hosted by Verband Deutscher Antiquare