The Bibliographical Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference - 18-21 Nov 2025

By Centre for the Book | Posted: Thursday Oct 02, 2025

The final programme is now available, and registrations are open!

Where: Dunedin, University of Otago - 18-21 November 2025

And what a great line-up of speakers on the theme of 'Whose work is it anyway?'

A book is the product of multiple actors (author, agent, printer, editor, publisher), and once a book exists, its life beyond the printer depends on a whole series of additional actors (distributors, booksellers, purchasers, reviewers, prize committees, second-hand sellers, collectors, libraries).  This conference focuses on all of these processes, at different times and in different places.  Whether we regard these agents as part of a full circuit of connections or fortuitous players that may interact haphazardly, we should not conceive of the book as simply a unified container of ideas, though books often try to appear that way.  Papers that examine how any of these interactions impact on or account for the power of the book are welcome.  We especially welcome studies that examine points at which Darnton’s circuit is disrupted or rerouted in unexpected directions.  And ‘book’ encompasses all written communication: in manuscript, periodical or monograph form, physical or virtual.

Plenary speakers include Aaron Pratt (University of Texas, Austin), Mappie Patton (State Library of New South Wales, Sydney), and Professor Lachy Paterson (Otago).

And so many more!

So, start planning and packing; it will be good to see you! And please pass the news to others you think would be interested in attending.  

Register Now: Centre for the Book 2025 | Humanitix

Full details here: 2025 BSANZ Annual Conference – Whose Book Is It Anyway?