2006 Events
IMCoS runs a series of meetings and events throughout the year, in the UK and in other countries. These are all informal gatherings, covering different subjects, with the chance of viewing (often rare) maps, some not generally available to the public.
The IMCoS year begins with a Collectors' Meeting held in London in January/February, when members gather for a round the table evening. Many participants bring maps of interest to explain their features or ask questions about them. Other participants have the opportunity to join in, adding comments, and giving answers. This event is a lively and inspiring way to learn about other people's collecting interests.
A visit to an important map collection in the UK or Europe takes place in March/April. Such visits usually feature collections rarely seen, such as the Queen's private collection at Windsor Castle. In 2003 we are combining our AGM with a visit to two map collections and exhibits in Liverpool
June is an important month in the world of books and maps. The IMCoS June weekend in London in late May/early June comprises a cocktail party hosted by a London map or book dealer, a Symposium (every other year) the annual Dinner and the Map Fair. The 2000 UK Symposium was held at the Public Record Office where the topics included Early English Maps and The Birth of British Hydrography. This weekend is held close to other related events, such as book fairs and auctions at the major London auction houses.
Pictured are former Chairman Susan Gole and Former President Oswald Dreyer-Eimbcke (left and second left) at the June weekend reception at Bloomsbury Book Auctions in 2001.
The Map Fair at Olympia has become a major international event which brings together over 50 dealers from different parts of the world offering quality maps, prints, antiquarian atlases, books and prints. A popular feature of the fair is a map valuation and identification service where experts offer free advice.
The annual Reception and Dinner is the opportunity for the IMCoS "family" to gather and celebrate its mutual interest in maps. The IMCoS-Helen Wallis Award is presented at the dinner in recognition of the cartographic contribution of greatest merit and widest interest to map collectors world-wide. In 1997 the award was made to Norman Thrower, Emeritus Professor of Geography at the University of California, Los Angeles.
A monthly lecture series from October to May entitled Maps and Society is held at the Warburg Institute in London and co-sponsored by the Society. The Society actively supports other cartographic events held in the UK. In 1999 the Society supported the Mappa Mundi Conference in Hereford organised by Hereford Cathedral Library.
An International Symposium in September/October is yet another way that IMCoS brings together members and disseminates information about maps. The 1999 International Symposium took place in Istanbul, Turkey with the theme of Ottoman Mapping to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the founding of the Ottoman empire.
An annual scholarship, in the form of a travel grant to the value of £300, is available annually for a young member under the age of 32 to attend a cartographic Symposium outside his or her home country. In return the recipient publishes a report of the event in the IMCoS Journal.
