The Baltimore Bibliophiles was founded in June 1954. Credit for the original concept is given to Elizabeth Baer (1909-1988), John Work Garrett librarian, and Dorothy Miner (1904-1973), Curator of Manuscripts, the Walters Art Gallery. They believed that Baltimore needed a booklovers' club for people "who were interested in books, old and new, and the making and enjoyment of them." The first meeting was held at Evergreen House, location of the John Work Garrett Library, November 12, 1954 with twenty-one prospective members. Miss Miner and Miss Baer were elected president and secretary respectively.

The membership eventually numbered about eighty-five with additional honorary members and consisted of book lovers, collectors, professionals, and others. The six yearly meetings were most often held at Evergreen House, but arrangements were made to visit other libraries in and out of state and to meet with bibliographic organizations in Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Long Island. The Baltimore Bibliophiles was formed by persons with a diversity of interests, and many of the members spoke at meetings on topics specific to their fields of knowledge. Between 1954 and 1979 there were 184 meetings, and 125 of the speakers were members of the Baltimore Bibliophiles. The precedent was set at the first formal meeting (December 5, 1954) when Kent D. Currie, an original member, spoke on The Alphabet and exhibited books from the Garrett Library and other local sources. The group held several book auctions to benefit the libraries of The Johns Hopkins University and published three keepsakes (1959, 1974, 1979) that detail their activities and programs. Three times during the year, they published the Newsletter which provided information about members, their activities, and recent publications. The Baltimore Bibliophiles is still an active organization.