The Newberry hosts a number of events for those individuals who help make the programs and activities of the Newberry possible through their generous donations.

The Newberry Library Award Dinner

The Newberry Library Award, the highest honor that the Newberry bestows, is awarded at this annual event. It recognizes achievement in the humanities in the tradition of the Newberry, which has cultivated the life of the mind across more than a century. In conferring the award, the Newberry honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the humanities, particularly in fields of endeavor related to the library’s collections and activities. Recent recipients of the Newberry Library Award include Robert Darnton, Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and University Librarian at Harvard, and Jonathan Spence, Sterling Professor of History Emeritus at Yale University. 

Book Fair Preview Night

Open exclusively to Newberry Associates at the Author level or higher, Book Fair Preview Night opens the doors to the annual Book Fair to the Newberry’s supporters for an exciting chance to shop the thousands of used books for sale before the general public. 

Associates Night

Current Annual Fund donors at the $50 level or higher are invited to our annual Associates Night in recognition of their generous support. Guests are treated to remarks by president and librarian David Spadafora, as well as a talk by a Newberry scholar. Topics discussed at past Associate Night events include Chicago as a center for modernist art and literature in the first half of the twentieth century and “The Play’s the Thing: 400 Years of Shakespeare on Stage.” 

President’s Reception

In appreciation of their support, president and librarian David Spadafora invites our President’s Fellows and benefactors to this annual reception and program where guests receive a “state of the library” address and are provided a special look into research being done at the Newberry. Past events have featured talks by 2011 Arthur and Lila Weinberg fellow Richard Cahan and Newberry fellow Scott Reynolds Nelson. 

Blatchford Society Luncheon

The annual Blatchford Society Luncheon recognizes and thanks members who, by including the Newberry in their estate plans, support the future of one of the world’s great research libraries in the humanities. Members are invited to the annual luncheon, which features a lecture related to our renowned collections, and receive a keepsake of the event. Past Blatchford Society Luncheons have included talks by Paul Gehl, Custodian of John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing, and food historian Penelope Bingham.

Society of Collectors

Members of the Society of Collectors make annual contributions for the acquisition of items for the Newberry’s collections. Two or three times a year, members are invited to a reception and presentation on recent acquisitions, at which they have the opportunity to learn about these important pieces from experts in various fields of study. Members have heard talks on subjects ranging from “Treasures of Magdalen College Library” to “Writing on the Water: Ben Hecht’s Archive at the Newberry and Script Writing in Hollywood.”

Other opportunities for Newberry donors and benefactors may become available. To learn more about supporting the Newberry and these special events, please contact Vince Firpo, Annual Giving Manager, at (312) 255-3599.