Rare Books and the Common Good: American Perspectives
Saturday, April 12, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
What is the role of rare books and special collections libraries in a digital age? The term "rare" suggests costly and inaccessible, but symposium participants assert that research materials in specialized libraries are important to the preservation and development of our common intellectual heritage, and, as such, are of enduring public value and use. What will collectors and collections look like and where will rare books stand in a hierarchy of public priorities for the still-new twenty-first century?
The Symposium is free, but seating is limited so advance registration is required. Please print and submit the form from the Caxton Club website.
9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Ruggles Hall, Newberry Library
Building a Metropolitan Collection: Rare Books and Manuscripts in Chicago Cultural Institutions
Speaker: Daniel Meyer, The University of Chicago Library
Book collecting in Chicago offers an interesting paradigm for the place of rare books in American life. A study of the city's collecting history by the associate director of the University of Chicago Library's Special Collections Research Center sets the scene for the more future-oriented talks that follow with an account of Chicago's intertwined civic and institutional ambitions.
Treasures and Tools, Creating Rarity
Speaker: Edward Tenner, author and independent scholar
The author of Why Things Bite Back: Technology and the Revenge Effect and Our Own Devices: The Past and Future of Body Technology discusses his research into the role of collectors in expanding the frontiers of scholarship, especially in his own field, the history of technology. He argues that the Web makes the uniqueness and physical features of each printed book more important rather than less.
The Changing Role of the Auction House in Today's Rare Book Market
Speaker: Francis J. Wahlgren, Christie's
Well known from his appearances on "Antiques Road Show," the senior vice president and head of Christie's department of rare books and manuscripts observes that the role of the auctioneer has changed radically in recent years, moving from a distant, exclusive realm to a more retail approach. Are auction houses to blame for a decline of retail bookselling?
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Note location: Auditorium of the Alliance Française de Chicago, 54 W. Chicago Avenue
In a panel discussion moderated by Alice Schreyer of the University of Chicago Library, Mark Dimunation, Library of Congress; Richard Kuhta, the Folger Shakespeare Library; and Joel Silver, Indiana University's Lilly Library, offer brief responses to the morning talks, and then join the speakers to discuss rare book collecting today.
The Newberry Library
Center for Public Programs
60 West Walton Street
Chicago, IL 60610-7324
telephone: (312) 255-3700
fax: (312) 255-3680
e-mail: programs@newberry.org