Your source of adult education in the humanities for 30 years.
The Newberry Library Seminars Program offers a stimulating series of non-credit, adult education classes that encourage conversation on subjects in the humanities, and the on-going use of the Newberry's vast resources. The Seminars Program provides an ideal setting for learning because experts in their field teach what they love, and participants study exactly those subjects in literature, music, history, philosophy, genealogy and creative writing which most interest them--all in the classrooms of one of the premier research and reference libraries in the world.
The Newberry Library has offered public programming in various forms since the Library opened in 1887. In the 1970s, the Newberry started a series of adult education seminars with the idea of advancing humanistic inquiry while simultaneously promoting the use of the Library's collections. Inaugurated in 1978 with six informal evening courses and an enrollment of 79, today the Seminars Program offers over 150 courses to 1500 participants annually. Seminars--which range from one-day workshops to 10 week classes--meet on weekdays, weeknights and Saturdays to fit the busy schedules of seminar participants.
The Newberry Library Seminar experience is based on the idea that people enjoy learning in small classes through a free exchange of knowledge and conversation. Seminars are not offered, or taken, for academic credit, but for the pleasure of learning. Some participants wish to revisit old classics; others see the Seminars as an opportunity to take a class on a topic they were unable to in college. The Seminars Program is designed to be a stress-free environment -- no grades, no mandatory attendance policies, no pressure.
Thank you for considering the Newberry Library Seminars Program, and we look forward to seeing you in a seminar soon.