Syracuse Sun

Syracuse University Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) is set to host a hybrid conference titled “Collecting the Medieval Book in America” on February 26 from 4 to 7 p.m. EST. The event will be held both in person at Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons and online via Zoom. Attendees are required to register online.

The conference will feature a panel discussion with library curators, faculty, and antiquarian booksellers, followed by a keynote lecture. Lisa Fagin Davis, Director of the Medieval Academy of America, will deliver the keynote address titled “Since the Census: A Century of Manuscript Collecting in North America.”

Panelists for the discussion include Brian Brege from Syracuse University, Anna Siebach-Larsen from the University of Rochester, Juilee Decker from Rochester Institute of Technology, and Irene Malfatto from Bruce McKittrick Rare Books. The session will be moderated by Samantha Herrick and Irina Savinetskaya.

The keynote lecture and Q&A session with Lisa Fagin Davis will occur between 5:45 and 7 p.m.

Irina Savinetskaya commented on the event's significance: “All Western European medieval manuscripts on this continent had to travel thousands of miles to get here. Bringing together experts from academia, libraries, museums, and antiquarian bookselling, the interdisciplinary conference Collecting the Medieval Book in America explores who has been collecting Western medieval manuscripts on this continent and why, and what the past and current collecting practices reveal about the broader perceptions of the Middle Ages in North America.”

This conference is organized by "Curating the Middle Ages," a CNY Humanities Working Group, as part of SCRC's Spring 2025 exhibition "The Making of the Medieval Book." It is co-sponsored by CNY Humanities Corridor and the Bibliographical Society of America with additional support from various departments within Syracuse University.

Communication Access Realtime Translation services will be available during the event. For accommodations or dietary needs inquiries, participants are advised to contact Max Wagh by February 12.

Syracuse University Libraries' Special Collections Research Center focuses on preserving materials that document both university history and global society aspects. The SCRC provides access to rare collections for research purposes within its facilities located at Bird Library.