**with the usual apologies for cross-posting**
7th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age
November 6-8, 2014
Collecting Histories
In partnership with the Rare Book Department of the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Schoenberg Institute of Manuscript Studies at the University of Pennsylvania is pleased to announce the 7th Annual Lawrence J. Schoenberg Symposium on Manuscript Studies in the Digital Age. This year's symposium highlights the work of the Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts by bringing together scholars and digital humanists whose work concerns the study of provenance and the history of collecting pre-modern manuscripts. The life of a manuscript book only just begins when the scribe lays down his pen. What happens from that moment to the present day can reveal a wealth of information about readership and reception across time, about the values of societies, institutions, and individuals who create, conserve, and disperse manuscript collections for a variety of reasons, and about the changing role of manuscripts across time, from simple vehicles of textual transmission to revered objects of collectors' desires. The study of provenance is the study of the histories of the book.
PROGRAM ADDITION:
In addition to the regular program of papers and workshops, we will be offering an opportunity to test-drive a prototype for the public user interface for the NEH-funded New Schoenberg Database of Manuscripts on Friday, November 7, at 5 pm. This interface will allow users to contribute, edit, and evaluate manuscript data. All registrants are invited to this special session. We need your input!
For more information and to register online, go to http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/lectures/ljs_symposium7.html. Or contact Lynn Ransom at lransom@upenn.edu.